Claire Hughes Johnson spent a decade as a VP at Google and explained she looks for one trait above all others in considering new candidates.

One characteristic above all others. I think this applies in considering new lightworker clients too.

Here is the real kicker, she cites research that 95% of people THINK they have this trait but only 5 – 10% ACTUALLY do.

I kicked myself after I read this.

The trait? Self-Awareness!

Her point? Most people THINK they are self-aware but research shows they mostly aren’t.

She points out that “when someone is highly self-aware, they’re more motivated to learn because they’re honest about what they need to work on. They also relate better to their colleagues and managers.” (1) Now, do we want to work with people who aren’t open about what they need to work on and relate well to colleagues? Well, NO.

Here is how to tell:

Watch for whether they overuse the words “I” or “We”. These can reflect whether their awareness about self and others is in balance.

Ask what they have done to improve. This can indicate whether they are willing to “own” their own progress and not expect a provider to do it all for them. It also shows if they are willing to receive help that they will work on themselves.

Ask if they have worked with another provider before meeting you. Ask how that went. If their only comments are negative, ask what feedback they got from the prior provider. If they feel they learned nothing, even if the service results were disappointing, this may signal a less self-aware orientation to self-improvement and learning. A self-aware person can learn something from an experience in which they try.

(1) https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/07/former-google-vp-shares-no-1-skill-she-looked-for-at-job-interviews-that-people-rarely-had.html