The Importance of Self-Awareness in Leadership Capability Building
In today’s fast-paced and people-driven workplaces, technical skills alone aren’t enough to thrive in leadership. The leaders who stand out – who build trust, lead through change, and elevate their teams – have something special: self-awareness.
Self-awareness is more than just understanding your strengths and weaknesses. It’s the foundation of emotional intelligence, and it’s a non-negotiable element of any leadership capability-building journey. When leaders know themselves, they can lead with clarity, make better decisions under pressure, and respond – not react – in high-stakes moments.
And the research backs this up. According to a study by Cornell University, leaders with high self-awareness are more effective at building strong teams and fostering trust, while the opposite is true for leaders lacking it – those individuals tend to overestimate their capabilities and are rated significantly lower in performance by their peers and direct reports.
So what does self-awareness look like in practice? And how can it fuel long-term leadership success?
Why Self-Awareness Matters in Leadership
Self-aware leaders understand their emotional responses and behavioural patterns. They can identify when they’re operating from a place of fear, ego, confidence or purpose – and can adjust their approach accordingly. This ability makes them more adaptable, reflective, and effective in complex environments.
Here’s what building self-awareness typically involves:
Recognising emotions as they arise and understanding what triggers them.
Acknowledging personal qualities and achievements with realism – not arrogance or self-doubt.
Understanding oneself as a learner by accepting feedback and being open to personal growth.
Developing reflective practices to continually evaluate what’s working and what’s not.
These aren’t soft skills – they’re strategic advantages.
In fact, research from organisational psychologist Dr. Tasha Eurich found that while 95% of people believe they’re self-aware, only 10–15% actually are. This gap represents a significant blind spot that can hinder leadership effectiveness and team engagement.
Leaders with high self-awareness can read the room, stay grounded when others are reactive, and coach their teams more effectively. They can step back from the chaos of a demanding workload and ask: What’s really going on here? And how am I contributing positively to it?
Self-Awareness and Mental Toughness: The Missing Link
At Get Mentally Fit, we work with leaders across industries who want to improve performance while staying aligned with their values. One of the most powerful models we use to deepen self-awareness is the Mental Toughness Framework – a research-based approach that builds inner capability.
Mental toughness is not about being hard or stoic – it’s about being adaptive, emotionally intelligent, and persistent, especially when the pressure is on. Each trait within the framework provides a lens for leaders to develop greater insight into how they think, feel, and behave in challenging environments.
Here’s how each trait connects with self-awareness and leadership capability:
Life Control
This is your belief in your ability to shape your life, regardless of external circumstances. Leaders with high life control don’t feel like passengers in their own career – they feel like drivers.
🧠 Self-awareness insight: When you notice a tendency to blame or deflect, it’s a cue to pause. Ask, What can I influence right now? Building awareness of when you hand over your agency helps you regain control.
Emotional Control
This is the ability to regulate your emotional reactions, especially under pressure, and to stay composed when others around you aren’t.
🧠 Self-awareness insight: Leaders who reflect on their emotional triggers are less likely to fall into knee-jerk reactions. By naming your emotions in the moment, you create a gap between stimulus and response – a core leadership skill.
According to a study published in Harvard Business Review, leaders with strong emotional regulation are 70% more effective at handling conflict and promoting a positive workplace culture.
Goal Orientation
This reflects how clearly and consistently you visualise, pursue, and follow through on goals. It’s the ability to stay the course when distractions or setbacks arise.
🧠 Self-awareness insight: Leaders with goal clarity often revisit why they started. They reflect on what’s meaningful to them – not just what’s urgent. This internal alignment strengthens motivation and commitment over time.
Achievement Orientation
This is your drive to meet expectations – either your own or those of others. It’s about doing what it takes, even when the path isn’t easy.
🧠 Self-awareness insight: By understanding whether you’re fuelled more by internal or external goals, you can make better choices about where to focus your energy. Self-aware leaders set goals that align with their values, not just obligations.
