Learning to know yourself supports a powerful leadership cultural competence
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Learning to know yourself supports a powerful leadership cultural competence, according to Tony Holmwood, founder of Outperf4m.
Our human advantage is we can adapt to most (if not all) circumstances and “create life in an almost limitless array of shapes and forms”. Moreover, we can define our habitat and even successfully inhabit the most adverse locations on the planet.
The cultural change and EI coach, and author of “Best Behaviour” said this powerful leadership capability “expresses we know ourselves inside out”.
For Holmwood, it’s critical for leaders to adapt a cultural competence.
Behavioural mastery means you can address your weaknesses, he added. “Your mind is free to explore environmental opportunities where you have mastered your expertise,” said Holmwood.
“You are secure and purposeful in your objective; your mind is free to create solutions for your success.”
Holmwood added that your subconscious mind supported by a lifetime of learning, continually scans the environment to alert you to any “abnormality, deviation, inequality or prospect”.
According to Holmwood, cultural leaders interact with ease and influence, and inspiration directs them. They are goal-oriented and know their life objectives.
He also added that you must love your capability to fuel your passion. In the past, there has been a social stigma about people who “love” themselves, but it’s important to understand what it truly means.
“In human terms, trust emotions are closely related if not a subset of love. To say you love yourself, is just stating you trust your ability unequivocally,” said Holmwood.
“The paradox of behaviour is it must be learned and embodied before applying it.”
To have self-respect is to understand how to respect other people. To show respect is to care how other people characterise you.
According to Holmwood, this is an essential understanding for developing emotional maturity.
“To love yourself is to trust who you are, your emotions, your capability and authenticity, without question. Love can too easily be a selfish need or a dependence if you have not developed your emotions to a level of selfless maturity.”
Holmwood added that your values and motivations are “felt intuitively” - your passion defines what you love, which guides your cultural awareness or work purpose.
While you can play to your strengths or likes to structure skills, processes and knowledge to grow confident (IQ), to grow self-aware (EI), you must understand your dislikes, inhibitions and limitations to remove the distractions from your mind.
“Your mind loves a freed, positive state. A growth mindset suggests you love your capability; you can do anything you set your mind to,” said Holmwood.
“You live in the present and reflect only when required. With the clarity of purposeful goals, your awareness is focussed on the future.
“For once you have dealt with the minds complexity and understand everything that got you here, your past is learnt and part of you – all your understanding is employed subconsciously (intuitively) and spontaneously – in the moment.” Holmwood added that behaviour starts with the individual and must be respected.
Behaviours define us and allow us to thrive. Don’t ‘accept’ behaviour; understand them, he added.
“Little is left to chance in human evolution and we all enter the world with similar characteristics,” said Holmwood. “Our identity is undeveloped, and our environment determines if our success or failure.
“Identity means everything and understanding ourselves assists our self-awareness and allows us to address issues that otherwise might impede us.”
According to Holmwood, in order to progress, we need to know why we identify in a particular way, so we can rewire our brains by learning, unlearning and relearning.
