Self awareness is the ability to evaluate yourself socially and understand how your behavior is being perceived by others. If you’re self-aware, you know how you’re feeling, how you’re acting, and how you appear. You likely have a strong grasp on your own strengths and weaknesses, which means that you know where and how you’ll be most useful. This knowledge can make you a great leader because you have an understanding of what skills you may be missing and therefore where and how you need others to apply their skills.

Self-awareness can also help you train yourself to think about your emotions in a productive way. It requires self-reflection and interpretation, so if you’re self-aware, when you get upset you might start to think about why you feel as you do and find that the feeling is momentary, misplaced, or a catalyst for positive action. Doing this allows you to think of your emotions as part of a larger picture, so you don’t become consumed by them. Knowing the reasoning behind your emotions can also give you a greater sense of control over them, improving self-efficacy.