You’re Not Who You Think You Are. (Most Likely)

Self-awareness is one of the most underrated skills in the profession.

You’ve probably heard the talks, read the articles, done the surveys, and had consultants come in to tell you which colour your personality suits best (don’t get me started on that).

But have you ever really stopped to think about the impact being truly self-aware has — on your life, your career, your core values, and even how you hire?

(And since this is an email, not a book, we’ll work with the space we have.)

There are two kinds of self-awareness:

• Internal awareness – understanding who you are, what drives you, what drains you, and how your values show up day to day.

• External awareness – recognising how others see and experience you.

These two forms of awareness are independent of each other but we need both to see ourselves clearly.

The good news? Both can be learned.
The slightly alarming news? Studies show that while 95% of people believe they’re self-aware, only about 10–15% actually are.

If you have strong internal awareness but weak external awareness, you can be blindsided by people and outcomes.
If the reverse is true, you’re more likely to become a people-pleaser — making decisions that serve others but not yourself. That will lead to burnout.

It takes courage and humility to look honestly in the mirror and ask; Who am I? What’s it like to be on the other side of me?

And let’s face it, no one likes feedback.

The truth is, none of us ever fully know who we are. We all have blind spots — those gaps where our self-perception and reality don’t quite meet.

Self-awareness is how we bridge that gap between intention and impact, between values and behaviour.

When we’re brave enough to see ourselves clearly, we lead with integrity. And that’s the difference between being good at your job… and being great to work with.

Welcome to Fell - your future self (and probably your clients) will thank you!