TED TALK-BASED FLEXIBLE LEARNING:

THE NEW LEARNING NORM

MODULE 7. SELF-AWARENESS, VALUES RE-ORIENTATION

AND UNDERSTANDING THE SELF: LEADING TO
BETTER NORMAL

NSTP-CWTS Take-Away No. 10

NSTP-CWTS Take-Away No. 11

NSTP-CWTS Social Action Activity No. 07

 Module 7
Self-Awareness, Values Re-Orientation and Understanding
the Self: Leading to a Better Normal
“Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What
fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?” – Marcus Aurelius
Picture Not Mine. Credits to the owner.

________________________________________________
Within the session series, the NSTP students will be able to:

1. engage in self-reflection on the awareness of interconnectedness of

oneself and other individuals within the context of serving the
nation and the people;
2. analyze how self-awareness affects behavior and cultivate appreciation towards Filipino
culture and characteristics; and to
3. exercise good leadership skills in online classroom activities and in community immersion
activities.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Prepare
TedTalk Presentation: How To Motivate Yourself To Change Your Behavior
Source: [Link]
Kick-Off Question: How can you be better “YOU’?

Present – Part 1
Topic 1: What Is Self-Awareness and Why Is It Important?
[Link]

•
Self-awareness is the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively through
reflection and introspection.
While it may not be possible to attain total objectivity about oneself (that’s a debate that
continues to rage throughout the history of philosophy), there are certainly degrees of self-
awareness. It exists on a spectrum.
Although everyone has a fundamental idea of what self-awareness is, we don’t know
exactly where it comes from, what its precursors are, or why some of us seem to have more or
less than others.
This is where the Self-Awareness Theory comes in, offering some potential answers to questions
like these.

Introduction to the importance of self-awareness

[Link]
awareness/?gclid=CjwKCAjwjqT5BRAPEiwAJlBuBTzlofGLNUluncvY8Gr-BY53ctZv5ZJyIxwWezu_4PG14SSwY47LWBoClhMQAvD_BwE

In our first section, we discussed important background information on what makes up

one’s personality and why personality defects are most likely to reduce one’s capacity to grow
and develop as human beings. Personality defects are one of the main reasons why we are
unhappy. If due to one’s destiny one has to experience pain, then personality defects are one of
the main mediums through which we experience this unhappiness. More importantly for those
who are genuinely seeking spiritual growth, personality defects can severely restrict their capacity
to grow regardless of which spiritual path they may follow. Once an individual experiences better
mental health and stability (i.e., with less personality defects) it is easier for him or her to make
rapid spiritual progress and achieve an ideal personality by practising Spirituality.
What is self-awareness?
Anyone who is dedicated to self-improvement, personal development or the higher goal
of spiritual growth needs to actively seek to understand oneself. This is because only when one
understands where one lacks, can he or she focus their efforts on what to improve.

Definition of self-awareness:
1. Self-awareness is the capacity that a person has to introspect.
2. It includes gaining an understanding of and insight into one’s strengths, qualities,
weaknesses, defects, ideas, thoughts, beliefs, ideals, responses, reactions, attitude,
emotions and motivations.
3. Thus introspection also includes assessing how one is perceived by others and
4. How others are impacted based on one’s behaviour, responses and conduct.

Psychologists often break self-awareness down into two different types, either public or private.
1. Public Self-Awareness: This type emerges when people are aware of how they appear
to others. Public self-awareness often emerges in situations when people are at the centre
of attention, such as when giving a presentation or talking to a group of friends. This type
of self-awareness often compels people to adhere to social norms. When we are aware
that we are being watched and evaluated, we often try to behave in ways that are socially
acceptable and desirable. In short we display our best behaviour, which may not be
reflective of our true personality. Public self-awareness can also lead to ‘evaluation anxiety’
in which people become distressed, anxious, or worried about how they are perceived by
others.

