It’s always easier to tell someone else to change than to take an uncomfortable moment to look at your own actions. Real leaders embrace those uncomfortable moments as opportunities to get to know themselves better.

A core element of leadership is to be self-aware – that is to know your strengths, weaknesses, blind spots and areas that you’d like to continue to develop. An effective leader knows she can’t do it all and has the confidence to delegate and ask for support. She also builds a team that compliments her weaknesses and is empowered to tell it to her straight when they think she is leading them down the wrong path.

Here are some questions that will help you get to know yourself better:

• What would you be doing if no one was looking?
• What do you not enjoy doing and have to do? Is this a work flow issue that can be delegated to someone more suited to the task?
• Ask others what they think your strengths and weaknesses are and compare their answers with your answers. Do an honest assessment
• Participate in activities you normally wouldn’t do to test your limits
• Set yourself some stretch goals – these are goals that go slightly above your current skill level and see what kind of insights and experiences you gain from them
• Take time for yourself to be with yourself. Drink a tea alone in a shop. Sit in a quiet place to contemplate. Keep a journal. Learn to keep yourself company