“Questions can be even more powerful than answers… It is a call to ‘Know Thyself’ – and to bring that knowledge to life in the choices you make – not a prescription.” – Jim Collins
The invitation to truly know yourself may be one of the most underdeveloped leadership skills in modern work. We are raised to chase external measures of success: winning performances, meeting expectations, hitting goals. These markers help us function well in community and deliver results. Yet they rarely teach us how to use awareness to look inward, to understand who we are, how we’re wired, and what brings us alive.
Awareness of Your Wiring
This article explores the leadership practice of awareness of self, others, and circumstances, and how it shapes performance, relationships, and well-being.
Collins, in his book What to Make of a Life, calls it your encodings: the unique blend of genetics, development, and lived experience that shape how you naturally operate. Assessments can help, but the most powerful tool is simple observation.
Where do things “click” for you? What tasks energize you rather than drain you? Where do you excel without forcing it?
One engineering leader recently discovered that pattern recognition is her superpower. It shows up everywhere from research and development to the games she plays with friends. She doesn’t learn best through note-taking; instead, her mind absorbs information by tracking patterns in what she hears and sees. That insight has helped her choose work that aligns with her wiring and understand why certain environments feel more natural than others.
Your wiring is always present. The question is whether you’re paying attention.
Awareness of Self with Others
Self-awareness is not self-absorption. It’s the ability to understand your own wiring while also recognizing that others have their own.
The same engineering leader learned that her rapid pattern recognition can unintentionally make teammates feel rushed or left behind. She discovered that slowing down and inviting others’ encodings into the process creates better outcomes and stronger relationships. She also realized that her tendency to scan for patterns during conversations can appear as being distracted to others. With awareness, she now chooses when to lean into her superpower and when to prioritize presence.
She has also learned that social awareness can drain the way she is wired. So she is learning that it is a process of discovery to find when she can use her encodings to support social awareness, but that she also needs to replenish herself. For example, she has a couple of spaces at her workplace where she can set up to work, so she is proactive about moving to whichever space aligns better with her energy.
Awareness becomes a relational skill: How does your wiring impact others? How do you read what others need in the moment? Where can curiosity replace assumption? How do you support yourself so you interact with others at your best?
Leaders who practice this create environments where people feel seen, supported, and able to contribute their best.
Awareness of Circumstances
We don’t lead in a vacuum. Seasons of life, shifting environments, and unexpected disruptions all shape what is required of us.
Sometimes we can design our circumstances by choosing roles that align with our wiring or creating daily rhythms that support our strengths. Other times, life demands something different: caring for young children, navigating loss, managing change, or responding to plans that suddenly fall apart.
Awareness helps us respond rather than react.
I recently experienced this while planning a client retreat; the fixed venue turned out to be unsuitable for a large-group meeting. Instead of forcing the original plan, stepping back allowed space to see new possibilities. The constraint became a catalyst for a more creative and effective design.
Circumstances shift. Awareness helps us shift with them.
Summary
Leadership begins with self-knowledge. Not as a self-help exercise, but as a practical foundation for performance, relationships, and well-being.
So consider:
- How well do you truly know yourself?
- Where are you investing time to cultivate awareness of your wiring, your impact on others, and the realities of your circumstances?
- How might deeper awareness help you lead with greater alignment, clarity, and refreshment?
Awareness is not a luxury. It’s a leadership advantage. One that grows every time you pause, observe, and choose with intention.