Independent Banker - January 2024 - 24

PORTFOLIO LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS
helps clarify how those issues aff ect our
work environment and, as leaders, our
ability to make decisions. Sometimes,
acknowledging our limitations might
mean soliciting help from and delegating
tasks to other team members who are
better qualifi ed to complete them. On
other occasions, it might mean learning
new skills to fi ll any gaps. Displaying
honesty and showing humility also
encourages open dialogue, creating a
safe space for the rest of the team and
encouraging them to follow suit.
Here are some ways in which you can
cultivate self-awareness at your bank:
 Be open to learning. Get out of
your comfort zone, even if it means
admitting you don't know something.
Self-awareness
in leadership
By Lindsay LaNore, ICBA
n a recent fl ight to Washington
D.C., I was inspired to think
about self-awareness and how it can
set a good leader apart. I had a coveted
aisle seat, and another passenger came
to sit next to me in the middle seat. We
exchanged pleasantries, then about 20
minutes into the fl ight, they started
tapping their foot. They did it with
enough force that it shook the row of
three seats, and they continued to do
it for the remainder of the two-hour
fl ight. I found a way of tuning it out,
but not without contemplating how
important self-awareness is in any
social context, whether it's business
class or the boardroom.
Self-awareness, by defi nition, is
the conscious knowledge of one's
own character, feelings, motives,
thoughts, actions and desires. It's also
O
the fi rst component of psychologist
Daniel Goleman's hugely successful
Emotional Intelligence (E.I.) model. In
fact, Goleman defi nes self-awareness
as the block on which the other four
components of E.I. are built.
Being able to understand how our
actions aff ect others and having the
ability to refl ect on our responses to
other people's actions are essential
skills in any leader's toolkit, and
they help build a collaborative work
environment. Would my journey
to D.C. have been easier if my
neighbor had realized what they were
doing-and stopped? Knowing I was
uncomfortable with the situation,
should I have said something to try to
defuse the tension?
Being aware of our motivations,
strengths, weaknesses and biases
 Acknowledge your fears and
blind spots. It will help move them
out of your way.
 Practice listening. Pay full attention
to others when they are speaking.
Watch their body language and facial
expressions.
 Observe your responses. Pay
attention to your reactions, both
mental and physical.
 Share your perspective with your
team and ask for theirs.
 Take feedback. Solicit honest
feedback on your behavior from
family, friends and colleagues who
know you well.
 Set some time aside each day for
self-refl ection, whether it's through
journaling or mindfulness meditation.
Taking time for self-refl ection
helps create a culture of inclusion
and acceptance, where individuality
is celebrated and individual strengths
become collective strengths.
Lindsay LaNore (lindsay.lanore@
icba.org) is ICBA's senior
executive vice president and chief
learning and experience off icer.
24 // ICBA Independent Banker // January 2024
Photo by Danon/Adobe
Independent Banker - January 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - January 2024
