Thoughts from Guy

Motivation, Self-Awareness and Leadership

There is a great irony to leadership. On one hand, effective leadership is other-focused and requires commitment to people and objectives beyond one’s self-interests. Leaders must be selfless. On the other hand, leaders must be self-aware. Executives must be cognizant of their own needs, motives and impact as they strive to earn others’ trust and followership.

Our psychological needs and motives define who we are as individuals and influence who we are as leaders. They shape our decisions, actions and demeanor. They determine how our leadership feels to others – whether they are drawn toward us, trust us and feel committed to us.

This is why self-awareness is so important. Leadership is a highly personal endeavor, and leaders must be aware of their psychology and their impact so they can model the behavior that brings forth the best in others.

With the executives I coach, I often see a transition when they begin to understand that their personal psychology determines their effectiveness as leaders far more than any leadership model or philosophy they may have been following.

This raises the question of whether there are particular needs and motives that contribute to effective leadership. I think there are several:

  • Need for Results: the drive to get things done with/through others.
  • Decisiveness: the courage to make difficult choices and take ownership for decisions.
  • Selflessness: caring about the personal and professional well-being of others and committing to outcomes beyond one’s self-interest.
  • Humility: the ability to consider others’ point of view, credit others for success and show an appropriate amount of vulnerability.

Self-awareness can help us nurture and manifest the above motives. Self-awareness can also help us recognize instances where we might express other needs so strongly that they are antithetical to effective leadership (such as excessive needs for control, affiliation, predictability, recognition, etc.).

It can be difficult for anyone, including executives, to recognize how their personal psychology plays out at work. We all are highly invested in maintaining a positive self-concept. We take the good for granted, and protect ourselves from recognizing the bad. Often, it takes input from a 360-degree evaluation, a mentor or a coach for executives to develop an accurate view of their psychology and impact. These tools can strengthen self-awareness and help leaders act in a way that inspires trust and spurs results.

Motivation is the second factor of IMPACT Leadership, a model of the fundamental work of leadership. 

© 2015 Guy Cornelius

Our psychological needs and motives define who we are as individuals and influence who we are as leaders. They shape our decisions, actions and demeanor. They determine how our leadership feels to others – whether they are drawn toward us, trust us and feel committed to us.

This is why self-awareness is so important. Leadership is a highly personal endeavor, and leaders must be aware of their psychology and their impact so they can model the behavior that brings forth the best in others.

With the executives I coach, I often see a transition when they begin to understand that their personal psychology determines their effectiveness as leaders far more than any leadership model or philosophy they may have been following.

This raises the question of whether there are particular needs and motives that contribute to effective leadership. I think there are several:

  • Need for Results: the drive to get things done with/through others.
  • Decisiveness: the courage to make difficult choices and take ownership for decisions.
  • Selflessness: caring about the personal and professional well-being of others and committing to outcomes beyond one’s self-interest.
  • Humility: the ability to consider others’ point of view, credit others for success and show an appropriate amount of vulnerability.

Self-awareness can help us nurture and manifest the above motives. Self-awareness can also help us recognize instances where we might express other needs so strongly that they are antithetical to effective leadership (such as excessive needs for control, affiliation, predictability, recognition, etc.).

It can be difficult for anyone, including executives, to recognize how their personal psychology plays out at work. We all are highly invested in maintaining a positive self-concept. We take the good for granted, and protect ourselves from recognizing the bad. Often, it takes input from a 360-degree evaluation, a mentor or a coach for executives to develop an accurate view of their psychology and impact. These tools can strengthen self-awareness and help leaders act in a way that inspires trust and spurs results.

Motivation is the second factor of IMPACT Leadership, a model of the fundamental work of leadership. 

© 2015 Guy Cornelius