How to See Your Blind Spots as a Leader

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Every leader has blind spots and they are costly when not identified.

These blind spots will sabotage any leader’s impact and results while causing others to question the directions being taken.

What Are Blind Spots?

Leadership blind spots are the specific areas where a leader…even a very successful leader…is missing something. A blind spot can be a lack of attention to a certain area or a part of your skillset that never really developed. All leaders have blind spots. Exceptional Leader’s Lab

No matter how hard we try to be self-aware and mindful, we’re not always able to identify our blind spots.

Self-analysis is of little value since, by definition, it’s nearly impossible to know what our blind spots are and their impact on others.

The challenge is to get the right help to uncover your blind spots before they disrupt or damage your success.

Top 10 Leadership Blind Spots

While some blind spots may be easy to spot, according to Leader’s Beacon here are the top 10 to be on the lookout for.

Which ones do you recognize for yourself?

These 10 blind spots are:

  1. Going it alone
  2. Being insensitive of your behavior on others
  3. Having an “I know” attitude
  4. Avoiding the difficult conversations
  5. Blaming others or circumstances
  6. Treating commitments casually
  7. Conspiring against others
  8. Withholding emotional commitment
  9. Not taking a stand
  10. Tolerating “good enough”

As a leader, seeing your blind spots will help you move forward faster and more effectively.

6 Tips on How to See These Blind Spots Quickly and Effectively

  1. Use assessments and 360-degree feedback to discover your inherent strengths and weaknesses. There are three types of assessments: 1) assessments that uncover how you want to be seen, 2) assessments to show how you truly are, and 3) assessments that show how others see you. All three provide you with great 20/20 vision. But, now, the real work. Work with a qualified executive coach to review the assessments and guide you in creating a plan for focused-action.
  2. Hire an executive coach and listen. Hiring the right executive coach is crucial to distinguishing your blind spots and improving your leadership skills. It eliminates the normal trial and error that otherwise occurs. Hire one that supports you in taking action. Do NOT focus on conceptual conversations regarding the merits and demerits of your blind spots.
  3. Engage with an industry mentor. The right mentor is an invaluable source of information and is knowledgeable about your company, management team, industry, etc. The mentor can also guide you through complex situations and sticky political relationships.
  4. Listen to your team’s feedback. Your team does want you to succeed. However, while you may believe you want to hear feedback from your team, honestly, in many cases, you’d rather not. Use a qualified 360-feedback assessment to encourage your team to share their insights and feel comfortable doing so.
  5. Dial-up your humbleness. Take part in an emotional intelligence workshop since egos are the biggest challenge of any leader and where a lot of blind spots reside. Remember, practice is required to achieve mastery! The goals are to dial down the ego. Create awareness of your impact on others. And, guide you on how to create win-win-win outcomes.
  6. Improve your all-important communication skills. Your ability to write, speak, and talk with others is crucial to your success. Improve these skills by recognizing your biases (and, yes, your blind spots). Take responsibility for how you speak differently to different people. And, don’t forget to improve your writing style…because the last thing you want to do is leaving others baffled as to what you really mean.

Embracing these 6 tips will fast-forward your ability to uncover your blind spots and exponentially improve your leadership results.

©Jeannette Seibly, 2020

Jeannette Seibly is an award-winning dynamic results coach and keynote speaker. For the past 27 years, she has guided the creation of leaders to excel in achieving results. Are you ready for an unprecedented 2020? Contact Jeannette today for straight talk with dynamic results. Don’t forget to listen to NEW podcasts on Anchor.FM or YouTube.com.

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