Self-Awareness Is an Accelerator - If You Act on It

Lesson 1 of 10: Reflections from a decade of executive coaching by Arlene Pace Green, Ph.D., A.C.C.

A couple months into a coaching engagement, a senior leader closed his assessment debrief and said, "This is the most clarity I’ve ever had about how I show up." It's a moment we've seen many times. The 360 feedback, the personality assessments, the stakeholder interviews - they create a mirror that leaders rarely get to look into and the clarity is real.

Getting this feedback consistently in any role, and especially in more senior roles is challenging. As leaders rise, the amount of feedback they receive lessens because most people are hesitant to give honest feedback to those above them. So, the leaders who keep growing are the ones who deliberately build open, feedback-rich environments around them.

But what happens next is what determines the impact of that awareness. Awareness, on its own, doesn’t change anything. It’s the starting point. Leaders who continue to grow and advance are able to translate what they hear into a number of clear, intentional behavior changes that they share transparently with others and follow through on consistently.

This is where differentiation happens. Without disciplined follow-through, even the best insights fade and become a distant memory in the whirlwind of everyday work and life.

An Action For leaders: Identify one piece of feedback you have heard more than once. Define one specific behavior you will do differently over the next two weeks and revisit it at the end of each day. Small, consistent, visible.

An Action For HR & Talent leaders: Make sure your assessments and feedback processes do not end at “insight delivered.” Build in clear expectations for what happens next: ownership, action planning, and follow-through. Ensure applied change is the desired and measured outcome.

Ready to turn awareness into measurable growth? Schedule a complimentary discovery call at enelratalent.com/contact-us or reach out at letsgo@enelratalent.com.

About the Author

Arlene Pace Green, Ph.D. is the CEO and Founder of Enelra Talent Solutions, LLC, an executive coaching firm celebrating its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, Enelra has coached hundreds of leaders across industries, helping them grow with intention, lead with clarity, and build careers and organizations they are proud of. Arlene is also the host of the Work Well, Live Well podcast.