A neuroscientist explains the importance of the most underestimated skill for your professional and social success.
What makes a successful person? Ambition? Hard work? Ruthlessness? There are different opinions on this. So examined For example, researchers examined 1,000 students from four different countries – including Germany – on their reactions and emotional thinking when they were confronted with challenging circumstances. The result? Hope, positive perceptions, and feelings of being in control led to a greater desire for achievement.
Well, that one Wish after performance is certainly all well and good. But what constitutes success in both your professional and private life? Are the well-organized, confident problem solvers the ones at the top? Not necessarily, explains Harvard neuroscientist Juliette Han in an interview with “Make it”. She names a clear competitive advantage that some people have over their competitors in the job market: self-awareness.
Why self-awareness is the key to success
What are we talking about when we talk about self-awareness? According to the lexicon of psychology, people with self-awareness have, among other things, “knowledge of their own positive and negative characteristics and behavior.” But that’s not all it’s about, warns Han. According to the scientist, self-awareness also means thinking about your own strengths and connecting them with your own goals. This skill is the “most underrated” in people starting out in their careers, she adds.
The Research gives her the right: Those who have healthy self-awareness are more confident and creative, make more informed decisions, build closer relationships and communicate more effectively. It’s hardly surprising: someone who knows themselves exactly, their own abilities, but also their own values, goals and limits can make private and professional decisions much better than someone who constantly questions everything – and especially themselves. People are attracted to this type of person because they radiate authenticity – a real advantage, and not just in work life.
How you can develop better self-awareness
It is now clear how helpful a healthy and stable self-perception can be at work. But what if you are one of those people who lack exactly that? The neuroscientist has three tips for such cases that can help you develop better self-awareness.
1. Reflect on your own interests and skills
What you’re good at and what you enjoy doing are two of the most important questions to ask ourselves at work – whether we’re just starting a job or suffering from burnout, Han explains. “Do you enjoy leading a team or analyzing data? The answers to these questions can help you identify tasks that you want to do again and again.” Because let’s not kid ourselves: work partly consists of stupid, always the same activities that have to be done. Having at least a basic interest and fun in it is extremely important. It’s even better if you really get lost in certain tasks.
But as the scientist has already explained: it is not enough to be aware of your interests. The next step is to develop a plan to improve your skills and focus on projects and tasks that really excite you.
2. Get feedback from colleagues and superiors
The next time you have a conversation with your manager or your direct colleagues, you might ask the following question: “Can you tell me when I was helpful to your work and would you like to be as specific as possible?” The answer to this can help you find out what influence your own work has on those around you and how they assess you and your abilities, explains Han.
In the same way, you can sometimes discover abilities that you weren’t even aware of. For example, if a colleague praises your talent for multitasking, which you otherwise rarely use, it may be worth using and training this skill more often. For example, Han asked her friends three characteristics that would describe them and they all said, among other things, “funny.” She realized that her humor not only made her a popular friend, but also a popular leader.
3. Set clear goals and follow your steps towards them
Once you are aware of your own abilities, a possible next step is to set specific goals and track progress to stay motivated. This way you can make your own work more efficient – which ultimately leads to success.
One should not expect major (and tangible) developments too quickly, says Han. But it’s worth it, because the ability to self-awareness would pay off in different ways. The neuroscientist summarizes the importance of self-awareness as follows:
You can have all the skills and all the charisma in the world, but if you don’t know yourself and how to appear and interact in the world, it’s much harder to build strong relationships with your superiors and colleagues to interact and deepen the friendships you need to be truly successful.
Sources used: cnbc.com, nypost.com, psycnet.apa.org, guilfordjournals.com, spektrum.de