Team Tuesdays: Tasha Eurich — Self-Awareness Builds Better Teams

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We often think great teamwork is built on chemistry, communication, or shared goals. But organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich discovered a deeper, hidden foundation: self-awareness.

According to Eurich’s research, while 95% of people think they are self-aware, only about 10% to 15% actually are. When a team lacks this trait, project success rates cut in half, stress skyrockets, and collaboration plummets.

Eurich breaks self-awareness into two critical types:

  • Internal Self-Awareness: Understanding your own values, passions, and reactions.

  • External Self-Awareness: Understanding how other people see you.

Great teams require both. If team members only have internal awareness, they remain blind to how their communication style impacts others. If they only have external awareness, they become people-pleasers who sacrifice their true potential to fit in.

The breakthrough happens when teams build a "collective self-awareness" culture. 

This means swapping defensive reactions for open curiosity. Instead of asking "Why did they critique my idea?" (which triggers defensiveness), ask "What can I do differently next time to collaborate better?"

Something to Think About

This week, ask a trusted colleague for one piece of honest feedback on how you show up in practice or at meetings. True teamwork begins when we dare to see ourselves clearly.

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