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Leaders often claim to be self-aware, but most only have a theoretical understanding of the concept, a leadership development specialist says.

The practical component of self-awareness comes from self-regulation – without it, there's no point in being self-aware, says The Mindful Leader founder Michael Bunting.

"It's a little bit like knowing the theory of swimming, but not being able to swim," he tells HR Daily.

Self-awareness is crucial for behavioural change because it enables leaders to be deliberate about how they behave, Bunting says. Any single change, whether communicating more effectively or being more collaborative, requires self-regulation. "It requires us to interrupt an existing pattern of behaviour and be able to consciously choose a new pattern of behaviour..."