Leading Blindly
Good Morning,
A friend of mine, who owned a financial planning firm came upon an idea that helped improve his practice. I of course “stole” it and implemented it in our home building company. The idea was that of a client advisory board and the gist behind it was to get honest, open feedback from actual clients about their experience with our firm. It consisted of a group of people who were willing to tell us to our face what was good and what could have been better.
The beauty of this is that it can bring to light leadership blind spots that have evolved over time. Disconnects can develop between what we think people’s experience is and what it really is. Between how we think they view us and how they actually view us. Between what we think they want and what they really want. Without this kind of feedback, we can fall prey to making leadership decisions based on a completely false set of assumptions.
Granted, asking for this information requires some vulnerability, but the cost of not asking can be extremely high. I did some research and found the following list of the top leadership blind spots published by Inc.com. I offer it for your consideration this morning in the hope that like me, you will ask yourself which, if any, apply to you. Doing so can make us all better leaders in the various facets of our lives.
Top 10 Leadership Blind Spots1.
- 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)
Live this week on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein
- Inc.com July 13, 2017