2. Private Self-Awareness: This type happens when people become aware of some
aspects of themselves, but only in a private way. For example, seeing your face in the
mirror is a type of private self-awareness. Feeling your stomach lurch when you realize
you forgot to study for an important test or feeling your heart flutter when you see
someone you are attracted to are also good examples of private self-awareness. Close
family members and friends are privy to some aspects of our private self as we let our
guard down in front of them. Hence, they become invaluable aides in helping us assess
ourselves.
As we practice becoming more aware of ourselves and how we are perceived by others, we learn
many more shades of our characteristics to a minute level. Hence we are in a better position to
overcome our personality defects and understand where our strengths lie. In the following
paragraphs, we will examine some of the ways one can increase one’s self-awareness.

How to increase self-awareness – By observing oneself

To understand our personality, we need to understand the nature of our mind. The mind
is made up of two parts – the conscious and sub-conscious mind. The sub-conscious mind is vast
and the impressions that are buried deep inside are not easy to uncover and analyse. However,
ever so often during the day one’s mind erupts and reacts to some events and situations
negatively. As a result, one feels a certain amount of restlessness and emotions such as insecurity,
fear or anger. Most of us plod on through our daily lives not taking a moment to pause and
introspect as to why we experienced that emotion in the first place. In fact, through such
situations in one’s day-to-day life, one’s mind, by reacting negatively to situations and events
opens up a window and gives one a vignette into its nature. If one is alert and objective in one’s
outlook, one can follow the pathway through the window that the mind opens up. As a result,
through this process one begins to gain greater self-awareness as to how one’s mind works and
how it responds to various stimuli. This is known as metacognition, which means having
awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes. This particular type of self-
development pertains to becoming conscious of one’s own body and mental state of being
including thoughts, actions, ideas, feelings and interactions with others. It is therefore the first
step in overcoming negative emotions and reactions.

A person generally responds negatively to situations and events due to impressions

of personality defects in the sub-conscious mind.
 Let’s take an example. Annette felt restless when her boss praised her colleague. She kept
on thinking of the incident throughout the day which only increased her restlessness. She was
consumed with the negative thought that, ‘No matter how hard I try, I never get noticed.’ In
short Annette’s day did not go well. After a good night’s sleep, she forgot about it and she went
on with her life. Alternatively, if Annette had been alert to the feeling of restlessness and
introspected as to why she had felt like that, she could have gained insight into her mind and
understood which personality defect of hers was manifesting so as to cause such restlessness.
Accordingly, in the future she would be able to be more solution oriented to avoid the restlessness
caused by such incidents and gain stability.

As Annette becomes more alert to introspecting about her feelings and emotions in such
situations, there will be further stages to her becoming more self-aware. For example,

• How long does her restlessness continue before she becomes alert to it?
• Will she then be able to put the brakes on it and control the feeling of restlessness?
• Does she try to go within and learn more about herself and her personality defects?
• Where else does this type of restlessness occur? Who else are involved?

How to increase self-awareness – Someone providing us with feedback or telling our

mistake
“Turn that music down Raul”, Raul’s father shouted. “There is not a moment’s peace in
this house with you continuously playing such loud music.” Raul cursed under his breath and
sullenly turned the volume of the music down.
It is never easy to take negative feedback from others about our actions or our life. In
such times, thoughts such as, ‘why can’t they understand me’, ‘I am not like that’ and ‘I do not
want to hear about it’ will often cross our mind.

Suppose Raul stopped for a moment and looked at the situation objectively; he would
probably learn a thing or two about how others perceived him. When other people give
us some feedback however stern it may be, it provides us with a clue as to how we are
perceived by others. If someone has experienced pain due to our actions, it is mostly
due to some personality defect in us that is causing our action to impact others
adversely.

5 How to increase self-awareness – Observing someone else’s mistake and then

introspecting

J
Jeremy and Ruth were arguing about household chores. Ruth insisted that Jeremy was
not doing enough at home while Jeremy continued to provide lame excuses about why he was
unable to do the household chores on time. When their friend Mark overheard their argument,
he realised that he was the same as Jeremy. Now as a third person and not being emotionally
involved, Mark could objectively see that Jeremey’s lame excuses were childish and illogical, and
were exasperating his wife Ruth. Seeing the impact of this, Mark made a mental resolve to
overcome his own laziness and help his own wife at home without making any excuses.
This is an example of how when one observes a situation that involves other people, one
gains a greater understanding of oneself. As one may not be emotionally involved in the situation,
one is more objective and hence the ability to learn is more.
Our dreams can also tell us about ourselves
Sometimes stronger impressions in our subconscious mind surface in our dreams to the
extent that we are able to remember the dream and even learn about our mind.
One seeker had a dream where she was experiencing fear before going on stage to deliver a
lecture. She woke up in a sweat and could not go back to sleep for over an hour. Such kinds of
dreams are worth introspecting upon as they may shed some light on deeper issues in our sub-
conscious mind.