A global study by McKinsey found that leaders who demonstrate clarity and follow-through on goals improve team productivity by up to 25%.
Confidence in Abilities
This is the belief in your skills, knowledge, and capacity to handle what’s required of you.
🧠 Self-awareness insight: Leaders with accurate self-appraisal don’t fake confidence – they build it through preparation and experience. Reflecting on what you can do (and what you need to learn) boosts authentic, grounded self-belief.
Interpersonal Confidence
This is your willingness to engage with others, share your perspective, and assert yourself when necessary.
🧠 Self-awareness insight: If you tend to withdraw or over-accommodate, developing awareness of your default style helps you find your voice. Interpersonal confidence grows when you understand your communication tendencies and step into discomfort with intention.
Research from Zenger Folkman shows that leaders with strong interpersonal confidence are more likely to be seen as inspirational and trusted by their teams – key traits in high-performing leaders.
Risk Orientation
This is your openness to stretch beyond what feels safe or familiar. It’s not about recklessness – it’s about growth.
🧠 Self-awareness insight: Noticing your resistance to uncertainty is powerful. Self-aware leaders identify where fear of failure or perfectionism holds them back – and lean into discomfort as a catalyst for development.
Learning Orientation
This is your willingness to reflect on all experiences – good and bad – to extract insights and grow.
🧠 Self-awareness insight: Self-aware leaders know that failure is not the opposite of success – it’s a vital part of it. They regularly ask, What did I learn from this? and How will I do it differently next time?
A 2020 Deloitte survey found that organisations that prioritise learning agility and reflective practices are 52% more likely to be innovation leaders in their sector.
By understanding and cultivating these traits, leaders build a robust internal foundation. They develop clarity, resilience, adaptability, and confidence – qualities that not only drive performance but also build credibility, influence, and trust.
The common thread? Self-awareness is the entry point. Without it, mental toughness traits can’t be developed with intention or authenticity. With it, they become powerful tools for sustainable leadership success.
The Career Impact of Growing Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is not a “nice to have” – it’s a career accelerant. Leaders who develop this skill are more likely to:
Build stronger teams and psychological safety
Recover from setbacks with agility
Influence and inspire others authentically
Handle feedback constructively (instead of defensively)
Lead themselves with intention and direction
When you know how you show up – especially under pressure – you can lead with greater consistency, skill, and integrity. That’s what sets great leaders apart from good ones.
Leadership Growth Begins with Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is not a static trait – it’s a muscle. And like any muscle, it strengthens with deliberate practice.
Self-awareness isn’t a soft skill – it’s a strategic advantage.
Leaders who take the time to understand themselves are better equipped to lead others with clarity, consistency, and purpose. Whether you’re navigating change, managing complex teams, or stepping into greater responsibility, your ability to reflect and grow from within is what sets you apart.
At Get Mentally Fit, we’ve been helping people build the self-awareness, mental toughness, and emotional intelligence needed to thrive – not just survive. It’s what we do. From aspiring managers to seasoned executives, we tailor our support to meet you where you’re at and help you go further.
Ready to Strengthen Your Leadership from the Inside Out?
Here’s how we can help:
🌟 1-on-1 Leadership Coaching
Leader Support (Program)- suitable for highly experienced leaders looking to fine tune your performance or newly appointed leaders wanting to gain confidence and skills.
🌟 Leadership Assessments
Gain insight into your or your leadership team’s mindset, behavioural patterns, and strengths with tools like the Mental Toughness Measure, Emotional Intelligence assessments, 360° Assessment, and more.
🌟 Get… Mentally… Fit workshops
Targeted training and Workshops that build lasting inner capability for emerging and experienced leaders, and leadership teams. Request our Workshop Menu.
👉 Let’s Start the Conversation
Ready to grow your leadership from the inside out? Get in touch today to explore how we can support your capabilities.
