Do You Know Your Leadership Blind Spot?

Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.

Carl G. Jung

We all have blind spots, regardless of how self-aware or talented we may be. Anyone who claims they have none is likely demonstrating their blind spot. Being aware of these blind spots is empowering. However, they can also hold us back or tarnish our legacy. Understanding our blind spots can unlock a world of potential.

A blind spot is a behavior or mannerism where a person is unaware of their limitation or the negative impact they have on others. Usually, that blind spot or problem is clearly visible to others, but the person can’t see it from their point of view.

The Impact of a Leader’s Blind Spot

A leader’s blind spot can hurt their career, the growth of employees, team morale, and even the overall culture of an organization.

Leaders who refuse to acknowledge their blind spots risk becoming ineffective. They can create havoc even in the most productive organizations. They will miss the bigger picture and fail to recognize the reality of situations because of their inherent blinders.

While blind spots can be costly for individuals and their organizations, they aren’t always detrimental. For example, being overly optimistic and seeing life only in terms of possibilities can be a blind spot that leads to ignoring risks. However, such a trait can also be beneficial in driving innovations, as it encourages exploration of what was once thought impossible.

The key to a leader minimizing the cost of a blind spot is being aware and managing that behavior such that it does not become problematic.

The cost of a leader’s blind spot can be significant and tends to increase with their level of influence and the length of time the blind spot is ignored.

Examples of Blind Spots

A blind spot is not a flaw but rather a pattern, mannerism, or weakness that influences our perspectives and how we see the world.

Here are some examples of blind spots.

1. Not being in touch. When a leader fails to stay aware of their team and environment, they become disconnected.  For instance, a leader may think they demonstrate appreciation for their team, while the team feels undervalued.  

2. Insensitivity to others’ feelings. Leaders with that blind spot may justify their behavior as being brutally honest or demonstrating tough love. Effective communication should be honest without being brutal, and love should be shown with compassion rather than difficulty.

3. Operating independently instead of interdependently. This blind spot manifests as a reluctance to ask for help, especially in team settings.

4. Always thinking they are right. Such leaders often become defensive when receiving feedback and may struggle to accept accountability for their mistakes.

5. Breaking rules is perceived as optional. Although this can lead to innovation, it can be a blind spot if not managed well. Leaders who disregard rules will create challenges for their teams.

6. Perfectionism. Leaders who are perfectionists can cripple a project in the name of getting it done right. In that case, they sacrifice efficiency for the sake of achieving perfection.

7. Indecisive. This blind spot can carry a high cost to the business from missed opportunities due to the inability to make appropriate and prompt decisions.

8. Snap judgments. These are driven by unconscious biases. This blind spot can be career-limiting to others and obstruct their aspirations.

9. Poor time management. Leaders who fail to recognize time as a valuable asset often ignore schedules and struggle with punctuality, usually linked to procrastination – another blind spot.

10. Micromanaging. Leaders with difficulty delegating or letting go of tasks often hold on to projects given to their direct reports. This can lead to frustrated employees and an overworked leader.

Do any of these examples resonate with you? One of the most empowering actions you can take is to shine a light on your blind spots and develop a plan to manage them before they become bigger barriers to personal or professional success.

Understanding Blind Spots

To comprehend blind spots effectively, we can use the Johari Window model, developed by Luft and Ingram in 1955. This model consists of four quadrants:

• Open: What you and others know about you.

• Hidden: Personal information others do not know about you.

• Blind Spot: Aspects of yourself that you are unaware of, but that others can see.

• Unknown: Talents and qualities that you and others are unaware of about you.

As leaders, our effectiveness can be diminished by certain mannerisms and personal biases. These biases, preferences, and inherent tendencies create filters that hinder our ability to perceive reality accurately. Instead, we see a version based on our inaccurate assumptions and beliefs, leaving the true nature of situations obscured in our blind spots.

Blind spots can be developed from various factors such as past experiences, cultural upbringing, inaccurate training, and even religious beliefs. Some were developed as defense strategies or coping mechanisms that became so ingrained in our daily lives that they became invisible to us, while remaining evident to others.

It’s important to note that as we climb the professional ladder, our blind spots may become more apparent to those around us. This visibility often increases because leadership elevation brings increased competing priorities, faster decision making, and more rigid schedules.

Due to these business pressures, we may find it challenging to focus on personal development and expanding our field of view. Given the potential impact of these blind spots, it becomes even more critical for us, as emerging and executive-level leaders, to intentionally broaden our awareness.

How to Make Your Blind Spots Visible

Like a blind spot in a car, you will only be able to see that area if you intentionally make a change to your point of view: adjust your mirrors or change seating position.

The more self-aware you are, the more in touch you are with your organization and the situations you face, and the more you desire to grow, the less impactful your blind spots will be.

Here are eight steps to help make your blind spots visible.

1. Acceptance. The most important step in shedding light on your blind spots is to accept that you have them.

2. Be willing to change. You may discover surprising blind spots, some of which will be hard to accept. A willingness to change is imperative for improvement.

3. Seek constructive feedback. After being mentally ready, seek constructive feedback to shed light on your blind spots.  Remember, it’s what others see that you cannot.

4. Self-reflection. Take time to reflect on your actions, behaviors, and outcomes. Self-reflection may bring to light patterns in your past experiences that may hint at a blind spot.

5. Coaching. Seek coaching from trusted mentors. A great question to ask them is, “What am I not seeing?”

6. Leadership assessments. There are numerous online self-awareness assessments you can take that can be eye-opening. One of my favorites is the DiSC personal assessment tool.

7. Analyze negative outcomes. When a blind spot is identified, explore the triggers associated with that blind spot. This will help you develop strategies to increase your field of view in that area.

8. Continuous improvement. A previous blind spot can return over time. It’s important to constantly check your blind spot to see what’s there that you need to manage.

Following your discovery, choose one blind spot to work on at a time. I suggest having an accountability partner to help you stay on track. Assess your progress and take time to celebrate each small improvement.

Blind spots will always exist. It is imperative that we take proactive steps to identify and make changes to expand our perspectives.

A blind spot can derail the career path of even the most talented and promising leader. Be empowered by asking the question: “What are others seeing in me that needs improvement, but I’m not aware of?”

Empowered Leader Reflections

What actions will you take to shine a spotlight on your blind spots?

Would you share your thoughts with us below?

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