Self-awareness is crucial to success in turbulent times – former British ambassador

In this interview, Charles Crawford, winner of the equivalent of two Oscars and a former Ambassador of Oxford, explains why executives should attend the upcoming TEXEM Self-awareness for better management of change in uncertain times program. Other TEXEM faculties delivering this program include Professor Paul Griffith, the world’s first professor of management who led a team to launch a rocket into space, and Professor Randall Peterson from the London Business School.

1. Can you tell us what role you will play in the February 2023 TEXEM programme, ‘Self-Awareness for Better Management of Change in Uncertain Times’, which will influence the leader today?

I am delighted to be delivering one of the TEXEM live sessions covering fundamental practical communication skills that will make any leader or manager appear smart, confident and persuasive in any circumstance.

The main idea is this: It’s not what you say – it’s what they hear. So if you’re trying to motivate a team to do something new and difficult, your words might be (more or less!) OK. But what if from your tone and the broader context they hear such ‘deeper’ things as Boring, lazy, don’t you think so, sexist, time waster, irresponsible and annoying? Your words will be wasted on this broader cynicism.

2. Do you find this program relevant to the needs of leaders?

Yes. Because if you don’t know how you come across to the team, your seniors, customers and supervisors, what do you think you’re doing all day?

3. What benefits can executives gain from participating in this program?

The main benefit of the TEXEM, VK Self Awareness for better management of change in uncertain times, is that they start to think differently about themselves and their work. Dealing with uncertain and challenging times requires just the right combination of determination and flexibility. You may think you are doing well? But what is your test of success and your test of failure? This program ensures leaders optimize their decision-making credentials on areas for improvement, and it ensures their organizations consistently learn, innovate, and deliver outstanding products and services to all stakeholders. This TEXEM, UK program helps organizations win. It will help participants increase their social capital through networking and achieve their goals more effectively and efficiently. Your network determines your net worth.

4. How would you recommend to leaders the upcoming TEXEM program entitled ‘Self-Awareness for Better Management of Change in Uncertain Times’, to be held between 11 February and 4 March 2023?

Leaders around the world need to understand the operational and policy distinctions between what is important – and what Affairs. It’s not enough these days to be great or powerful and shrewd. You must be persuasive and effective. This program helps you to think carefully about the necessary ‘mindset’ to achieve that. Also TEXEM’s methodology to make learning fun, engaging and impactful is another crucial reason why participants should take this program, Self-awareness for better management of change in uncertain times. Research has also shown that organizations with strong financial performance have a clear characteristic of more self-confident leaders than underperforming companies. Also, organizations with more self-aware employees are more likely to have more collaborative and cohesive teams and deliver superior performance.

5. How successful can a leader or manager be without self-awareness?

Quite successful until everything abruptly falls to the floor in pieces. A leader or manager with no self-awareness is like one of those children’s cartoon characters who confidently walk off a high cliff into the air and continue to walk merrily in the air for a few more steps before gravity starts asking tough questions and the quick agonizing fall begins. To achieve lasting success, teams in organizations need to be emotionally grounded. They must have the ability to identify and manage their emotions and identify and influence the emotions of others for results. When individuals, teams and managers possess outstanding emotional intelligence, it can lead to a culture of learning and innovation that is challenging for others to imitate and can be one of the contributors to sustainable competitive advantage.

6. Many change initiatives fail; how can self-management help change management to succeed?

There are no guarantees. In fact, you can do the best job possible and succeed until something totally unexpected (say, an invention or a new policy context) shows up and destroys everything. It is really hard to find the right balance between discipline, hard work, creativity and flexibility. But all of these things require you to have the right competence and emotional stability to be resilient in the face of headwinds. That is why this program is relevant and necessary. This TEXEM program, Self-awareness for Better Management of Change in Uncertain Times, is critical because it equips organizations and their team to pay serious attention to their open and subliminal messages: their messages to your teams, customers, stakeholders and yourself.

7. What is the program design?

The TEXEM, UK Self-awareness for Better Management of Change in Uncertain Times program is a combination of self-study and live sessions. Participants study for an average of one hour per day between February 11 and March 4, and there are live sessions every Saturday for four weeks. The experience is gamified in such a way that participants receive points ranked in a ranking for every article read, video watched and comment made. The top 5 in the ranking will be recognized every weekend when we have the live sessions via zoom where different faculties will deliver. For example, every Saturday live session will feature Professor Randal Peterson of the London Business School, Professor Paul Griffith, the world’s first professor of management leading a team to launch a rocket, and I deliver. For more information, email [email protected] or register at https://texem.co.uk/self-awareness-for-better-management-of-change-in-uncertain-times/