Psychology plays an important role in the development of our careers. It begins by defining our interests at work when we are young and expands over time to include interpersonal relationships, self-motivation, passion for what we do, attitudes toward superiors, team collaboration, and many other aspects of the job. Perhaps most importantly, psychology talks about how built we are at work and the way we manage our mental well-being and stress levels while on the road to productivity.
Effective performance depends on how the worker feels at work. Safety, security and freedom from harassment are essential. Furthermore, feeling appreciated and willing to work efficiently positions the employee to be a valuable contributor. Quality management can be instrumental in creating and maintaining these conditions in the workplace. But realizing the benefits of positive psychology is not only the responsibility of management. The state of our psychology is ultimately up to each of us individually – in life as well as in work.
Perhaps the main psychological characteristic that determines how successful we are at thriving in our jobs is self-awareness. Highly self-aware individuals have an almost complete perception of their emotional makeup, potential, flaws, demands, and what energizes them. They are well equipped to take advantage of their strengths while managing their weaknesses. Self-aware professionals carry with them a quiet self-confidence based on honesty and realism knowing they don’t have to fake it to make it happen. Their success results from an efficiently delivered work product, but does not exceed their ability to perform effectively. They know what they know and “know” what they don’t know.
Self-awareness is not to be thought of as a metaphysical quality that only a few anointed ones possess. We all do it to some extent. For example, if we know that too many scheduled meetings packed closely together are stressing us out, we work to ensure that the meetings in which we are expected to participate are spaced out so that we can contribute optimally. If we get mad at seeing our email inbox overflowing with unnecessary messages, we let our co-workers know that they are only sending messages of great importance. If we know that our best work comes from meeting deadlines, we structure our work flow so that tasks that need to be completed by a specific time are stacked accordingly. (Don’t you have control over such circumstances with your job? You might be in the wrong job.)
An additional benefit of self-awareness is its extended benefit to co-workers. A conscientious colleague is less likely to criticize himself in frustration or make unreasonable demands on others. They have the ability to assess the ability levels of their colleagues and can feel how each of them best accomplishes their tasks. Team orientation and business return are enhanced as more self-aware members participate. Self-aware co-workers and managers can serve as role models, if not informal mentors, thus improving the overall workforce.
Self-awareness is cultivated internally over time. The development of this ability is largely related to the range of reflection that each of us chooses. Reasoning is a key component of critical thinking. As we improve our reflective skill, we find ourselves becoming more adept at examining, analyzing, and evaluating experiences, which better informs how to face future challenges. For some of us, building in the time and effort to be reflexive may need to be more insistent. If we notice that our default mode is to go through the minute details and demands of our jobs without purposefully thinking about the insights we can gain from our methods, we are depriving ourselves of the richness that can come from reflection and through extended self-awareness.
In short, self-awareness leads to greater clarity in the values and goals of our work. Our decisions are improved and our goal of enhancing and gaining more job satisfaction becomes more bearable. Don’t worry. Very few of us have reached nirvana self-awareness, so give yourself a break and begin or continue to hone this competence wherever you are.