Transforming Teams with Emotional and Self Awareness

Bhavesh Naik explores the pivotal role of self-awareness, authentic human connection, and conscious leadership in building resilient, high-performing organisations that truly harness humanity for enduring success.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood is joined by Bhavesh Naik to explore the transformative role of self-awareness and humanity in building successful, resilient organisations. The conversation navigates the nuances of self-awareness—both as lived experience and practical skill—in high-performing workplaces. Joanne and Bhavesh dissect the subtle power of observing oneself, moving beyond intellectual definitions toward a more embodied, present-centred awareness that empowers individuals and teams to thrive. Listeners are invited to reconsider the foundations of leadership, emotional intelligence, and the dynamics of inclusion, while drawing connections between personal insight and organisational change.

Bhavesh is a business performance and longevity expert who helps organisational leaders nurture thriving cultures by embracing the full humanness of their people. Renowned for his deeply realised sense of self-awareness and innovative thinking, Bhavesh champions a holistic approach to leadership development. His distinctive perspective challenges traditional management theories rooted in the industrial age, proposing instead that true transformation is driven by nurturing awareness and authentic connection across all levels of a business. Bhavesh draws upon years of experience with executive coaching and team facilitation to offer practical frameworks—grounded in both science and lived wisdom—that help organisations shift from dependency and disengagement into empowered, conscious collaboration.

Throughout their discussion, Joanne and Bhavesh probe how self-awareness can be harnessed to close the gap between reaction and reflection, move teams towards higher engagement, and reframe emotionally intelligent action as a form of emotional awareness. They address the need for leaders to foster open dialogues, offer practical exercises for cultivating self and situational awareness, and interrogate the impact of workplace culture on inclusion and belonging. The episode spotlights how authentic relationships and a celebration of individual uniqueness can unlock potential within organisations, even in the face of bias or resistance to change.

The key takeaway from this episode is that harnessing humanity—by fostering self-awareness and valuing genuine connection—creates the bedrock for organisational success. Listeners will be equipped with practical strategies to drive inclusive transformation, ignite cultural alignment, and elevate both individual and collective performance. Tune in for actionable insights to help you and your organisation not only belong— but truly thrive.

 

Published: 26.06.2025

Recorded: 20.02.2025

Duration: 1:05:29

 

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  AI Extracts and Interpretations
  


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  The Inclusion Bites Podcast - #164 Harnessing Humanity for Success
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  Other Links
  


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  SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts
  


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  Inclusion Bites Podcast on YouTube
  

Clips and Timestamps

Viral Topic: Rethinking Self Awareness: “self awareness to me is more of the classic definition or more of a common sense, the literal definition of self awareness, which is self aware awareness of the self.”

— Bhavesh Naik [00:03:23 → 00:04:16 ]

The Power of Human Awareness: “if you know, we have this ability as humans to be able to see ourselves doing whatever it is that we’re doing so we can bring an awareness to this person.”

— Bhavesh Naik [00:05:08 → 00:05:19 ]

Viral Topic: How We Give Meaning to the World

“So all these inputs coming in, because the input coming in is just bits and bytes of information. We’re using computer terminology, right? So by the way, BFM aside, computer was actually made after people looked at the human body. So computer is the replica or a copy of what humans can do, right? But now we live in computers, you know, we live in this age where we’re so surrounded by them that we look at them as a way to look at ourselves.”

— Bhavesh Naik [00:16:45 → 00:17:17 ]

Viral Topic: Defining Common Ground in Diversity

Quote: “We are all humans, you’re all human beings, right? So that’s our common ground.”

— Bhavesh Naik [00:30:42 → 00:30:46 ]

Viral Topic: “The Strength of Relationships Defines Organisations”: So how we talk to each other, how we converse with each other, how we work with each other. So the strength of that relationship is the strength of the organisation.

— Bhavesh Naik [00:33:31 → 00:33:42 ]

The Ripple Effect of Leadership: “Even if there is a multiple people, team, executive team, there’s one person who is in a leadership position, who is the ripple effect, who’s the centre of this ripple effect?”

— Bhavesh Naik [00:36:21 → 00:36:30 ]

Outdated Management Practices: “we are still using the management practises and philosophies that were developed in the industrial age, which was about 250 years ago, codified in that time, scientific management theories. But we really saw, we haven’t really evolved the way we manage people, the way we build organisation, the way we lead people at all.”

— Bhavesh Naik [00:38:55 → 00:39:12 ]

Viral Topic: Leadership Transformation

“If the person who is the leader, who is in the centre of the organisation and if you look at it as like a ripple effect, so it has to work from the leadership team, they have to commit to it, they have to be, to, to be open to this idea and then willing to give it a try.”

— Bhavesh Naik [00:45:05 → 00:45:24 ]

Viral Leadership Hack: “So if I’m a manager or you’re a manager, you would sit down with this person and say, well, why is this job important to you? So this becomes part of the management process. It can also become part of the recruitment process. These are powerful questions to ask, right? Why work here?”

— Bhavesh Naik [00:48:47 → 00:49:02 ]

The Importance of Trust in Workplace Conversations: “you can’t play politics based on what someone tells you, because if you do that, then that breaks the trust, right? And then they won’t open up or they’ll give you the wrong answer.”

— Bhavesh Naik [00:52:09 → 00:52:17 ]

Definition of Terms Used

Self Awareness (in Organisational Contexts)

• Definition: Self awareness is the experiential and conscious recognition of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires within the moment, with an emphasis on the awareness of oneself as both subject and object.


• Relevance: Essential for creating high-performing, inclusive work environments, self awareness facilitates responsible decision-making, accountability, and openness to growth, serving as a cornerstone in effective team dynamics and leadership.


• Examples: A manager observing their immediate reaction during a difficult meeting and consciously choosing a measured response rather than reacting impulsively.


• Related Terms: Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness, Metacognition, Reflective Practice


• Common Misconceptions: Self awareness is often mistaken for simply knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses intellectually, rather than the deeper, ongoing, real-time awareness of one’s actions and presence.

Flow State (Being ‘In the Zone’)

• Definition: Flow state refers to a mental condition where an individual is wholly immersed and engaged in an activity, often to the extent that they lose self-consciousness and a sense of time, performing actions effortlessly and optimally.


• Relevance: In the workplace, attaining a flow state enhances productivity, creativity, and satisfaction, while also promoting adaptability and resilience among employees and leaders.


• Examples: An artist losing track of time whilst drawing, or a sportsperson executing complex skills instinctively durin