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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Aware summary
Les Csorba
The Power of Seeing Yourself Clearly
18 mins
Brief summary
Aware by Les Csorba delves into the journey of self-awareness and its profound impact on leadership. It emphasizes the importance of authentic self-knowledge in driving effective leadership and fostering genuine connections in diverse environments.
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Aware
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The courage to see what’s there
The path to exceptional leadership often begins with a moment of recognition. Consider a client of the author Les Csorba. Despite a successful track record as CEO of a $10 billion energy company, his introverted personality created a barrier between him and his employees. He was perceived as distant and disconnected, undermining his effectiveness as a leader. Rather than accepting this limitation or making excuses, he took an unusual action: he removed all the chairs from his office.
This limited the time he could spend in his comfort zone, forcing him to engage directly with his team face-to-face. By eliminating the option to retreat into his office sanctuary, he made sure he’d practice the very behaviors that challenged him most.
His story illustrates a pattern found again and again among the most effective leaders: they possess the self-awareness to recognize their weaknesses and limitations, paired with the courage to address them. These leaders understand that their biggest obstacles aren’t external circumstances – market conditions or competitive pressures – but rather those obstacles within themselves. They embrace the ongoing struggle to improve, knowing that personal growth is never finished.
But working on yourself requires first seeing yourself. According to a Japanese saying, each person has three faces. The first is the face you show to the world – your public persona. The second is the private face you show to family and close friends. And the third is the one you hide even from yourself – those aspects of your personality and behavior that you deny and often refuse to examine.
Inquiring into this hidden third face holds incredible potential for transformation. But it requires the courage to look inward and see what’s really there, rather than what you wish there was.
Failing to engage in honest self-examination creates barriers that hold back both leaders and those they lead. One executive learned this during his evaluation for a CEO position. When colleagues provided feedback that he was “controlling,” he spent an entire hour arguing with them about their assessment. This defensive response revealed exactly the controlling behavior they’d identified, and he was passed over for the role.
The lesson is clear: you can only manage those aspects of yourself that you actually see and acknowledge. Whatever you don’t see – your blind spots – are destined to shape your future in ways you can’t control.
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What is Aware about?
Aware (2025) reveals how exceptional leaders distinguish themselves through deep self-awareness. Drawing on high-level executive recruiting experience, it demonstrates how recognizing and courageously addressing personal limitations is key for leaders to build organizations that thrive.
Who should read Aware?
- Senior executives and C-suite leaders who want to maximize their effectiveness
- Entrepreneurs and founders who recognize that their personal limitations can become their company's biggest constraints
- Anyone who wants to build systems for continuous improvement
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