In summary
• Becoming self-aware is the first step in overcoming personality defects.
• Self-awareness can be achieved through observing one’s own mistakes, asking others for
feedback, observing others mistakes objectively and through some dreams.
• Whenever one becomes emotionally unstable, restless or upset one should become alert
as on deeper introspection, it usually provides insight into some personality defect that
has been triggered.
• We should be open to learning about ourselves and have the courage to take feedback
from others. By this we can objectively analyse our mistakes and find practical solutions
to change for the better.

5 Ways to Increase Your Self-Awareness

Now we have some clear-cut examples of self-awareness in mind. We know what it looks
like to embrace self-awareness and grow. But how do you do it? What did our leading characters
do to practice self-awareness?
There are many ways to build and practice self-awareness, but here are some of the most
effective:

1. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness refers to being present in the moment and paying attention to yourself and
your surroundings rather than getting lost in thought or ruminating or daydreaming.
Meditation is the practice of focusing your attention on one thing–like your breath, a
mantra, or a feeling–and letting your thoughts drift by instead of holding on to them.
 Both practices can help you become more aware of your internal state and your reactions
to things. They can also help you identify your thoughts and feelings and keep from getting so
caught up in them that you lose your hold on your “self.”

2. Practice Yoga
Yoga is a physical practice, but it’s just as much a mental practice. While your body is
stretching and bending and flexing, your mind is learning discipline, self-acceptance, and
awareness. You become more aware of your body and all the feelings that manifest, and you
become more aware of your mind and the thoughts that crop up.
You can even pair yoga with mindfulness or meditation to boost your self-awareness.

3. Make Time to Reflect

Reflecting can be done in multiple ways (including journaling; see the next tip) and is
customizable to the person reflecting, but the important thing is to go over your thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors to see where you met your standards, where you failed them, and where
you could improve.
You can also reflect on your standards themselves to see if they are good ones for you to
hold yourself to. You can try writing in a journal, talking out loud, or simply sitting quietly and
thinking, whatever helps you to reflect on yourself.

4. Journaling
The benefit of journaling is that it allows you to identify, clarify, and accept your
thoughts and feelings. It helps you discover what you want, what you value, and what works for
you. It can also help you find out what you don’t want, what is not important to you, and what
doesn’t work for you.
Both are equally important to learn. Whether you like to write free-flowing entries, bulleted lists,
or poems, writing down your thoughts and feelings helps you to become more aware and
intentional.

5. Ask the people you love

It’s vital to feel we know ourselves from the inside, but external feedback helps too. Ask
your family and close friends about what they think about you. Have them describe you and see
what rings true with you and what surprises you.
Carefully consider what they say and think about it when you journal or otherwise reflect.
Of course, don’t take any one person’s word as gospel; you need to talk to a variety of people to
get a comprehensive view of yourself.
And remember that at the end of the day, it’s your self-beliefs and feelings that matter
the most to you!

Importance in Counseling and Coaching

Self-awareness is a powerful tool that, when practiced regularly, can do more good for
coaches and clients than anything else a professional can share with them. To make real,
impactful, and lasting change, people need to be able to look inward and become familiar with
that internal environment.

Building self-awareness should be a top priority for virtually all clients, after which the
more traditional coaching and counseling work can begin. For example, you can counsel someone
on their bad habits and give 1,000 ways to break their habits. Still, if they don’t understand why
they tend towards these bad habits in the first place, it’s almost a guarantee that they will either
never break those habits or will quit for a while and simply pick up where they left off when things
get tough.
Self-awareness is not only vital for the coachee or client; it is also important for the coach or
counselor. In fact, self-awareness is prioritized as a core standard in the Council for Accreditation
of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) Standards (2009) for the profession,
as both a requirement for counselors and a necessary skill to build in clients. It takes a good
amount of self-awareness to give competent counsel and provide actionable advice.

