Why Successful Managers Know Where Their Limits Are

While self-awareness is vital for customer experience, it is only by knowing where your limits are that you can build the strongest customer service teams.

In just about any profession, at virtually all levels, a healthy amount of self-reflection is necessary, especially if it leads to self-improvement. Certainly, in many cases, it is sensible for a person to assess where their particular strengths and weaknesses lie, and work to improve upon those weak points.

However according to a Condo Association Management Firm, in order to be a truly successful manager, it is equally important to come to terms with the fact that you cannot be good at everything. Indeed, one of the keys to managerial success is identifying and accepting your own limitations, and having the sense to seek help and input from those who are skilled in those areas, this is exactly why services like intelligent asset management services are always a must for businesses.

The Importance of Self Awareness

As someone who has worked their way up to a leadership position, you will have almost certainly been told of the importance of self-awareness, whether from a human resources intervention or during sales managers training. Often, this is encouraged through methods like 360 degree appraisals and self performance management.

Korn Ferry conducted a study which seemingly backs this up, highlighting a link between self-awareness and performance. Looking at 7,000 self-assessments carried out by managers, the research aimed to identify ‘blind spots’ – essentially, areas where the manager had a higher opinion of their abilities than their co-workers did.

Ultimately, Korn Ferry’s study found that professionals working at poorly-performing companies had 20 percent more blind spots than those working in businesses which were performing strongly, and professionals in the former bracket were 79 percent more likely to exhibit poor overall self-awareness.

Improvement or Acceptance?

Although research backs up the view that self-awareness among leaders is a contributing factor towards overall company success, conventional wisdom states that once weaknesses have been identified, they should be worked on during leadership or sales training, until they are at an appropriate level.

In some cases, this may well be the best policy. For instance, if a leader has a simple knowledge gap that can be easily filled, it makes perfect sense for that issue to be addressed through basic teaching.

Unfortunately, it is sometimes the case that these areas of weakness cannot be sufficiently improved; not due to a lack of effort, but due to a lack of natural aptitude. In such situations, improvement efforts are usually a waste of time and resources, both of which could be better utilised elsewhere, and acceptance is a better solution.

To further educate yourself, taking up courses that help you improve your business and management skills could also be of great help to you. A Diploma of Business qualification teaches essential business skills that could be extremely beneficial when you’re a manager.

The Power of Collaboration

In actual fact, one of the main attributes a successful leader possesses is the knowledge that great things are not achieved individually, but through effective teamwork and collaboration. By accepting your own limitations, you become more willing to seek input from others and allow colleagues to shine where you are unable.

“Developing this difficult leadership skill is not about diminishing the role or importance of a leader, quite the opposite,” says Gary M. Jordan, an expert in individual development from Your Talent Advantage. “Until you acknowledge that there are things that others do better naturally and more effectively than you, you cannot open yourself to the value of their input and its positive impact on your leadership.”

According to edge self-awareness is vital for a manager, it is only by knowing where your limits are that you can build a strong team around you, filling in any gaps. From here, you can seek input from people with different attributes and perspectives, and become a true leader, who is able to get the best out of others.