awareness

Awareness is a key practice for the able servant leader. Leaders need to begin with being self aware. Understanding and connecting to self to make sure that we are being the best version of ourselves for those we serve. Additionally, we need to be aware of those we lead, seeking to become better connected with others in order to know and serve them deeper. Lastly, leaders need to have situational awareness, not making decisions in a vacuum but using all wisdom and resources around us in order to best lead and serve those in our organizations. As leaders we need to be willing to see the hard things both internally and externally and not shy away from them, but instead step in to lead through the difficulties.

“Awareness is not a giver of solace - It is just the opposite. It is a disturber and an awakener. Able leaders are usually sharply awake and reasonably distrubed. They are not seekers after solace. They have their own inner serenity” - Robert Greenleaf

Practices for Individual Reflection:

• What is a difficulty or pattern you see in yourself that you need to address today?

• What have you become aware of in those you lead that you need to address today through a deeper connection or conversation?

• What have you recently become aware of in your organization that you need to address or explore today?

Questions for Mentoring Connection:

• Ask your mentor to help make you aware of anything they see in you that might be a blind spot for you.

• What have you become aware of in yourself, others, or your organization that you need help or advice addressing?

• With your mentor, come up with a plan to actively address those things over the next period of time.

Questions for Group Discussion:

• What are some of the similarities and differences between awareness and foresight? How do they work together? How are they connected?

• What are some ways you can have the inner serenity that Greenleaf speaks about? How does that help you with your awareness?

• In Chapter 5, the focus is how polarized groups where individual wisdom rules results in collective folly. How as a leader do you model collective wisdom? What are some behaviors on teams that lead to the hesitancy to enter into collectivity?

After exploring this practice, here are outcomes we would like to see established in participants:

• Participants will have the ability to focus on self, collective, and situational awareness.

• Participants will model awareness in order to build a culture of collective wisdom in their organizations.