All creatures have an executive function, but in the human case it has a special power of self-awareness.
For many leaders, the story of their development was a journey of discovery. The life journeys of many have involved revelations and switches of direction. It is also common for changes in our perceptions; new awareness about the world around us to trigger changes in goals and desires.
Seeing Ourselves Clearly
Seeing ourselves clearly does many things:
• It allows us to control impulses and select the most appropriate behaviors.
• It shows us how to avoid reacting in negative and potentially self-limiting ways.
• Knowing our strengths and limitations makes us more understanding of others.
• Gaining an understanding of issues reduces conflict in ourselves and in others.Some leaders worry a lot in their lonely, reflective spaces, and it may take a leadership coach or some other external agent to help them to examine and re-order their goals productively, by examining the deeper motives underlying them, even at the cost of personal discomfort and inconvenience.
The deeper you go, the harder it gets. It's easy to switch from jam to marmalade, but much harder to surrender power for peace of mind. It is tough to face up to how much one is driven by partially disguised motives, like wanting to be well thought of, or a need to act as if you are more confident in yourself than you really are.
A lot of self-talk that goes on in our heads is an attempt to find a way through the contradictory tangle of our desires. People searching for their "real" selves are on a similar mission to map this territory--to figure out which goals serve their vital interests.
Source:
Nigel Nicholson: The I of Leadership: Strategies for Seeing, Being and Doing
John G Agno: Women, Know Thyself: The most important knowledge is self-knowledge.