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About this lesson

In this lesson, we'll talk about self-awareness, and how understanding and recognizing your own emotions can transform your approach at work.

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Self-Awareness in the Workplace
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Quick reference

Self-Awareness in the Workplace

In this lesson, you'll learn about the importance of self-awareness as a foundational component of emotional intelligence. The lesson covers understanding and recognizing your emotions, the role of self-awareness in professional growth, and practical techniques to improve self-awareness. By the end of this lesson, you will understand how self-awareness can transform your approach at work and enhance your professional growth.

Notes

Understanding and Recognizing Your Emotions

  • Self-awareness starts with recognizing your emotions as they happen.
  • Knowing why you feel a certain way and how your emotions affect your thoughts and actions is crucial in the workplace.
    • Example: Feeling anxious and stressed near a project deadline can lead to rushed work and strained relationships.
    • Solution: Recognize these feelings early and take positive action, such as seeking support from colleagues or organizing tasks more effectively.

The Role of Self-Awareness in Professional Growth

  • Self-awareness helps you understand your emotional triggers and manage your behavior in various situations.
    • Example: Recognizing that deadlines cause anxiety can lead to starting projects earlier to alleviate stress.
    • Example: Being aware of emotions in high-stakes meetings can help you stay calm and communicate more effectively.
  • Benefits of self-awareness:
    • Stronger relationships at work
    • Enhanced leadership skills
    • Opportunities for career advancement

Techniques for Improving Self-Awareness

  1. Mindfulness Meditation
    • Start your day with five minutes of mindfulness to center yourself and maintain a calm baseline.
    • Benefit: Improves ability to manage stress and stay present.
  2. Journaling
    • Keep a journal to note key feelings and events that trigger strong emotions.
    • Benefit: Helps detect emotional patterns and triggers in behavior.
  3. Feedback Seeking
    • Ask for constructive feedback from peers and managers to understand how others perceive your actions and reactions.
    • Benefit: Provides a clearer picture of your emotional responses.
  4. Pause and Reflect
    • Before reacting in any situation, take a moment to consider your feelings and why you might be reacting a certain way.
    • Example: Feeling frustrated during a meeting—pause to assess why, which helps respond constructively and maintain professionalism.
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  • 00:05 Welcome back.
  • 00:06 In this lesson, we'll talk about self-awareness,
  • 00:09 which is a cornerstone of emotional intelligence.
  • 00:11 Understanding and recognizing your own emotions isn't just about self reflection,
  • 00:16 it's about leveraging that knowledge for professional growth and and success.
  • 00:21 So let's explore how heightened self-awareness can transform your approach
  • 00:26 at work.
  • 00:26 Self-awareness begins with the ability to recognize your emotions as they happen.
  • 00:33 It's knowing why you feel a certain way and
  • 00:36 how your emotions can affect your thoughts and actions.
  • 00:40 This understanding is crucial in the workplace, because it affects how you
  • 00:45 interact with colleagues and customers and how you manage stress and make decisions.
  • 00:51 For example, many of us have found ourselves working on a project with
  • 00:55 an important deadline looming.
  • 00:57 And as that finish line approaches, we begin to feel anxious and stressed.
  • 01:04 If we let it overwhelm us, we may end up rushing through our project, creating
  • 01:08 something that's not as good, and that may damage some relationships in the process.
  • 01:14 But if we recognize these feelings, we can take positive action and
  • 01:18 seek support from our colleagues, or think of ways to organize our tasks
  • 01:23 more effectively rather than letting stress overwhelm us.
  • 01:28 Self-awareness is a critical component in growing your career,
  • 01:32 because the better you understand your emotional triggers and responses,
  • 01:37 the more you can manage your behavior and reactions in various situations.
  • 01:42 That looming deadline we talked about earlier,
  • 01:46 if we recognize that any kind of deadline makes us anxious, we might consider
  • 01:51 that starting our projects earlier can help alleviate the stress.
  • 01:55 Or imagine being in a high stakes meeting,
  • 01:58 being aware of your emotions can help you stay calm and collected.
  • 02:03 So, if rehearsing a presentation or bringing notes helps you focus,
  • 02:08 you can communicate more effectively and persuasively.
  • 02:13 This awareness of emotions leads to stronger relationships at work,
  • 02:17 enhances your leadership skills, and opens up opportunities for career advancement.
  • 02:25 With that in mind, if we want to become more aware of emotional triggers on
  • 02:29 a daily basis, we should try to improve our self-awareness.
  • 02:33 Here are a few techniques.
  • 02:36 Something a lot of people do is mindfulness meditation.
  • 02:40 Perhaps you might start your day with five minutes of mindfulness to center
  • 02:45 yourself before jumping into tasks,
  • 02:47 helping to maintain a calm baseline throughout the day.
  • 02:52 Journaling can be a big help.
  • 02:54 Keeping a journal can be as simple as noting key feelings at the end of the day,
  • 02:59 and noting any events that triggered strong emotions.
  • 03:03 And this practice can help you detect emotional patterns and
  • 03:07 triggers in your behavior.
  • 03:10 Feedback seeking means asking for constructive feedback from peers and
  • 03:15 managers.
  • 03:15 This insight can help you understand how others perceive your actions and
  • 03:20 reactions, providing a clearer picture of your emotional responses.
  • 03:26 And of course, pause and reflect.
  • 03:29 Before reacting in any situation, take a moment to consider your feelings and
  • 03:33 why you might be reacting a certain way.
  • 03:36 This pause can help you choose a more constructive response.
  • 03:41 For example, if you find yourself feeling suddenly frustrated during a meeting,
  • 03:46 take a brief moment to assess why you feel this way, and this can help you
  • 03:50 respond in a way that is constructive, but also maintains professionalism.
  • 03:57 Each of these techniques offers a way to better understand your own feelings.
  • 04:01 If it feels like one of these techniques might fit into your daily routine,
  • 04:06 try it out.
  • 04:08 Use one this week or on your next project and
  • 04:11 observe the changes in your emotional responses.
  • 04:15 So to summarize,
  • 04:16 enhancing your self-awareness is about understanding your emotions and
  • 04:22 using that knowledge to improve how you function and interact in the workplace.
  • 04:28 The skills you develop through these techniques will make you a more
  • 04:33 competent and composed professional.
  • 04:36 Next time, we'll discuss self-management techniques that allow you to take control
  • 04:40 of your emotions and maintain your cool under pressure.
  • 04:44 See you then.

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