Plus, self-awareness will help the caring counselor from getting too wrapped up in their client’s
problems or seeing the issues through their own skewed lens. To truly help someone, it’s essential
to see things from their perspective, and that requires being self-aware enough to put our
thoughts and feelings aside sometimes.
Meditation, Mindfulness, and Self- Awareness
When we meditate or practice mindfulness, we are paying attention to the things that can
often get ignored in our busy day-to-day: the present moment and our own internal experience.
Those who get to know their thought processes and patterns are more able to adapt and improve
them, both by simply being aware of their processes and patterns and by giving themselves a
mechanism for practicing and improving.
Indeed, a program intended to enhance self-awareness (among other things) through
yoga and meditation resulted in a range of improvements, including more positive affect, less
stress, greater mindfulness, enhanced resilience, and even greater job satisfaction (Trent,
Borden, Miraglia, Pasalis, Dusek, & Khalsa, 2019).

Self-Awareness & Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence can be defined as the cluster of abilities that allow us to

recognize and regulate emotions in ourselves and others (Goleman, 2001).
According to the most popular theory of emotional intelligence from psychologist and
author Daniel Goleman, self-awareness is not only crucial for emotional intelligence– it’s one of
the five components.
These five components are:
1. Self-awareness
2. Self-regulation
3. Social skills
4. Empathy
5. Motivation

Other popular theories of emotional intelligence also include self-awareness as a core

component, making it one of the factors that virtually all researchers and experts agree on
(Goleman, 2001).
Self-awareness is a necessary building block of emotional intelligence; it is the building block
upon which the rest of the components are built. One must have self-awareness to self-regulate,
and social skills will be weak and of little use, if you are not aware enough about when and how
to use them.
If you’re looking to build your emotional intelligence, self-awareness is the first stop. Make
sure you have developed strong skills in self-awareness before giving the other elements your all.

4 Tips for Improving Self-Awareness in Relationships

If you want to be more like post-reflection Monique than pre-reflection Monique (referring
to examples of self-awareness skills in action above), or if you’re going to help your clients with
their relationship woes, here are some excellent tips for introducing more self-awareness within
the context of a relationship:
1. Practice mindfulness, especially when interacting with your loved ones. Pay attention to
the words they say, their tone, their body language, and their facial expressions. We
often communicate far more information with the latter three than we do with our words
alone. Give your loved ones your full attention.

2. Have regular discussions about the relationship. It’s important to keep things in
perspective and ensure that nothing is falling between the cracks. When you have
 regular conversations about your relationship with your loved ones, it’s much harder to
avoid or ignore things that can turn into problems. It also helps you reflect on your part
and come prepared to discuss your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, along with your
loved ones.

3. Spend quality time together and apart. This is especially important for romantic
relationships, as we often find ourselves spending most or even all of our free time with
our spouse or partner. However, much you love and enjoy spending time with your
partner, everyone needs some quality time alone.

Make sure you and your partner are both getting some quality “me” time to think about
what you want, what you need, and what your goals are. This will help you keep
yourself from merging too much into your partner and maintaining your independence
and stability. Then, since there will be two independent, stable, and healthy adults in
the relationship, it will be even more fulfilling and satisfying to both partners when they
spend quality time together.

4. Share your perspective and consider theirs. It’s easy to get too caught up in our
perspective on things; however, healthy relationships require that we consider others’
needs in addition to our own. To know what our loved ones need and to deliver on
those needs, we must first identify and understand them. We do this by practicing our
self-awareness and sharing that awareness with our friends and family.

If you never check in with your loved ones on their views or feelings, it can cause you to
drift apart and inhibit real, satisfying intimacy. Ask your loved ones for their perspective
on things and share your perspective with them.

