The CEO's top red flag for employees is a lack of self-awareness, which can hinder their success.

A lack of self-awareness is Everette Taylor's least-favorite trait in an employee.

According to Taylor, CEO of Kickstarter, people who lack self-awareness are more likely to be "ego-driven" and less cooperative, as they tend to focus on their own desires and opinions when it comes to customers.

Research indicates that self-aware employees are more receptive to feedback and ideas from their colleagues, which can enhance their communication, relationships, creativity, and productivity.

In 2018, Tasha Eurich, an organizational psychology researcher and author, discovered that while 95% of people believe they're self-aware, only 10% to 15% are genuinely self-aware.

Whenever possible, Taylor, 35, focuses on developing his self-awareness, he states.

Taylor says that she tries to keep her ego in check, admits to being wrong all the time, and loves having an intelligent team that challenges her and keeps her grounded.

Rooting out self-awareness in job interviews

Since 2022, Taylor, Kickstarter's CEO, has been intentionally tailoring job interview questions to focus on traits such as self-awareness and ego control. He asks about instances where the candidate made a mistake or failed.

Someone who struggles to acknowledge their mistakes may not understand the importance of taking responsibility for their career imperfections, according to his theory.

"Taylor remarks, "It's evident that those who lack self-awareness struggle with this.""

Other questions that hiring managers often ask to assess self-awareness include asking candidates how their colleagues would describe them. Claire Hughes Johnson, a former VP at Google, recommends asking candidates to provide constructive feedback they have received.

To assess their focus on learning and self-improvement, as well as their incorporation of feedback, she would inquire, "And what have you done to improve?"

Hughes Johnson pays close attention to two words in every interviewee's responses: An excessive use of "I"s indicates a lack of humility, while an excessive use of "we"s suggests an inability to accept credit properly.

To enhance your self-awareness at work, Juliette Han, a neuroscientist and Columbia Business School instructor, suggests directly asking your manager and colleagues about your strengths. What skills do you possess that benefit those around you the most? How can you utilize them more frequently?

"Having technical skills and charisma is important, but being unaware of how you present yourself and interact with others can make it difficult to build strong relationships, work effectively with your boss and colleagues, and deepen friendships necessary for success," Han said in an interview with Make It last year.

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