When you sit back and really ask yourself the hard questions, you could discover things you didn’t realize until you really thought about them.  The article, “31 Things All Leaders Need to Know About Themselves,” by Les McKeown provides questions to improve your self-awareness.
Below are the 31 questions listed in the article (link above).  Grab a pen and paper and see what you learn about yourself, your motivation, your passions, and personality.  Answers that are not just beneficial to mangers and leaders, but to everyone.
1. What drives you crazy?
2. What makes you lazy?
3. What gets you excited?
4. What’s your preferred outgoing communication style (how do you like to convey information)?
5. What’s your preferred incoming communication style (how do you like to receive information)?
6. What type of people can’t you stand?
7. What type of people do you fall for too easily?
8. To what basic knowledge or skill do you return when faced with a difficult problem?
9. What can’t you know enough about?
10. About what have you heard all you ever want to know?
11. What type of environment juices you creatively?
12. What type of environment drains you creatively?
13. In what type of environment do you most effectively complete tiresome work?
14. In what type of environment do you least effectively complete tiresome work?
15. When is the best time of day for you to undertake creative work?
16. When is the worst time of day for you to undertake creative work?
17. When is the best time of day for you to undertake tiresome work?
18. When is the worst time of day for you to undertake tiresome work?
19. What is the best day of the week for you to undertake creative work?
20. What is the worst day of the week for you to undertake creative work?
21. What is the best day of the week for you to undertake tiresome work?
22. What is the worst day of the week for you to undertake tiresome work?
23. Do you have monthly and/or annual ‘creative / tiresome’ time rhythms you should be aware of?
24. What do you believe your core skill to be?
25. What do you believe you bring most to your organization?
26. What do you take on that you should leave to others?
27. What do you leave to others that you should be doing?
28. What usually convinces you of the truth of an argument?
29. What makes you stop listening to people?
30. How do you act differently when you’re in a group or team environment?
31. How do you act differently when you’re with people you love?