Know Yourself

• Is the person aware of his/her own strengths and improvement areas (and how he/she is perceived by others) and does he/she act accordingly? 

Definition: Knowing yourself is the ability to accurately identify and understand one’s own strengths and improvement areas, understand their implications on one’s effectiveness in the organization and take them into account to optimize performance.

 CONTEXT:

This behavior is developed in organizations where:

-      There is accurate and timely feedback given to employees on their performance and the way in which it was achieved.

-      People are supported when they are open about their improvement areas.

-      People recognize appropriate behaviors in the organization and can display them where and when appropriate.

The development of this behavior is hindered in organizations where the focus is solely on the results regardless of how they are achieved.

Level	Standard	Developed	Highly developed
Summary	Identifies and understands personal strengths and development areas	Recognizes when an improvement area exists or a strength can be applied and acts accordingly.	Has a broad and deep self-awareness. Constantly acts to leverage one’s strengths and improve or compensate for their weaknesses.
Behavioral Indicators	Reviews own performance and contribution,  identifying successes and areas for improvement Analyzes how personal successes were achieved Asks for and welcomes feedback from others eg, colleagues, internal customers, line managers, direct reports Understands from feedback where strengths and improvement needs lie Knows how he/she is perceived by others Maintains an accurate understanding of his/her strengths and development needs	Looks for opportunities within role to utilize strengths Reviews current strengths and development needs, identifying clear priorities for development Looks for opportunities to work on development areas (within or outside one’s mission) Identifies resources to support one’s improvement areas Looks for ways to improve the impact they have on others Monitors own development against specific learning objectives	Reviews own capabilities against the current and future demands of one’s role Regularly measures progress in a given improvement area Acts to ensure that areas needing improvement are supported by appropriate resources Manages role to emphasize strengths and proactively utilizes them throughout the organization where relevant Proactively manages one’s impact on other people at various levels in the organization to maximize performance Pursues and realises new business opportunities by applying own strengths and securing necessary support

Behaviors which are not representative include*

Avoiding work in areas needing improvement Making mistakes or failing to complete tasks when working in areas needing improvement because they do not perceive the need Not asking for or acting on feedback Acting without recognising their impact on others Not taking action to compensate for weaknesses