Na minha experiência, cultivar a autoconsciência é um fator decisivo para o avanço profissional. Ao longo do tempo, apercebi-me de que o verdadeiro progresso surge quando olhamos para dentro e analisamos, de forma honesta, quem somos e o que desejamos conquistar. Para maximizar este potencial, é essencial fazer uma autoavaliação abrangente, explorando os nossos valores, hábitos de trabalho e competências.

Self-awareness in business innovation goes beyond understanding your skills—it's about knowing how you uniquely approach problem-solving and creativity. Dive deeper into recognizing your biases, tendencies, and blind spots. Ask yourself: How do these influence the way you evaluate and adopt new ideas? True self-awareness comes when you can identify not just what you're good at, but where your habits and mindset might limit your innovative potential. This clarity helps you break patterns and unlock higher impact.

With feedback I strongly believe it help us see ourselves in a different light and perspective. As we never want to admit our failures or mistakes or even areas we can improve on. However with feedback its a great way to accept in a positive manner no matter how critical or harsh or even positive we must be able to see ourselves in the mirror and acknowledge our weaknesses and strengths and build on them to better ourselves. Most importantly to start from within the inner part which once accomplished equals our happiness, through experience and the mind, and awareness which is a beautiful gift when used to learn and teach ourselves from others. Transformation with growth is always a win win.

Aceitar feedback de forma aberta é essencial para o crescimento pessoal e profissional. Através das críticas construtivas de colegas e "mentores", ganhamos uma visão externa que muitas vezes nos escapa. Essa perspetiva ajuda-nos a ajustar e a melhorar a nossa forma de trabalhar, garantindo que as nossas contribuições sejam cada vez mais relevantes e valorizadas.

While feedback is critical, the real power lies in seeking uncomfortable feedback—insights that challenge your assumptions or highlight blind spots you’re unaware of. Don’t just seek out those who agree with you. Engage colleagues who think differently or have critiqued your work in the past. This feedback will give you a more honest reflection of how you operate within innovative environments and help you fine-tune your leadership style to be more adaptable and open-minded.

Desenvolver inteligência emocional é um passo fundamental para fomentar a inovação em ambiente laboral. Compreender e gerir as próprias emoções, assim como as dos outros, facilita uma comunicação mais eficaz e uma melhor gestão de conflitos. Reconhecer os nossos próprios gatilhos emocionais e praticar a empatia fortalece os relacionamentos e impulsiona o espírito de inovação coletiva.

The first step towards using self-awareness in the promotion of innovative business careers is through EQ development. Understand your strengths, your weaknesses, and how you respond to various challenges. In such a way, one can get an opportunity to align the efforts of business innovation with strengths and work over one's weaknesses for improvement. High EQ will support the navigation through complex team dynamics, management of stress, and adaptability to ever-fast-paced environments. It heightens one's empathy, therefore, the ability to understand the needs of the colleagues and customers. By being self-aware, informed decisions will be made, relationships will be strong, and innovation with purpose will be confidently driven.

To innovate in business, you need to come up with creative ways to solve a problem (or steal the solution ;) Once you identify the problem and have possible solutions, you’ll have a better sense for how you need to grow. Before all that, you need to actively seek out problems with a growth mindset. Instead of “can’t”, think “how can I”. Eg. Change from “I can’t do x because I don’t have enough funding” to “how can I raise enough funds”. The more problems you can solve and the more people you can serve, the more you’ll get back in return (financially or otherwise). Ad astra!

Having a growth mindset is essential, but pair it with self-compassion. Growth isn’t linear, especially in innovation. Embrace the idea that setbacks are an integral part of the process, not failures. Being self-aware means recognizing when fear of failure holds you back from taking the risks needed for breakthrough innovation. By seeing every challenge as a stepping stone to growth, you enable continuous improvement and unlock your potential for visionary thinking.

Start by leveraging a strengths-based approach by identifying your core strengths using tools like the Clifton Strengths assessment. Align these strengths with your career and innovation goals,and invest in continuous learning to enhance them. Collaborate with diverse teams to leverage complementary strengths, seek regular feedback, and connect with mentors and peers for guidance. Reflect on your progress periodically and adapt your strategies to ensure continuous growth. By focusing on what you do best and aligning it with your aspirations, you can foster a more fulfilling and innovative career path.

Strategic planning in business innovation requires integrating flexibility. In fast-moving industries, rigid plans often fall short. While setting SMART goals is important, build in checkpoints to reassess and adapt your plan based on new insights or changes in the market. The key is knowing when to pivot while maintaining a focus on your broader career trajectory. Strategic planning should be a living, breathing process that evolves as you grow and the landscape shifts.

Continuous learning isn’t just about keeping up with trends; it’s about unlearning outdated methods and mindsets that no longer serve you. Make space for unlearning by questioning long-held assumptions, especially those that may limit innovation. Challenge yourself to explore areas outside your industry or comfort zone—often, groundbreaking ideas come from cross-pollination between fields. By embracing learning with curiosity, you stay adaptable and ahead of the curve.