Two Superpowers: Self-Awareness & Conviction

What we want to avoid.

What are the most important attributes of both a leader and a strategy? Why does that question matter? Well, I'm glad you asked. 

• 70% of new strategies fail (McKinsey)
• 50% of new leaders fail in their first 18 months (HBR)
• 30% of church plants fail in the first 4 years (Leadership Network)

Potentially even more impactful than the numbers above is your own experience - you have likely experienced both fantastic and horrific leaders, both great successes and regrettable failures. What did the great experiences have that the others didn't?

Let me give you two vital attributes to both great leaders and effective strategies: self-awareness and conviction.

Self-Awareness

A leader who understands their strengths, weaknesses, values, and beliefs can better align their goals and actions with their vision and purpose. Self-awareness also enables leaders to recognize and address their biases and blind spots, which leaders to better decision-making, greater trust, and credibility.

Self-awareness requires honest self-reflection, seeking feedback from others, and a willingness to learn and grow. Leaders who are open to feedback and willing to challenge their assumptions and beliefs can develop a stronger sense of conviction and lead with greater clarity and purpose.

Conviction

Conviction flows out of self-awareness. Leaders with conviction believe in something, take a stand, see a problem that we can solve together.

Particularly for Christians, conviction should come with a moral framework; which, like self-awareness leads to better decision-making and greater trust.

Conviction provides clarity of purpose and direction, and it inspires others to follow. Without conviction, leaders risk being indecisive, inconsistent, or ineffective in inspiring and motivating their teams. 

What I'm talking about here isn't a list of convictions, principles (best practices), or values (behaviors). I'm talking about a singular driving conviction for your leadership, your organization, and your strategy. 

You need both. 

If you only have self-awareness, you may be humble and clear about your values but without conviction, you may be slow to action or unclear in your decisions.

If you have only conviction, you may be able to articulate the 'why' with compelling clarity but without self-awareness you have a good chance of sabotaging yourself relationally.

Awareness & conviction are the the 'who' and 'why' behind any effective leader, org, or strategy.

Very simply, the same research shows that the failure of the strategies (McKinsey) and new leaders (HBR) is tied to a lack of emotional intelligence, trust, and alignment. Conversely, if you have those attributes, you have a greater likely of success.

When you know who you are, why you're on your mission, where you're going, and how you'll get there, you have courage.

Here's the thing, the need for self-awareness and conviction are true not only for leaders but also for organizations. Self-awareness/Team-Awareness and conviction are the foundation of services like Integrated Leadership Coaching and Strategic Communications consulting that we provide at Integrity Growth. 

How are you growing in your own self-awareness?

Can you articulate your core conviction - not many, one - in a sentence?

Do you have a clear strategy for growing your business or church? Is it connected to who you are as an organization?