Great leadership starts with self-awareness

Only one in five employees worldwide are engaged at work, according to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report. At a time when organisations are increasingly under pressure to improve productivity, retain talent and strengthen workplace culture, the conversation shouldn’t only be about strategy, leadership and leadership capability should be a pivotal part of the overall discussion.

Before leaders can inspire teams or shape business outcomes, they need to understand the impact their own behaviours, communication styles and emotional responses have on the people around them.

Self-awareness is one of the most vital, yet frequently overlooked leadership disciplines. Great leadership is not about having all the answers – it is about channelling your actions or impact to inspire confidence, motivation and the performance of others.

For those of us in human capital, our role is ultimately one of service – a calling if you will. We must create the conditions for people to thrive by removing barriers, enabling growth and helping individuals perform at their very best. But, leaders cannot effectively support others without first looking inward. Self-reflection is the foundation of leadership because when leaders understand themselves, they are far better equipped to bring out the best in others.

Safety starts on the inside

In South Africa, the leadership stakes are high. Research tells us that approximately 70% of South Africans feel unsafe most of the time. At Momentum Insure, our purpose is to make people feel safer in their interactions with us. We understand that you can’t translate safety to a client if you don’t feel safe yourself.

We can’t expect our employees to show up for our clients with genuine empathy, compassion, and confidence if they don’t feel safe. This is where leadership behaviour becomes the ultimate catalyst. A leader’s emotional intelligence and daily conduct dictate the psychological safety of their team.

This means understanding that there is often a gap between a leader’s intentions and how their actions are perceived. Bridging this gap requires stepping out of our own perspective and asking: What is it like to be on the receiving end of my leadership style? When leaders build spaces where employees feel safe and confident to voice their feelings and bring their authentic selves to work, that confidence ripples directly outward to our clients.

Unmasking blind spots

In any organisation, senior leaders can easily develop blind spots such as overestimating their listening skills, misinterpreting silence as agreement, or failing to realise how their stress impacts the room.

To actively address this, we developed a leadership programme to help leaders understand themselves better. Through specialised courses, we challenged our leaders to analyse how their daily presence, energy, and behaviour impact those they lead.

The results have been encouraging. We have seen a visible difference, with employees revealing that the safe spaces created by a number of our leaders have actively enabled them to thrive – I say a number of our leaders, because change in some cases takes a big longer than anticipated. By listening to our people’s needs and actively filling their cups through deep engagement, we help them connect more meaningfully with the business.

Connecting “whys” with accountability

When employees love the place they work for, they will do their very best for place. When leaders truly care for the people they lead, they invest in them. It’s important to remember that holding people accountable is not a sign of micro-management but rather a form of love and respect for their potential.

This care is best expressed when we help our people connect their why’s with the why of the company – if there is alignment, flow is experienced. When we experience flow, magic happens, work stops feeling like a transactional chore and becomes a space of shared energy, fulfilling one’s purpose and fun.

Shaping a narrative for the future.

Great leadership does not require us to have all the answers. It requires us to be conscious of our daily impact or influence, to lead with empathy, and to show up for our self, our people and the businesses we lead. For current and future leaders, now is the time to be curious, to ask questions, and to understand the profound impact you have.

Twenty years from today, we should look back with absolute pride at the great organisational cultures we built, starting with how we chose to lead ourselves. #ItStartsWithMe

Momentum Insure is part of Momentum Group Limited, and an authorised non-life insurer and financial services provider, FSP 22789. ©2026 Momentum Group Limited.