Awareness is the knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exists. It means being attentive and well-informed. Being aware is a critical key to change and is often the first step. Being intentional and strategic in our daily actions, thoughts, and self-management is dependent on awareness. Often times, when we think about making change we get very focused on "what" we need to do and "how" we need to do it. Although those are important in execution, having the "what" and "how" in place does not translate to actually wanting to do it and recognizing what supports or derails you from doing it. Those are actually the areas that contribute to initiation and continuation of a behavior. I consider awareness to be the key ingredient to both the "why" and "how do I operate" components. There are various external and internal factors that influence "how I operate" and the resulting behavior. What happens when you have had a long, hard day? When you feel moody or deflated? Or when you feel mental burnout or mentally overwhelmed? How do those influence your subsequent choices? Do you eat better or worse? Exercise harder or not at all? Get more sleep or stay up even later? Procrastinate or tackle hard activities first? There are countless factors that influence our choices and we are each impacted differently. Awareness gives us the superpower of knowing what affects us, how it affects us (positively or negatively), and how we can make changes around us or within us to align our choices with what we really want within the context of these factors.
What about organizational awareness? It isn't much different than what I have just described at the individual level. Leaders and managers get very focused on the "what" and "how" of the day-to-day to deliver results and metrics; however, this is typically not enough. We know that the "why" matters significantly and if employees are not clear on the "why" and how they fit into the "why," they are less motivated and engaged, which then translates to a number of issues. Leaders and managers also need to be keenly aware of the factors that positively and negatively influence the employees and become embedded in the culture. Leaders may say that they want their employees to have work/life balance or opportunities for self-care and the organization may have programs, equipment, and perks in place that support that; however, if other factors, even silent factors, send a different message, then employees will not feel that the balance and self-care is truly attainable. True awareness requires trust, honestly, humility, and active (non-judgmental) listening, which can be challenging in a fast-paced, results-driven organization.
Awareness Challenge:
Slow down sufficiently each day to take note of your thoughts, emotions, and actions throughout the day as well as what factors influence them in a positive or negative way. This may sound time-consuming, but this is research that pays off in the long-run!
Make notes in a journal to capture trends, insights, and discoveries. This creates the foundation for taking action!
Leverage any positive factors you discovered and find a way to tap into those more often. Address negative factors that derail you and put an action plan together to either remove/limit exposure to those factors or come up with a plan to change how you respond to those factors. Become an active-problem solver of your own life!
We have other fabulous presenters available for in-person presentations:
Dr. Bryce Jorgensen is available to do presentations on financial wellness, personal effectiveness, and other personal development topics. Dr. Bryce is well-known for his radio and television segments called Advice with Bryce providing financial tips and strategies to communities.
Monika Mojica is available for her creativity and innovation workshops as well as leveraging her work with law enforcement on de-escalation tactics in improving positive interactions, reducing conflict in the workplace, and creating greater human connection within teams. Her work is experiential and top-notch!
Request a date and time at: https://www.revitalizeproject.com/contact_us