I’ve learned that self-knowledge is one of the key areas to develop for people to be able to lead successfully their professional, personal, and family lives. It involves understanding what motivates them in life.
The more self-knowledge I have, the easier it is to discover my vocation, my calling, or my purpose (or whatever you want to call it). When we realize that we are unique and unrepeatable, we understand that what we put on the table is unique, that our capacity and our heart are worth it, and we have the power to use it to add value, improve things, and serve others.
To know ourselves, we need to know about our aptitudes (abilities and skills), our attitudes, and our drivers. Nuria Chinchilla, Professor of Managing People in Organizations at IESE Business School, proposed an excellent framework for this discovery process.
You can use this discovery process from outside to inside as if you were peeling an onion.
Interpersonal competencies are about how I work in a team, how I listen, and how I communicate. Even how I coach my friends or how I delegate.
Intrapersonal competencies are related to how I manage myself: if I am capable of self-criticism, managing my time well, and managing stress well. If I am sufficiently proactive and have enough initiative.
Meta-competences, also known as virtues, are at the core of everything. These are the positive habits that lead us to success. For example, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance (emotional intelligence) are the four cardinal virtues.
What is really important in this process are self-knowledge, self-management, and our drivers. Self-management is about what I'm doing to build my character and is needed to act accordingly. Our drivers can be extrinsic, intrinsic, or transcendent.
As a reflection, I believe that as leaders, we must not only help people develop their competencies but also identify what their drivers are. We should also help them improve their motivation so they become a better person. Help them so that they are not only driven by extrinsic or intrinsic motivation but to create a positive impact on others—transcendent motivation.
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
― Mahatma Gandhi