Have you ever had a conversation with someone and they pointed something out that you do and you had no idea? It could be something small that is no big deal or it could be something that could hold you back from moving forward in your career. These things are known as blind spots.
Although this can happen to all leaders, this list may be especially true for new leaders who are still trying to get comfortable with leading a team. They want to be seen as having all the answers, communicating effectively, being strategic and that they are effectively managing their team and deliverables. In this article called Blind Spots That Plague Even The Best Leaders by Gwen Moran, there are 5 blind spots identified that cause challenges for leaders.
- Overestimating Strategic Ability
- Valuing Being Right Over Being Effective
- Covering for Weak Team Members
- Communicating Ineffectively
- Losing Track of What’s Happening Around You
Even though you may look at this list and recognize that any one of these is a blind spot for you, it isn’t as easy to fix them. Try to look back and see if you recognize a time when this was a challenge for you or when you first remember seeing this blind spot in yourself. Was there a trigger that caused it? Is there a pattern where you see yourself repeating it?
Looking at where it started is a good step to stop repeating the pattern, but it will take time to change behavior. Here are some ways build more awareness. Find someone to give you feedback when they see the blind spot affecting your performance. Bring in team members with these skills to bridge the gap for you. Proactively ask yourself throughout the day if any of these are occurring and be consistent with this review. Find a mentor who is good at these areas to help you learn more about them and to help shift how you think about them.
Being open to the blind spots that you have is a big deal, especially since you didn’t even know they existed. It will require you to be intentional with what change you want to make and have patience as you work on it. Doing this work can ensure that the blind spots become something that no longer impacts your leadership at all.