Seven Steps to See and Solve Blindspots
Blindspots let you blame others for your shortcomings and feel superior while doing it.
5 common leadership blindspots:
- Evaluating yourself as a good listener, even though you can’t wait for others to stop talking. The discipline of listening is seldom achieved. It’s likely you’re more enamored with your voice than anyone else.
- Overvaluing your strengths while highlighting the weaknesses and faults of others.
- Overestimating the value you bring while undervaluing the potential of others.
- Believing you understand others, even though you ask few questions and make many judgments.
- Falling in love with yours solutions while criticizing the suggestions of others. You think it’s problem-solving. Your team thinks you’re defending your viewpoint while nitpicking theirs.
The worst blindness is seeing your blindspots and excusing them.
7 steps to see and solve blindspots:
#1. Admit you have blindspots, even if you don’t see them. Just say it, “I have blindspots.”
#2. Declare your intentions and ask specific questions. “I’m working to energize the team. What am I doing that drains energy? What am I doing that fuels the team’s energy?” But don’t stop there.
#3. Dig for honest feedback. First responses to feedback questions are comfortable and marginally helpful.
Be kind, patient, and persistent, but go beyond shallow first answers. Say, “And what else?” Real feedback starts on the second or third response.
Try:
- “Thank you. What else comes to mind?”
- “I appreciate your feedback. I wonder if you have anything to add?”
- “Development is important to me. Your feedback is helpful.
Tip: Count silently to six after asking a question.
#4. Resist the urge to disagree. Stop making self-serving excuses. There’s an element of truth in all sincere feedback, even when it seems off base.
#5. Ask for suggestions. “How might I energize the team?” for example.
#6. Develop a simple action plan that you can execute daily. Make it easy and observable.
#7. Set up a follow-up meeting.
What are some common leadership blindspots?
How might leaders see and solve blindspots?
Having the experience to see blind spots takes years of dedication to the mission, to resolve blind spots takes direction and a plan. As leaders we can miss the little things that others confuse as mission critical which often times derail the blind spots. Learning to listen as we have twice as many ears and only one mouth!
Thanks Tim. You remind me that it’s not only challenging to see our blindspots, it’s painful. I think we tend to back away and close our eyes when we experience flashes of insight.
Yes Dan, the blind spots can become a humbling experience for sure. Someday’s we need to remove the blinders.
Once in a while. 😀
I find leaders can be blind to their daily presence and impact (positive, negative or even none). A question that has helped some leaders is ‘What is it like to experience me?’
I also find that the blind spotting seems to be an annual event like hunting season or the annual family gathering with distant relatives, rather than it being a daily/weekly practice. So pre-appraisal people suddenly realize that they haven’t asked anyone for feedback all year and then are shocked to find they might not like the person they have become.
Thanks Adrian. I think the main way to see our blindspots is to invite others to speak into our lives. The progression might be first to determine how you want to show up. After that, declare it to your team. Lastly, explore how others actually experience us.
I really appreciate your insight that we must ask others to explain their perceptions.
Every manager should wear a sticker on their foreheads saying, “I Have Blindspots.” The paradox, of course is that everyone ELSE will see the sticker but not them. The surprise will come when they look in the mirror and see the reality. It would be neat to do that for a day and see what conversations it generates the next day, ya think?
Those stickers something you can sell, Dan? (grin)
I am actually somewhat serious about this idea, which started as a joke. But if might be a very interesting and enlightening discussion tool for those organizations looking to improve involvement and engagement and leadership. Or, to do it all day in a training program and evaluate at end-of-day.
Awareness. Feedback. Cognitive Dissonance. Reality.
Thanks Dr. Scott. I love the idea of creating awareness. How about a lapel button. 😀
It’s definitely not easy to see our own blind spots but this post is an eye opener. The listening part, I am guilty of it. When talking with others I sometimes can’t wait for them to stop talking so I can say my own piece. This is definitely something I’ll try work on. Thanks for another awesome post.
How about another button, one that says, “Make Me Listen!”