2. Self-Awareness: First Step to Your Career Plan and Thriving as a Leader

Learn about Self-Awareness, the first critical step for crafting a career plan, and to become an effective leader.

Hi! 🙋🏻‍♀️ It’s great you decided to embark on the journey to become an exceptional leader.
I’m so happy you joined! Did you introduce yourself in the chat? We are looking forward to meeting you. Also, don’t forget to share this newsletter with your friends.

What You'll Learn:

💡How important it is to define a plan for succeeding in this era of constant change.
💡What self-awareness is and why it's the first critical skill needed for the plan.
💡How self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EI) are essential for leadership.
💡How to become self-aware.

Tasks for the Week:

☑️ Start journaling by identifying your emotions and reflecting on them.
☑️ Reflect on the important things you've had to let go of.
☑️ (Bonus) Spend 3 minutes per day doing breathing meditation.

Plan with Your Heart

(5 minutes read)

We used to only rethink our career paths in our 30s, 40s, or 50s. However, the tech sector has been impacted by significant changes in the past few years. From the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing remote work debate, to the rapid adoption of AI — we as employees have been constantly reevaluating our priorities and career trajectories.

It reminds me of the Dotcom Bust of 2001. Back then, I was juggling around 5 different website projects, the university, and an internship. I was constantly taking and dropping challenges without considering if they truly aligned with my passions. And I kept doing the same for years. Looking back, I realize that I lost sight of my "why" — I was just checking off a list of goals without any real self-awareness.

“We don’t know how time and circumstances will change what we want and even who we want to be, and locking our life GPS onto a single target can give us the right directions to the wrong destination.” — Adam Grant

Recently, during the pandemic, I decided to buy land in Spain and move out of Berlin to work fully remotely. This decision will have a major impact on both my career and my personal life. But this time, I will have defined a career plan grounded in self-awareness — one that will allow me to take calculated risks without losing sight of my own aspirations. This plan isn't a rigid script, but rather a flexible mechanism that I'll continuously review and adapt as we navigate the hectic changes in tech.
It's the compass that will guide me to thrive as an exceptional leader.

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Do you want to be a better leader and are you considering a change? We do too.
Discover, plan and thrive as leader in your career with WonderLead insights and community!

”They’re planning their next career step, and understanding the trends at work is helping them to make more considered decisions” — The Pragmatic Engineer.

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Why planning our leadership career with self-awareness?

Defining our trajectory towards thriving leadership is not easy. And often, the biggest barrier is ourselves — our own self-sabotaging thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours that undermine our confidence and decision-making. Self-awareness is the foundation upon which we can listen to our emotions, reflect on our experiences, and make intentional choices that, in this case, will propel us towards our aspirations. It's the first critical step in crafting an effective career plan — one that allows us to shed the job titles, beliefs, and opinions that keep us playing it safe, and embrace the vulnerability required to take the next bold step.

"You don't have to believe your thoughts." — Daniel Goleman

What happens if I don't have self-awareness?

Without self-awareness, our actions become reactionary, driven by unconscious biases, emotional triggers, and limiting beliefs. This can severely impact our leadership effectiveness, leading to emotional outbursts, impulsive decisions, and difficulty empathizing with others. We risk making choices for our plan that don't align with our values and goals.

How can I cultivate self-awareness?

Cultivating self-awareness is an ongoing journey, but it's essential for thriving as a leader in tech. By naming and understanding our emotions, we gain invaluable insights into our motivations, triggers, and blind spots. And by embracing self-reflection, we can make choices that align with our authentic selves and lead with greater intention and impact.

How do I start practicing self-awareness?

Begin by using a journal or the How We Feel app to deeply explore the emotions you experience throughout the day. At the moment you feel an emotion, dive into what situations or thoughts triggered those feelings from the present or past. Use this as a personal reflection tool, and watch as your self-awareness grows, empowering you to become the exceptional leader you aspire to be.

Reflect on the things you've had to let go of that you now regret. List the important matters you had to stop doing, and note the emotions you feel when thinking about each one. Then ask yourself: Why did you have to let these things go? What was the challenge for you? Do you still regret those decisions? What would you do differently now? This exercise will shed light on your values, priorities, and areas for growth, which will be useful in the upcoming posts.

(Bonus Activity) Find breaks of 3 minutes every day and do breathing meditation.

Remember to focus on your strengths.

When the self-sabotaging thoughts or criticisms arise, pause, listen to your emotions, and let them go. Take control of your behaviour and focus on your strengths.

Ultimately, self-awareness is the compass that will guide you on your leadership path. It's the key to thriving in the ever-changing tech landscape, embracing vulnerability, and making choices that propel you towards your vision. So start your self-discovery today - the exceptional leader you aspire to be is waiting.

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Do you have any learnings that you would like to share? I am looking for guest posts from different tech role writers so that we can help more people define their career paths. Join here.

My Recommendations

Books

1. Working with Emotional Intelligence — Daniel Goleman.

2. Mindset — Carol S. Dweck.

3. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know — Adam Grant.

Other Substacks from the Week

• What is Old is New Again —The Pragmatic Engineer.

• My solution to any trouble, any loneliness — The Quiet Life.

• The Most Efficient Way to Land a Better Job at One of the World's Top Tech Companies — Level Up by Ethan Evans.

This post opinions are my own, and may not reflect the opinions of the company I work for.