CM 093: Tasha Eurich on the Science of Self-awareness

Ninety-five percent of us think we are self-aware, but only ten to fifteen percent of us actually are. How important is that difference to our well being and happiness? Well, according to Tasha Eurich, self-aware individuals are are better at their jobs, more satisfied with their relationships, raise more mature children, are better students, lead more profitable companies, and choose better careers. Tasha is the author of the book, Insight: Why We’re Not as Self-aware As We Think, and How Seeing Ourselves Clearly Helps Us Succeed at Work and in Life. An organizational psychologist and researcher whose work has been featured in Entrepreneur, CNBC.com, The Huffington Post, and FoxBusiness.com. In this interview we discuss: Why self-awareness is the metaskill of the 21st century How self-awareness includes how clearly we see ourselves and how well we understand how others see us The fact that 95 percent of people think they are self-aware when the reality is closer to 10 to 15 percent How the ways we self-reflect can work against the benefits we might gain How reflecting on what, not why, shifts us into action and a more positive mindset Why we should journal to figure things out rather than merely ruminate or emotion dump How a focus on learning well helps us take on new challenges in ways that a focus on doing well may not Ways we can mine solutions to problems by asking ourselves what it might look like if the problem were already solved How getting feedback from others helps us gain additional perspectives on how we see ourselves How asking for feedback allows us to show vulnerability in positive ways Why we want to control the kinds of feedback we ask for by choosing the right people, asking the right questions, and using the right process Why we should seek out loving critics for feedback -- people who couple honesty with care How the ways we receive feedback are also important -- that we should give ourselves time to process feedback and to determine if we should act on it Self-aware teams practice honesty and transparency Leaders are the linchpins when it comes to self-aware teams Self-aware teams need psychological safety and an ongoing awareness process Team members can jumpstart self-awareness by taking small steps, like admitting something they do not know or something they did wrong Why it is important to recognize when you cannot influence someone to be more self-aware Links to Episode Topics @tashaeurich http://www.tashaeurich.com/ James Pennebaker Carol Dweck Solutions focused therapy How Emotions are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett Alan Mulally http://www.insight-book.com/quiz.aspx If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and review it on iTunes - your ratings make all the difference. For automatic delivery of new episodes, be sure to subscribe. As always, thanks for listening!