Dr. Tasha Eurich
, a luminary in organizational psychology and bestselling author, unveils the profound impact of self-awareness in leadership in an exclusive interview with The HR Digest. With a decade of pioneering research on self-awareness, she shares invaluable insights on its transformative potential for individuals and organizations in a fast-paced corporate landscape. Tasha delves into the evolving perception of leadership, the critical role of self-awareness in navigating change, and strategies for leaders in multicultural environments. As a data-driven psychologist, she demystifies the balance between analytics and intuition, offering a blueprint for continuous learning and personal growth. Join us as Tasha Eurich charts a course for shatterproof leadership, leaving an indelible mark on organizational psychology.
The HR Digest: How has your research on self-awareness influenced your own leadership style, and what advice do you have for leaders looking to enhance their self-awareness in the fast-paced corporate world?
A decade ago, when my research team started a large-scale research program to understand this much-hyped but poorly understood topic, I had the following perspective: “Who better than me, a highly self-aware individual, to teach others?!” Reality hit hard when I quickly discovered that—just like most people—I had much, much more work to do on my own self-awareness than I thought! (We’ve found that while 95 percent of us think we’re self-aware, the actual number is closer to 10 to 15 percent.)
I call self-awareness the meta-skill of the 21st century, as it sets the upper limit for our success and sanity in an increasingly chaotic world—but luckily it is one of the most learnable skills out there, with the right tools and approach. And so, I have tried to take this journey with my readers, clients, and audiences—we truly are on this beautiful journey together!
Here are three pieces of advice for leaders looking to enhance their self-awareness in a fast-paced world. First, embrace discomfort: knowing is always better than not knowing—so challenge yourself with new information, internally and externally. Second, “loving critics” matter: find two to three people who a) want you to succeed and b) are willing to tell you the truth especially when it’s tough to hear. Monthly check-ins on your performance and impact can be transformative.
The HR Digest: Over the years, how have you seen the perception of leadership evolve, and what role do you believe self-awareness plays in this evolving landscape?
In my 20-plus years of coaching CEOs, great leadership has transformed from top-down directives to “collaborative adaptation.” Especially today, it’s about transparency, authenticity, and empathy. And especially in chaos and uncertainty, leadership is about helping your team make the best possible decisions with the information you have. And to do that, leaders should worry less about knowing all, and more about knowing themselves. Because, to master the psychological safety needed for candid communication, leaders must recognize their impact, understand their biases, and adapt their styles for diverse team needs. Self-awareness transforms dictators into mentors and hierarchies into partnerships.
The HR Digest: In the context of your expertise in organizational change, how can leaders effectively navigate and lead their teams through significant transitions, considering the ever-changing business environment?
Navigating constant change is crucial today, and I’m diving deep into this question in my upcoming book, Becoming Shatterproof (out in 2025). In a chaotic world, it feels harder than ever to excel, elevate, and connect. We’re grappling with pressure and self-doubt and seeing extreme exhaustion everywhere.
The fact is that many old tools are failing in the face of so many new and complex problems. Today, simply surviving, or even incrementally adapting, won’t help us truly flourish, individually or collectively. If self-awareness is the meta-skill of the 21st century, the meta-habit alongside it therefore must be proactive transformation—a mindset that requires the courage and commitment to regularly reinvent ourselves. Work and life are going to keep throwing us curveballs demanding we level up. How we respond will dictate whether we stay successful or get left behind. The bottom line? We need to stop trying not to break and start becoming shatterproof.
“Self-awareness is the meta-skill of the 21st century, as it sets the upper limit for our success and sanity in an increasingly chaotic world.”
The HR Digest: As a psychologist and data-driven researcher, how do you balance the analytical side of decision-making with the intuitive aspects, especially in situations where data might be limited or ambiguous?
As a data nerd in a quantitative field of psychology, I meet a lot of business leaders who say things like, “We wish we could measure the impact of executive coaching, but we can’t.” But after we sit down and calculate conservative tangible returns of improved leadership on things like turnover, performance, retention, client satisfaction, and revenue, their hearts start to soar as much as mine. So the first lesson is to resist the urge to label something “unmeasurable” just because measuring it is hard. One excellent resource to make this easier is Wayne Cascio’s Investing in People.
