Good leaders have a high level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence. They keenly observe their own thought patterns, beliefs, and actions and effectively choose what serves them to lead their teams. Great leaders know how to support others in becoming aware of their own emotional intelligence leading to a high level of self-awareness that increases productivity while also improving team culture. 

Behavioral changes only take place once an individual becomes aware of the impact their actions have on others and they understand that our actions stem from our thoughts and perspective of how we view the world, as well as our place in it. Coaches utilize a technique called “creating awareness” that helps clients uncover the root thoughts and beliefs that drive their feelings and actions.  

If you are a team leader and are observing sabotaging behaviors amongst team members that get in the way of achieving the team’s goals, such as procrastination, heavy judgment, or a victim mentality, you need to intervene. I encourage you to try some of these methods suggested by iPEC (The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching) to create greater awareness amongst your team leading to better results.

Share your observations

In a safe and private setting, share the patterns you are observing about your team member without judgment and ask them to reflect on it. This can look like: “I noticed during our last team meeting that you seemed distant and disengaged from our discussion. What are your thoughts about that?”  

Observe and recognize shifts

If you observe sudden changes in tone, body language, facial expression, recurring vocabulary or energy, bring it to the attention of the individual and look for insights. For example: “I noticed that when talking about your interactions with this client your tone became very agitated and you used the word “entitled” several times. What is coming up for you right now?”

Leverage insights

If your team member voices some sort of insight by saying things like “I just had an epiphany” or “In reflecting upon this, I just realized XYZ”, dig deeper and find out what that realization is. Ask empowering questions and let the person elaborate, for example, “How does this new awareness change your actions going forward?” or “What are you learning about yourself?” are great ways to leverage new insights. 

Creating awareness in yourself and others takes some practice, but when done well it changes the team dynamics and performance for the better. If you would like to find out how you could benefit from coaching, reach out for a free discovery call at angela@belladonnacareercoach.com. I look forward to hearing from you.