The most successful leaders share an often-undervalued trait: They know exactly who they are.

While conventional wisdom suggests leaders should project unwavering confidence, research increasingly demonstrates that the ability to recognize blind spots, triggers, and limitations, in addition to one's own strengths, creates a profound competitive advantage.

Beyond this fundamental capacity for objective self-reflection, self-awareness represents a key aspect of emotional intelligence. Self-aware individuals are better equipped to manage their own emotions and understand the emotions of others, leading to greater empathy and compassion. In the workplace, leaders who understand their tendencies, biases, and predispositions are better positioned to proactively strengthen teams, cultivate healthy environments, and reduce stress.

Self-aware leaders are more inclined to lead from a place of integrity and authenticity. By objectively understanding their strengths and weaknesses, these leaders can leverage their capabilities while addressing their limitations. Self-awareness isn't just a nice-to-have soft skill—it's the foundation upon which all other leadership capabilities are built.

There are several dimensions of leadership in which the superpower of self-awareness can make you a stronger, more authentic leader.

Communication

Self-awareness enables leaders to communicate more effectively by understanding their communication style and how it is perceived by others. Typically, leaders who understand their communication patterns and tendencies are more tuned into others and are intentional about tailoring their approach. In doing so, they are leveraging some of the essential aspects of effective communication.

Self-awareness encourages leaders to recognize areas for improvement and work toward personal and professional growth. Self-aware leaders are more likely to seek feedback and engage in continuous learning to improve their leadership skills.  Leaders with this growth mindset are also more likely to promote this mindset amongst their team, encouraging direct reports to explore opportunities for growth and take on challenges.

Leaders who are comfortable with understanding who they are tend to be more secure in asking for support or exploring opportunities for collaboration, demonstrating a willingness to bring a variety of perspectives and voices to the table. That provides an opportunity to model such powerful behaviors for team members as well. 

Relationship Building

By understanding their impact on others, leaders skilled in self-awareness recognize the value of building highly functioning relationships. Also, they're committed to putting in the work to do so. Self-aware leaders also tend to develop stronger and more fulfilling relationships, resulting in more satisfied team members.

Building trust is critical in leading any team. Leaders who are self-aware and honest about their strengths and weaknesses are more likely to be trusted and held accountable by their teams. Team members may then bear witness to moments of vulnerability in which a leader may share a deficiency or a reasonable lack of familiarity with a given subject.

That behavior demonstrates to team members that honesty in and around their own knowledge set is welcome. This transparency builds psychological safety, where team members feel comfortable being honest about their knowledge gaps, rather than attempting to cover up mistakes.

In examining such concepts, it's important to recognize that not all leaders are self-aware or content with their current level of self-awareness. For those seeking to develop this critical capability, assessment tools like DiSC, Myers-Briggs, Clifton StrengthsFinder, Kolbe, or Enneagram provide valuable starting points for self-discovery.

Much has been written about how women should communicate, behave, and show up in the workplace in order to succeed. I am happy to have been exploring this topic long enough to witness a shift in the overall thinking around this area. This general shift highlights the value of not showing up in an attempt to align with a generic, often outdated stereotype, but rather as who you are authentically.

Trying to constantly fit yourself into a mold made for someone else is exhausting and can lead to burnout. In exploring the experience of successful women in the workplace, my research and observation indicate that leadership satisfaction may be less about traditional drive and ambition than it is about being true to yourself. Research from the Center for Creative Leadership identifies authenticity as one of four key aspects that highly successful women leaders embrace in their approach to their careers and their lives. The other three are agency, connection, and wholeness.

Self-awareness allows leaders to be more genuine and connected, inspiring elevated trust and engagement among their teams. The most effective leaders recognize and celebrate their strengths and also understand that acknowledging their blind spots, triggers, and limitations is what really sets them apart. Ultimately, a high level of self-awareness is a critical component of leading authentically—and it just may be your superpower.