Role in the Workplace and Leadership

As noted earlier, self-awareness improves our communication, confidence, and job

performance (Sutton et al., 2015).
It’s easy to see how self-awareness can lead to these outcomes in the workplace, as better
self-evaluation naturally leads to improving the alignment between our actions and our standards,
resulting in better performance.
According to Tasha Eurich at the Harvard Business Review, self-awareness can be divided
into two categories or types: internal self-awareness and external self-awareness.
Internal self-awareness is about how well we see ourselves and our strengths,
weaknesses, values, etc., while external self-awareness is understanding how others view us with
those same factors (Eurich, 2018). Good managers and leaders need both to perform well in their
roles.
Although you might think that more experience as a leader and greater power in one’s
role leads to better self-awareness, that may not be the case. Experience can be positive or
negative in terms of learning and improving the self. Even positive experiences can lead one to
attribute success to themselves when it may have had more to do with the circumstances, leading
to false confidence.
In fact, the HBR notes that only 10-15% of those they studied display self-awareness, although
most of us believe we are self-aware (Eurich, 2018).
To improve self-awareness, Eurich recommends introspection–but with a focus on
asking oneself the right questions. She notes that asking “why” might not always be effective, as
many of our internal processes remain shrouded in our subconscious or unconscious minds;
instead, asking “what” may lead to better introspection.
For example, instead of asking, “Why do I fail at this task so often?”, you might ask
yourself, “What are the circumstances in which I fail at this task, and what can I do to change
them?” It’s not a foolproof method, but it can aid you in improving your self-awareness and
increasing your alignment with your standards on certain activities.

Self-Awareness in Students and Children

Self-awareness isn’t just for managers and employees; it can also substantially benefit
students, children, and adolescents. The same benefits that make us more productive in the
workplace can make students more productive in the classroom and at home: better
communication with teachers and peers, more confidence, and more satisfaction with
performance can all lead to happier, healthier students.
These benefits also apply to advanced students. Increased self-awareness leads to more
self-care in medical students (Saunders et al., 2007) and a better understanding of one’s
strengths and capabilities along with a boost to emotional intelligence in law students (James,
2011).

A Take-Home Message
In short, a little extra self-awareness can be of great benefit to anyone with the will to
improve. This piece includes a description of self-awareness, an exploration of the theory of self-
awareness, examples, and tips and tools you can use to boost your self-awareness. We hope you
find this information helpful in increasing your awareness or the awareness of your clients.
Practice – Part 1
NSTP-CWTS Take-Away – 10
Am I Self-Aware?

Name: ______________________ Prog./Yr./Sec.: __________ Date: ________ Score: _______

Due Date:____________________

So we know that self-awareness is good, but what does it look like? How does one
practice self-awareness?

Analyze the following self-awareness situationers:

Bob at work
Bob struggles with creating a quarterly report at work, and he frequently produces subpar
results. He notices the discrepancy between his standards and performance and engages in
self-evaluation to determine where it comes from and how to improve.

He asks himself what makes the task so hard for him, and he realizes that he never seems to
have trouble doing the work that goes into the report, but he struggles with writing it up
cohesively and clearly.

Bob decides to fix the discrepancy by taking a course to improve his writing ability, having a
colleague review his report before submitting it, and creating a reusable template for future
reports, so he is sure to include all relevant information.

Without self-awareness, what would be the situation that Bob would encounter?
Explain.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________

Monique at home
Monique is having relationship problems with her boyfriend, Luis. She thinks Luis takes her for
granted and he doesn’t tell her he loves her or share affection enough. They fight about this
frequently.

Suddenly, she realizes that she may be contributing to the problem. She looks inward and sees
that she doesn’t show Luis appreciation very often and that she overlooks the nice things he
does around the house for her and little physical touches that show his affection.

Monique considers her thought processes when Luis misses an opportunity to make her feel
loved and notes that she assumes he purposely avoids doing things that she likes. She spends
time thinking and talking with Luis about how they want to show and receive love, and they
begin to work on improving their relationship.

Without self-awareness, what would be the situation that Monique would

encounter? Explain.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________

Bridget on her own

Bridget struggles with low self-esteem, which causes depressive symptoms. She doesn’t feel
good enough, and she doesn’t accept opportunities that come her way because of it. She
begins working with a therapist to help her build self-awareness.

The next time an opportunity comes her way, she thinks she doesn’t want to do it and initially
decides to turn it down; but, with the help of some self-awareness techniques, Bridget realizes
that she is only telling herself she doesn’t want to do it because of her fear that she won’t be
good enough.

Bridget reminds herself that she is good enough and redirects her thoughts to “what if I
succeed?” instead of “what if I fail?” She accepts the opportunity and continues to use self-
awareness and self-love to improve her chances of success.

