How to Develop Your Blind Spots into Savvy Leadership

Are you impatient? Fearful of conflict? Easily triggered? Turn your blind spots into strengths and grow your leadership savvy.

All leaders have blind spots. These are complex and many times impossible to distinguish. Yet, left unidentified, these weaknesses can be costly to you, your company, your team, and your customers. You will sabotage your impact, results, and career options. Therefore, it’s critical to identify them and develop your leadership savvy by working with your executive coach.

How Do You Define 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 you try to be self-aware and mindful, you cannot readily self-identify your blind spots.

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

The challenge is to hire the right executive coach to uncover your blind spots before they damage your leadership reputation and future opportunities.

What Are the Top 10 Leadership Blind Spots?

While some blind spots may be easy to spot, according to Inc. Magazine, here are the top 10 blind spots.

Which ones do you recognize for yourself?

Top 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”

How to Flip Blind Spots into Savvy Leadership

1. Use assessments and 360-degree feedback to discover your inherent strengths and weaknesses (aka blind spots). There are three types of assessments: 1) assessments that uncover how you want to be seen, 2) assessments to show how you really are, and 3) assessments that show how others see you. All three provide you with great 20/20 vision. But, now, the real work begins. Work with a qualified executive coach to review the assessment results and guide you to develop a laser-focused action plan.
2. Hire the right executive coach and LISTEN. Listening is crucial to improve your influence and leadership savvy. It eliminates the typical trial and error that otherwise occurs. Do NOT focus on conceptual conversations regarding the merits and demerits of your blind spots. Just listen, and then, implement.
3. Engage with an industry mentor. The right mentor(s) is an invaluable source of information and will be knowledgeable about your company, management team, and industry. The right 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, and yourself, to talk through the feedback results. Then, most importantly, learn from and implement these invaluable insights.
5. Dial-up your humbleness. Take part in emotional intelligence workshops. During these programs, set aside your ego since it can be your most significant hurdle to overcoming blind spots and developing savvy leadership. Remember, authentic practice is required to achieve mastery!
6. Improve your all-important communication skills. Your ability to write, speak, and talk with others is critical to your success. Don’t fall into the trap of “I have it all handled.” Instead, take workshops designed to recognize your biases (aka blind spots) and develop your inner confidence.
7. Identify triggers and biases. We all have them. To uncover triggers and biases, work with your executive coach to talk through the issues and develop ways to handle them when they arise. (Note: You may also need to work with a licensed therapist to remove the very stubborn barriers.)

©Jeannette Seibly, 2020 – 2021 All Rights Reserved

Jeannette Seibly is The Leadership Results Coach. She has guided the creation of three millionaires and countless 6-figure income professionals for almost 30 years. Her brags include being an award-winning international executive and family business management consultant, and keynote speaker. Recently, she was able to add another brag. She is now an international Amazon Bestselling author of, The Old Wooden Rocker. Have questions? Need a speaker or facilitator? Contact Jeannette for a confidential conversation.

A Note from Jeannette about how to develop your blind spots into savvy leadership. If you are impatient, fear conflict, and easily triggered, keep reading! Even if you believe you’re not, it’s essential to realize that ALL leaders have blind spots. An important goal for 2022 is to turn your blind spots into strengths and grow your leadership savvy. If you’re stuck and uncertain about how to get started, contact me for a confidential conversation.

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