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In this second episode of the Group Awareness series, we reveal how being aware of the Bruce Tuckman’s group development model and/or culture shock could help with guiding a group through to maturity.

In this first episode of the Group Awareness series, we reveal the importance of being aware of the different stages of culture shock as your group undergoes any change.

As your group advances through the various stages of development, it would be beneficial for you to monitor how you react to change. Being aware of the various phases of the change curve, and making the effort to perceive and understand what phase you are in at every point in time is a form of self awareness.
Being able to monitor this in others is a skill that could come in handy if you are a coach

As self-awareness presents an opportunity for self-improvement, you will become aware of any changes that would alter life as you know it. Losing a version of yourself that you are so fond of, in some cases, would be like losing a loved one. Therefore, in self-improvement journey, it is important to understand the different stages of grief you would have to go through – in no particular order

The best thing about self-awareness which is the ability to assess; i.e., to perceive and understand your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, thoughts, and implicit bias, is that it presents the opportunity for your improvement. So, the best thing about self-awareness is the opportunity for self-improvement.

Self-awareness is also your ability to assess your perception towards of certain people, as well as your behavior towards them. This is known as implicit bias, as is formed from your experiences and your background. The best way to mitigate this is to keep an open mind when interacting with others. The fewer the assumptions you make, the better.

Since part of self-awareness if to perceive and understand your emotions, and thoughts as well as other things about you, acknowledging that you are not your emotions is a great first step. In addition, being able to regulate your emotions like:  name and identify your emotions, as well as other strategies would be beneficial.

Even without having the ability to assess self; i.e., to perceive and understand your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts, understanding the different communication styles and using the assertive style which is the healthiest, is a form of self-improvement.

Since self-awareness is your ability to assess self; i.e., to perceive and understand your personality, actions, values, beliefs, emotions, and thoughts, it is advisable to re-assess self once in a while, or every time you join a new group especially if you are given to a culture of continuous self-improvement. This would give you an assessment of an updated version of self.