Monday Morning Musings
Volume XXIV, Number 26 (Issue 1187 ) June 29, 2026
Aware
How aware of your surroundings are you? Have you noticed the cobweb in the upper righthand corner of your staircase? What about the books piled high on the nightstand? Or the slow drip of the kitchen faucet? If and when they do catch your eye, do you make a mental note to take care of it – tomorrow? Or do you put everything else aside to deal with it now? Similarly, what about the myriads of activities, large and small, taking place within earshot of you? Are you paying attention or dismissing them as immaterial, of little interest, or someone else’s problem. There again, are they a possible problem or a potential opportunity?
For that matter, how self-aware are you? Knowing your personal strengths and weaknesses and taking action to leverage the pluses while addressing the minuses should be something we all focus upon. However, it has been my experience that many of us are oblivious to our shortcomings – thinking our faults to be few. Whether we are filled with personal pride, an abundance of hubris, or having fallen victim to the “success paradox,” many suffer from a lack of self-awareness.
As a result of such denial or blindness to our own shortcomings, many find themselves in need of some honest feedback. Of course, others may be reluctant to tell us what they really think and feel out of a concern we will not accept their input – well intended or not, objective, accurate, or spiteful. Yet without the input of others, it can be difficult for many to make any degree of meaningful course correction – thinking instead that the views and opinions we hold of ourselves and others are well grounded.
Over two decades ago, as part of our study of leadership behavior and effectiveness we developed a 360° assessment tool that we still use today in working with existing as well as emerging leaders. One of the key dimensions of that tool is the ability to measure the gap or difference between how someone sees themselves in certain aspects of essential soft skills and how others in their orbit are experiencing them when it comes to those behaviors. Generally, when the differences are small, we can conclude the individual is highly self-aware. But when the gaps are pronounced in either direction then we find we are working with someone who has a distorted view of their effectiveness as a leader. For some in that category, such feedback can be a hard thing to swallow since it differs from their view of self.
Another dimension of that 360° tool is the ability to compare an individual’s scores against multiple benchmarks. Once again, when someone’s scores fall materially below the benchmark, the challenge can be having them accept the results – never mind the need for a conscious decision to learn/claim a better set of leadership skills. That is because change in any form, especially personal behavioral change, is hard, and it only becomes more difficult the longer we have been operating in a certain fashion and the more success and acclimation we have received.
Yet not any of us are close to perfect. To the extent we accept that fact, the easier it should be for us to embrace the need for personal change/improvement. Still, between the many biases that influence our decision-making and the ease with which we rely on relativism to justify our actions, the more we get in our way. To combat these flaws in our programming, the next time someone gives you some feedback that does not align with how you see yourself, rather than get mad, protest, or write both the input and source off as misguided, pause a minute to consider what their motive might be and if there might be a grain, if not a bushel of truth in what you are hearing. If there is some element of truth involved, what steps are you prepared to take in the pursuit of becoming a better version of yourself? I know I have often benefited from hearing, accepting, and acting upon some difficult truths.
If you are looking for a simple means to test your ability to accept another’s critique, submit a sample of your writing to a skilled writer for editing. Or, if you are really brave, ask an AI tool to rewrite even a paragraph or two. Just be prepared.
Soli Deo Gloria
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
J. Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210) 260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Website: www.jkeithhughey.com
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Copyright 2026 by J. Keith Hughey. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for reproduction and redistribution of this essay as provided under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Recent issues of Musings may be found at www.jkeithhughey.com. Your comments are both welcomed and encouraged.