We have come to accept that we now live in an age of constant technological disruption, regardless of the perceived benefits they deliver. This has created a shift in the corporate world, as technology has forced us to redefine the way work is done. Some of us are able to keep ahead of the curve, some of us are struggling to keep up, and some of us have fallen behind. Much of this depends the ability to commit financial resources to advancing our technological capabilities, but it also depends upon the culture of the organisation, and the leadership. Our ability to recognise and accept the need for change. And that change begins at the individual level. Most change efforts focus on the organisational or team level – many fail. And the reason. No one, or few, are focusing at the individual level. We cannot change a team until we change the individuals within the team. We cannot change an organisation until we change the teams within it.

It is better to redefine yourself before the market and technology redefine you. And that starts at the top – with leaders taking responsibility for managing their own leadership path. Change is uncomfortable – its meant to be. It’s not easy to uproot the comfort of habits, activities we have mastered to the point where they require no headspace, and to replace them with new behaviours that take conscious effort and energy. But it is the only way – there is no magic pill, not yet anyway. Change must be intentional, and we need to find the energy to power it. That energy comes from deep within you – it is there, waiting, ready to be tapped, either never discovered or long forgotten. The core of the power to change oneself is insight. To change things outside ourselves we need outsight.

Data analytics is providing enormous power in marketing today by providing outsight. We can accept the advantage this outsight provides, yet for some reason we tend to struggle with the concept of insight.

Outsight has been defined as “the power or act of perceiving external things”; the ability to see and understand external things clearly.

Insight, or intuition, has the same limitations as outsight. It is defined “as an instance of apprehending the true nature of a thing, especially through intuitive understanding”; “penetrating mental vision or discernment; faculty of seeing into inner character or underlying truth”. In psychological terms it is defined as:

• An understanding of relationships that improves our understanding of something or helps solve a problem
• The recognition of the source(s) of our emotional responses.
• An understanding of the motivational forces behind one’s actions, thoughts, or behaviour; self-knowledge.

Insight is gained through introspection, outsight is gained through action.

At work, we are largely incentivised by extrinsic rewards – a pay rise, a promotion, a gift. Yet our will to change and improve is largely motivated by intrinsic rewards – reaching a personal goal, recognition by others, status. Extrinsic rewards may help push us to do more of what we are good at, but it takes intrinsic rewards to push us to do what we are not the best at. More specifically, it is the importance we attach to those intrinsic rewards, at that importance is highly subjective. It is defined by our individual beliefs and values. Understanding our true beliefs and values takes insight – not being told by someone else.

There are actually three forms of you:

1. Your ought self – the person you are expected to be by others who have dictated your beliefs and values. This might be family, religions, schools or workplaces.
2. Your real self – the person that is authentically you right now; the one discovered by insight into what you truly believe and value.
3. Your ideal self – the real you that you desire to be in the future

When you live your life as your ought self, you will be in constant conflict and will struggle to be happy. You will be out of alignment with your real self, but you most likely will not even know this. Your brain will trigger stress responses that manifest in various health or happiness issues, and well as behavioural symptoms driven by the conflict of emotions.

When you live your life as your real self, you will be happier and healthier. Your brain and mind are in alignment, and your body will respond with more energy, improved cognitive power, better sleep, and overall greater happiness.

If you want to amplify these benefits of living as your real self, then take the time to discover your ideal self, and align your path in life with that real self.

To discover your real self, you need to overcome the pull of the ought self. To push through the mask and find the reality. This takes mindfulness and introspection. This is where the power of your authentic uniqueness as a leader lies.