Without self-awareness, what would be the situation that Bridget would encounter?
Explain.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
____________________
Present – Part 2
Topic 2: Transformational Leadership: A Closer Look at the Effects of
Transformational Leadership
By Kendra Cherry
[Link]

Have you ever been in a group where someone took control of the situation by conveying
a clear vision of the group's goals, a marked passion for the work, and an ability to make the rest
of the group feel recharged and energized? This person just might be what is called a
transformational leader.
Transformational leadership is a leadership style that can inspire positive changes in those
who follow. Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate. Not
only are these leaders concerned and involved in the process; they are also focused on helping
every member of the group succeed as well.

Quick Background
The concept of transformational leadership was initially introduced by leadership expert
and presidential biographer James MacGregor Burns. According to Burns,
transformational leadership can be seen when "leaders and followers make each other to advance
to a higher level of moral and motivation."1

Through the strength of their vision and personality, transformational leaders are able to
inspire followers to change expectations, perceptions, and motivations to work towards common
goals.

Later, researcher Bernard M. Bass expanded upon Burns's original ideas to develop what
is today referred to as Bass’s Transformational Leadership Theory. According to Bass,
transformational leadership can be defined based on the impact that it has on followers.
Transformational leaders, Bass suggested, garner trust, respect, and admiration from their
followers.2

Components
Bass also suggested that there were four different components of transformational leadership.
1. Intellectual Stimulation: Transformational leaders not only challenge the status quo;
they also encourage creativity among followers. The leader encourages followers to
explore new ways of doing things and new opportunities to learn.
2. Individualized Consideration: Transformational leadership also involves offering
support and encouragement to individual followers. In order to foster supportive
relationships, transformational leaders keep lines of communication open so that followers
feel free to share ideas and so that leaders can offer direct recognition of the unique
contributions of each follower.
3. Inspirational Motivation: Transformational leaders have a clear vision that they are
able to articulate to followers. These leaders are also able to help followers experience
the same passion and motivation to fulfill these goals.
4. Idealized Influence: The transformational leader serve as a role model for followers.
Because followers trust and respect the leader, they emulate this individual and internalize
his or her ideals.

So what are some typical signs of a transformational leader? Groups led by this type of leader
tend to be both successful and loyal. They give a lot to the team and care deeply about the
group's ability to accomplish its goals. Turnover tends to be quite low as transformational leaders
are able to inspire a great deal of commitment in their followers.
Effects
In their classic text, Transformational Leadership, authors Bass and Riggio explained:

"Transformational leaders...are those who stimulate and inspire followers to both achieve
extraordinary outcomes and, in the process, develop their own leadership capacity.
Transformational leaders help followers grow and develop into leaders by responding to individual
followers' needs by empowering them and by aligning the objectives and goals of the individual
followers, the leader, the group, and the larger organization."

Researchers have found that this style of leadership can have a positive effect on the
group.
"Research evidence clearly shows that groups led by transformational leaders have higher levels
of performance and satisfaction than groups led by other types of leaders," explained psychologist
and leadership expert Ronald E. Riggio in an article for Psychology Today.3

The reason, he suggests, is that transformational leaders believe that their followers can
do their best, leading members of the group to feel inspired and empowered.

What can you do to become a more transformational leader? Leadership experts suggest
that having a strong, positive vision of the future plays a critical role. Not only is it important to
believe in this vision yourself; you've also got to inspire others to buy into your vision as well.

Being genuine, passionate, supportive, and trustworthy are all key characteristics that will
help motivate followers to support your goals for the group.

Link to Well-Being
According to the results of one study, this style of leadership can also have a positive
influence on employee well-being.4

The study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine involved
surveying workers at several different German information and communication technology
companies. Researchers asked participants to answers questions about their employer's
leadership style.
A score for transformational leadership was then determined based on qualities such as providing
intellectual stimulation, giving positive feedback for good performance, leading by example, and
helping employees feel like they were making a contribution toward the goals of the group.

Simple Tips for Achieving Goals

The researchers discovered that employees who identified a higher level of
transformational leadership in their employers also had higher reported levels of well-being. The
effect stayed significant even after researchers controlled for factors that are linked to well-being
such as job strain, education, and age.
"The results of this study suggest that a transformational leadership style, which both
conveys a sense of trust and meaningfulness and individually challenges and develops employees,
also has a positive effect on employee well-being," the authors summarized.

