The first major theory about self-knowledge suggested in 1972 when researchers Shelley Duval and Robert Wicklund stated that "self-knowledge is the ability to look inward, think deeply about your behavior, and consider how it aligns with your moral standards and values." Later, as early as the 1980s, psychologist Daniel Goleman, associated self-knowledge as one of the most important elements of emotional intelligence. But how is all this connected with leadership?

Before we have the ability to lead and inspire a team, our colleagues, or just the people next to us, we have to know ourselves. We must have the ability to see ourselves clearly, recognizing our strengths, our vulnerabilities, and especially our emotions. Only by being fully aware of ourselves can we effectively inspire and lead others to be leaders as well.

By being able to have a critical capacity about ourselves, we will have a high emotional maturity that will allow us to maintain coherence, values, and the discernment to act, even in adverse situations.

Self-knowledge allows us to be authentic and to promote leadership based on a purpose and with People as the center of decisions. It facilitates Empathy and Communication, and above all, develops genuine relationships with those around you. Not only will you have the ability to motivate yourself, but you will also be a source of motivation for your teams.

And right now, Tourism really needs good leaders!

So how can I introduce to myself? How can I truly know myself?

The first step is to really want to accept yourself as you are. By recognizing your true personality, you will be able to deal daily with self-control over emotions, weaknesses, and your greatest potentials. This control will allow you to better lead teams and consequently better results and better performance.

By accepting to take this path, we leave you some tips on how you can develop the process:

1. Know your strengths and your weaknesses. Learn to accept and deal with your weaknesses and to enhance the skills and abilities where you are stronger. Ask for help to complement your weaknesses and surround yourself with people who complement you.

2. Reflect on your emotions, what your triggers are, and how you can control and adjust your behavior in situations. By doing this exercise and being fully aware of your feelings at the moment, you will achieve greater serenity and discernment in your decisions and a greater focus and effectiveness in your actions.

3. Get out of your comfort zone and learn not to make self-judgments. Accept yourself as you are. Your authenticity will be your greatest value.

4. Try to understand how others perceive and identify you. Does it meet the values you want to convey? If not, ask for feedback. Listen actively and constructively to how you are perceived by your peers, your team, by all those who deal with you in different circumstances.

5. Be balanced and accept that there are also not so good days. Learn to work on your resilience and accept that you will not always have the ability to control all factors and that not everything will go as planned.

6. Develop your own self-esteem. Learn from your mistakes and failures and celebrate your achievements and victories. Share. Don't isolate yourself. A leader is always focused on People, being by their side all along the way.

We live in troubled times in Tourism, where we even easily question our own abilities. Work on yourself. Strengthen your qualities and strengths and look for solutions to complement your weaknesses. More than ever, we will have to work on our inner strength and resilience.

Tourism, though late in coming... will return. And it will need leaders who can bring about positive change, for new times.