Several years ago ago I posted an article on LinkedIn that got a ton of attention. The title was The 7 Signs of Poor Leadership. You can also find it on my website. Since posting it has over 90,000 views. It must have struck a cord as I also had 2,700 Likes, over 1,050 re-shares and over 250 comments in which many people said they both saw these traits in their Managers and some even admitted they displayed the signs themselves. I had a lot of questions about how to avoid these, and the best answer I came up with, and one I still believe is the best solution, is self-awareness.

I have found NO good leaders that are not self-aware. Self-awareness gives them the ability to lead with a sense of purpose, authenticity, openness, and trust. It gives them a better understanding of who they are and helps them understand what they need most from other people, to complement their own strengths and weaknesses.

So here is my Christmas Gift to you as Leaders. A short and vital list of the 7 things that will help you become self-aware.

1. Keep an Open Mind

To be self-aware we have to be attuned to the emotions of others. A leader has to be curious about others, what they think and what they feel. And then we have to use these insights to relate and cooperate with them.

2. Understand Others Views

If they we hear other views and try and understand their validity, then we become close-minded and only know our own point of view. Listening and understanding others helps creativity and fashions our beliefs by including a host of alternatives we would not have been aware of otherwise.

3. Set Goals

One of the ways to be more self-aware is to set goals. Not just business goals, but goals that take account of ten interrelated domains in our lives, as Michael Hyatt attests; spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, marital, parental, social, vocational, avocational and financial. These should be reviewed regularly to track progress and it forces us to think about our behavior.

4. Keep A Journal

One of the ways to be more self-aware is to keep a journal. Good leaders use this as another way of checking in with our thoughts and behavior. Make notes about what are we are reading, what we are thinking, what’s getting in the way, what’s working?

5. Have a Daily Ritual

We all have a daily ritual but are not always aware it exists. Cleaning our teeth, making coffee, taking the dog a walk, listening to the news, checking on the weather. By weaving in other things and ensuring there is a process and an order to the morning and evening routine, good leaders make ourselves self-aware of our thoughts and behavior.

6. Ask for Genuine Feedback

For leaders who are not self-aware, this is the toughest. Because we feel we open ourselves up to criticism, but it is key if we are going to take being self-aware seriously. Only by getting feedback can we understand how we relate and come across to others.

7. Make a List of Strengths and Weaknesses

Leaders that think they can do everything and are perfect at everything fail to lead. We are NOT perfect. None of us. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Good leaders recognize this and ask for help where they know they have weaknesses and empower others to help them.

So here’s my Christmas Gift to leaders – you. Hopefully, we will use the Holiday break to think about what has worked this year and more importantly, what hasn’t and then set goals and routines that will use the 7 things that will help us become more self-aware and thereby better leaders, not just for our business but for our famly and friends.