Real-World Applications
So what impact could such results have for managers and workers?

The study's authors suggest that the results are important and can help companies
develop leadership training programs that can be used to teach transformational leadership skills.
Acquiring communication skills such as resolving conflicts in the workplace and recognizing the
needs of employees are an important part of transformational leadership.

"Such training programs can be seen as another essential component of workplace health
promotion and prevention efforts and therefore should receive wide support," explained the
study's authors.

A Word From Verywell

The transformational style of leadership can be highly effective when used appropriately,
but it might not necessarily be the best choice for every situation. In some cases, groups may
require a more managerial or autocratic style that involves closer control and greater direction,
particularly in situations where group member are unskilled and need a lot of oversight.
 One way to improve your own leadership skills is to assess your own current leadership
style and think about ways in which your strengths can benefit the group you are leading. By
evaluating your own skills, you will be better able to play to your strengths and work on improving
your areas of weakness.
Practice – Part 2

________________________________________________________________________
NSTP-CWTS Take-Away – 11
“Unleashing the leadership within Me”

Name: ______________________ Prog./Yr./Sec.: __________ Date: ________ Score: _______

Due Date:__________________

The Three Leadership Situations

by Geoff McDonald on May 18, 2015 in Book Rapper, Leadership
[Link]

This is our fifth in a series of posts from the Book Rapper issue Authentic. It’s derived from Rob
Goffee and Gareth Jones’ book Why Should Anyone Be Led By You that discusses what it takes
to be an authentic leader.

Leadership Situations
Leadership is contextual or situational. And, it begins with being sensitive to the current context.
Here’s some situation sensing strategies for super effective leadership.
1 Individuals
As a leader you need to know your team beyond their technical competence. You’ll want to know
who they are as people. And, focus on observing the individuals that make the biggest impact on
your performance. Develop a network diagram of soft data about these individuals. Record
systematically what drives them.
2 Groups
A group is more than the sum of its members. It’sa complex social structure with its own culture,
rules and adopted behaviours. Observe any group tensions, mismatches and difficulties. Notice
the group balance between tasks (getting things done) and relationships (what holds the team
together). Map these relationships. And, remember, diverse groups outperform homogenous ones
in the long run.
3 Organisation
It’s much tougher to get a sense of the whole organisation because it’s impossible to see it all at
once. This is particularly important for global groups with teams in remote locations. The key
strategy is create the bigger picture from a bunch of smaller snapshots. Keep updating this. Listen
to different opinions and where possible take a first hand look to decide for yourself.
Three Skill Sets
1. Observe what’s going on – As a leader you will be presented with lots of hard data.
You need to fill the gaps with soft data built from your observations. For example, know
when morale is low or when complacency needs a kick. Learn to trust your instincts and
avoid rushing into action before fully understanding the situation.
2. Adjust your behaviour – Noticing what is happening is a waste if you’re not willing to
adapt and modify to suit what you see. It’s about being an authentic chameleon –
showing a different side of you as the situation demands. For example, know when to
create closeness or distance, leverage strengths or reveal weaknesses.
 3. Change the situation – Leaders are not passive recipients of context. Your role is to
transform situations to benefit your followers and fulfil the purpose of the organisation.
For example, reframe what is going on to inspire the desired action and response.

QUESTION 1:
Which of the three leadership contexts do you prefer? Working with individuals, groups or the
organization?

QUESTION 2: Which of the three skills sets is your strength? Which is your weakness?
Perform

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NSTP-CWTS Social Action Activity No. 07

I am a good leader!
Name: __________________ Prog./Yr./Sec.: ______ Date: ___ Score: _______
Due Date:_______________

Activity:

Organize or facilitate a very simple activity in your barangay or within your family showcasing
your leadership skills - activity in any form.

Note: Attach a copy of pictures as documentation evidence during the conduct of the activity.
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What is the nature of the conducted activity?

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How did it help you to unleash leadership skills in you?

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What were the challenges or obstacles you encountered along the way?
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State your commitment in helping for a more progressive locale.

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