Self-awareness is defined as “conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives and desires.”
In a business context, this sounds rather soft – something relevant if your professional aspirations are to be a psychologist or HR professional, but certainly not as critical as the “hard stuff” like experience, skills or credentials after your name. Right?
Wrong!
In my four decades of experience as a leader and entrepreneur in diverse industries from entertainment to sports to new media to education, in the hierarchy of factors most important to career success, I would rank self-awareness as #1.
Source: Self-Awareness is the Most Important Skill for Career Success