We all have blind spots—places where we are unaware of a weakness, trait, or tendency. Even very self-aware people can move through levels of leadership in an organization without becoming aware of particular blind spots. Others on the team may compensate for a leader’s weakness, or a particular trait may not cause specific challenges within the team or organization for a long time.
Eventually, blind spots will show up, one way or another. Effective, proactive leaders will take steps to identify and address these blind spots before they become obstacles to business success or personal advancement.
Here are six ways to start becoming aware of your leadership blind spots:
1. Cultivate an environment of trust and openness
Encourage your team to give feedback and challenge your assumptions, both formally and informally. Cultivate psychological safety so that anyone on the team can raise concerns or ask questions without fear of recrimination.
2. Ask for feedback
Through both formal and informal channels, give team members, bosses, peers, and others in your circle the opportunity to offer feedback. Formal requests can come through tools such as the 360° Assessment, but you can also encourage others to provide feedback informally. A simple “what do you think?” can go far.
3. Work on developing self-awareness
Daniel Goleman suggests that self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence, underlying self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. “Without knowing what we’re feeling, we can’t take steps to control those emotions,” he writes. “Such self-management is the second component. Lacking self-awareness, we can’t have the third, social awareness. We don’t understand how we impact other people and can’t tune in to what others feel. Moving beyond awareness of others to interaction, without self-awareness, the fourth – relationship management – is impossible.” He recommends practicing mindfulness, noticing and naming feelings and reactions, and listening to others to develop self-awareness.
4. Listen
Asking for feedback isn’t enough; it’s also important to listen to what people are saying (and sometimes even what they aren’t saying). When others suggest or hint at a potential blind spot, encourage them to explain what they see. Ask clarifying questions if necessary, but give ample space in the conversation for others to express themselves.
5. Identify potential triggers
Your blind spots may have specific “triggers” that precede expression. For example, if you tend to be insensitive or unkind to subordinates at certain times, ask what events come before that behavior. Are you more insensitive when you’re overwhelmed with meetings, or does your behavior start right around the same time you have to report quarterly results? Discovering what triggers the expression of your blind spots can help drive awareness and allow you to mitigate your negative behaviors.
6. Enlist help
Help managing your blind spots could come from a professional coach, but look at other options if such a formal arrangement isn’t feasible. Do you have a colleague or mentor to help you identify and manage your blind spots? Can you find a formal or informal accountability partner whom you can trust to point out when you’re engaging in blind spot behavior? Remember, this person should be someone you trust to be open and honest with you, even if such honesty causes discomfort!
Leadership blind spots can hamper the success of even talented, high-performing people, but they can be overcome. By becoming aware of your blind spots, you can take appropriate steps to change behaviors, improve performance, and grow into a well-rounded and respected leader.