That being said, we usually can’t see into the future, our competitors’ strategic plans, or geopolitical surprises. In our response, I defer to Colin Powell. He says we should never have less than 40% of the information we need to make a decision.
“Leadership is about helping your team make the best possible decisions with the information you have. To do that, leaders should worry less about knowing all, and more about knowing themselves.”
The HR Digest: Given your diverse consulting experience, how do you see cultural differences influencing leadership approaches, and what strategies would you recommend for leaders working in multicultural environments?
One of the greatest privileges of my work is getting to travel the world. To date, I’ve worked in 22 countries, on every continent but Antarctica. And what working cross-culturally can lack in ease, it makes up for with enrichment and growth. While I’d argue that the core principles of leadership—drive results and engage people—are surprisingly universal, the “how” for doing those things can widely differ across cultures.
The first suggestion I’d offer to leaders in multicultural environments is to double down on self-awareness: make a habit of stepping back and questioning the “correctness” of your perspective. The second is to dial up their listening behaviors: by listening directly to the people you work with; and indirectly by reading as much as you can—try a simple Google (“Business Customs in X country”) or learn from cross-cultural experts like Geert Hofstede or Miriam Spering.
The HR Digest: With the pace of change accelerating, how do you personally approach continuous learning, and what advice do you have for professionals striving to stay ahead in their respective fields?
Continuous learning is your compass in navigating change. My advice, in rapid-fire:
- Stay curious, stay engaged, stay ahead: Always be in learning mode—it’s a competitive edge, and fun to boot.
- Diversify your sources: Innovation thrives no cross-pollination. Learn beyond your industry for fresh perspectives.
- Diversify your network: Break the echo chamber. Regularly connect with diverse views, experiences and backgrounds to avoid the risk of stagnation.
- Personal board of directors: Expand your mentor roster beyond one or two people. Build a diverse “board” and make sure to include a “reverse mentor” (someone more junior than you) for unexpected insights.
- Read widely: Consume industry publications, thought leadership articles, and books (we rarely read the books we buy—aka “nightstand of guilt.”). Start with ten minutes a day.
- Daily check-ins: Embrace new daily experiences, no matter how small. Reflect each evening, “What did I learn, and how can I be smarter tomorrow?”
The HR Digest: Reflecting on your career, what aspects of your work do you hope will leave a lasting impact on the field of organizational psychology and leadership?
Seven years ago, my mentor Marshall Goldsmith adopted 100 people and vowed to teach us everything he knew for free. There was just one condition: we each had to do the same in the future. Four years later, COVID was running rampant, and I’d just turned 40. I’d always intended to start my group when I was older and wiser—but there was so much bad in the world that I needed to create something good. So I became the first of Marshall’s 100 Coaches to start their own pay-it-forward program.
The Tasha Ten is a group of almost 20 visionaries representing 12 countries, and counting. Our individual and shared purpose is to activate human-centered leadership around the globe, supporting leaders in companies, institutions, governments, and communities to catalyze insight, trust, and connection—and in so doing, prioritize the well-being of all their stakeholders. The same rule applies: they must each start their own program in the future.
The exponential math is exhilarating. I was recently asked on a podcast, “What is the 300-year plan for your life?” My answer was: through multiple generations of the Tasha Ten, I want tens of millions of people to experience the positive impact of human-centered leadership in their work, their communities, and the world.
This interview first appeared in the JANUARY 2024 ISSUE OF THE HR DIGEST, where Dr. Tasha Eurich is featured on the cover.
Dr. Tasha Eurich is an organizational psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and executive coach. Recognized as the world’s #1 self-awareness coach, Dr. Eurich helps people supercharge their self-awareness, sanity, and success in an ever-changing world. She has a 20-year track record of helping CEOs transform when the stakes are high, and is trusted by global brands like Google, Walmart, the NBA, Microsoft, and Johnson & Johnson. With more than 9 million views of her latest TEDx talk, Tasha’s books include Insight (Brené Brown Leadership Book; famed Wharton professor Adam Grant calls it one of the three books he recommends most often), Bankable Leadership, and Becoming Shatterproof (coming in 2025). She publishes original research in Harvard Business Review and peer-reviewed journals, and has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NPR, Fast Company, and more.
