Self-Awareness Game Plan©

A tool that I’ve used with thousands of leaders is called the “Self-Awareness Game Plan©.” You can use the handy template in the “Leadership Resources” section to guide you. It’s simple and straightforward and helps you understand the components of self-awareness.

Here are each of the components:

• Passion
• Values
• Strengths
• Purpose
• Mission (Definition of Success)
• Success measures
• Goals (SMART)

Once you’ve established this foundation, you can perform a gap analysis of your skills. Begin with how you assess yourself to be currently and exactly what you want to gain in an effort to improve:

• Skills (current state)
• Skills (future state).

Here is the key:

Passion

The things that light the fire inside of you—which drive, motivate, and inspire you every time you think about them or do them.

Values

A set of guiding principles and ideals that provide a standard for the way you behave and make decisions.

Strengths

Your natural talents combined with the skills that you’ve acquired throughout your career. The things that you naturally do well.

Purpose

Why you’re doing what you’re doing (the driving force or reasons behind setting your mission and goals).

Mission

How you define success. If you’re living and doing this, you will feel fulfilled, happy, and successful. You’ll know that your actions have meaning.

Success measures

Standards by which we determine whether our actions are living up to our mission (definition of success).

Goals

Set “SMART” goals (the tangible results you desire to achieve). SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. George T. Doran first coined this term over 40 years ago. It’s a clever mnemonic and easy-to-remember.

Self-Awareness Game Plan©