Self-awareness is the foundation of most leadership skills, as well as the cornerstone of emotional intelligence. This is an essential skill for leadership development. How can we define self-awareness? Self-awareness is self-knowledge and the ability to use this knowledge to monitor one's thoughts, emotions, and how these variables affect decision-making. People who are self-aware control themselves better. Depending on the acquisition of this skill, they have a better understanding of the situation and a proactive attitude towards life in general. In some ways, self-awareness is the polar opposite of self-absorption. The latter isolates the person from the environment, focusing only on inner needs and desires. Self-awareness opens a person to his/her physical and emotional environment through self-examination, non-judgmental observations and an open heart ready to acquire new knowledge. Benefits of self-awareness Self-awareness is the quality of a ...