The Top 10 Leadership Blind Spots, and 5 Ways to Turn Them Into Strengths - Tammy Jersey
Self- awareness, the needle in the haystack that is often difficult to find for a lot of people. The lack of the same leads to disconnected experiences, relationships, and thought processes. Without self-awareness, one is not able to fully comprehend how others see them or perceive them, and one is also not able to take responsibility for their actions.
I recently read an article published on Inc., The Top 10 Leadership Blind Spots, and 5 Ways to Turn Them Into Strengths, by Marissa Levin, that resonated with me as it pointed out the importance of self-awareness, and other leadership blind spots, and also highlighted solutions.
The article speaks of how a safe assumption is often made that top-tier leaders possess the most self-awareness. However, surprisingly so, that is not always the case. Mid-level employees (those who are then rewarded for their self-awareness with big promotions) are often the most aware, and good with people.
The most successful and visionary leaders are unafraid to accept their blind spots and work on improving them. Defensiveness is a hallmark of insecurity, which prevents an individual from fixing what they lack. The article lists out the top 10 leadership blind spots, along with ways in which to cure them. The key is identifying your mistake or shortcoming and then intentionally and strategically adapting your behavior in order to overcome what was lacking.
The top 10 blind-spots according to the article:
- Going it alone (being afraid to ask for help)
- Being insensitive of your behavior on others (being unaware of how you show up)
- Having an “I know” attitude (valuing being right above everything else)
- Avoiding the difficult conversations (conflict avoidance)
- Blaming others or circumstances (playing the victim; refusing responsibility)
- Treating commitments casually (not honoring the other person’s time, energy, resources)
- Conspiring against others (driven by a personal agenda)
- Withholding emotional commitment (emotional blackmail)
- Not taking a stand (lack of commitment to a position)
- Tolerating “good enough” (low standards for performance)
The top 5 cures according to the article:
1. Solicit feedback in the right way
2. Surround yourself with diverse thinkers with the intention of learning from them
3. Examine your past to identify patterns
4. Identify triggers
5. Seek out a blind-spot buddy
Read the original article here.
