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# 5.1 What do you care about?

> ‘I feel the capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance.’

(Pablo Casals (2000), quoted in Lachman, 2012, p. 112).

Having spent some time thinking about how you see yourself as a leader – either formally or informally – you are now going to delve deeper into what you care about as a person and how you could develop that in current or future roles.

Figure 7 Finding passion in varied settings

You might be passionate about the natural environment, helping out in your local community, or keeping your colleagues safe at work. A reflective understanding of self can enhance your effectiveness as a manager or leader of other people and this activity helps you to do that.

## Activity 6 Developing your personal awareness

Part A

Part A contains four sets of questions which are designed to help you reflect on your current self-perception, your ideas about leadership, and your personal and professional goals.

Try to complete all the questions in one go, as that will help to focus your reflection and self-enquiry.

Answer as honestly as you can. It helps to start by just writing (or typing) as thoughts come to you. You’ll get the most honest response that way and may learn something new about yourself as a result.

## 1. Assessing who you are and where you are now

How does your personality affect the choices you make? What fears do you have that might hold you back?
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To what extent do you feel your values are reflected in your everyday choices and actions? How do these values enhance your relationships with others?
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What personal qualities do you have that could be usefully harnessed and developed to enhance your potential to lead and manage others, either formally or informally?
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## 2. Assessing your personal approach

What do you consider to be your priorities in life, both personal and career wise?
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How well are these priorities reflected in the choices you make?
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How do you set yourself new targets to keep your interest alive and provide new challenges?
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How do you nurture your relationships with the people around you?
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## 3. Assessing your work–life balance

How does your current work impact on your family and friends and other aspects of your non-working life? (This might be paid work, study, volunteering, or informal family/caring roles.)
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How satisfied are you with your lifestyle and time spent outside that work, for example, relaxation, socialising, hobbies, travel?
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Do you spend enough quality time with your friends and family? (If your work involves caring for family members, focus on the quality time you have with them, not just the time spent on the caring role.)
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Are you happy with the balance between your work role(s) and other aspects of your life?
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## 4. Making changes

What interests and motivates you to put your best efforts into something?
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What has limited you from making changes in the past? Have you overcome those constraints or barriers now? If so, how?
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What do you most want to achieve in your personal and work life? What are your career goals?
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Do your goals and ambitions fit with your ethics and values? Do your career goals conflict with your personal goals or ambitions?
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Part B

The next part of this activity gives you an opportunity to challenge any personal barriers to effectiveness – such as self-defeating beliefs – by creating a self-affirming statement based on your newly acquired personal awareness.

Next steps…

Now, reflect on what you have written and highlight any self-defeating beliefs you have uncovered.

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Self-defeating belief(s):
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Then make a statement of positive intent of how you might use your personal strengths to counter these.

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Positive statement of intent for change, i.e. what you are going to do differently:
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Part C

Finally, reflect back on the brief notes you made in Activity 1.

Can you see any potential links between what you wrote then and your answers in this activity?

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Developing your personal awareness in this way means examining aspects of yourself such as your level of self-confidence, emotional intelligence, resilience and self-esteem. With the renewed insight you’ve gained, it can help you develop a broader, proactive approach to changes in your professional and personal life. Remember to always aim to maintain an appropriate balance, as being an effective and caring leader starts with caring for yourself.

◄Contents►Next: 6 Continuing your leadership journey

OpenLearn - Approaching leadership with care
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