Doug NollI'm called in when human dynamics are getting in the way of strategic leadership execution.

Self-Awareness Is the Key to Better Relationships

23 Jan 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:47

Self-awareness lets you understand your own emotions and how they affect your thinking. That foundation matters because you can't read other people's feelings through their face or voice until you know what's happening inside yourself.

Chapters

You can't have self-management without self-awareness. Self-awareness means basically you know what you're feeling, why you feel it, you know how it impacts your performance, your ability to think clearly. It's extremely important. And it turns out that self-awareness is related to your ability to empathize. That's the core of social awareness, to pick up what someone else is feeling. Without their telling you in words, because people never tell you in words. They tell you in facial expression, tone of voice, nonverbal communication. So the ability to pick up what other people feel, which is the core of social awareness, depends on your ability to tune into yourself, to be self-aware.