From the course: Leadership Habits of Effective Executives

Identify and cure your leadership blind spots

From the course: Leadership Habits of Effective Executives

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Identify and cure your leadership blind spots

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- When was the last time someone gave you some honest feedback, not about your budget numbers, your strategy or your sales pitch, but about you as a leader and colleague? If you're struggling to remember, you're not alone. The higher you rise within an organization, the harder it becomes to hear the truth. Far too many leaders only receive feedback once or twice a year as part of their organization's performance appraisal, or 360 degree feedback processes, or worse, only when an issue about their leadership style or behavior has reached boiling point. But here's the thing, every leader I've ever coached, no matter how experienced or successful, has blind spots. These are those unhelpful behaviors, habits, or patterns that are obvious to others but may be invisible to you. They're the things your colleagues and team members experience regularly, those annoying habits that people gossip about, those poor behaviors, which demotivate people, things you can't see as a leader, or refuse to see, until someone holds up a mirror. But these blind spots matter. Left unchecked, they risk damaging your performance, your reputation, and your working relationships. And by leaving these bad habits unchecked, you lose credibility and the respect of those you work with. The best leaders aren't perfect, but they're open. They want to know how their colleagues and team members experience and perceive them. They want to understand their impact on their team and on their colleagues around them, and they want to act upon what they learn. Think of these leaders as having feedback-seeking mindsets. How can you develop such a mindset, a mindset of wanting to uncover and to work on your blind spots? It's really quite simple. You do it by regularly seeking in-the-moment feedback from those you work with to learn from your colleagues and team members how they're experiencing you as a leader. Here's how it works. At least once a month, pick at least two team members or colleagues who've very recently seen you in action, who've experienced your leadership habits, behaviors, and style. Perhaps you work with them on a daily basis, or connect with them in particular settings, such as in weekly team meetings, during supply negotiations, client visits, or project discussions. The key is, they'll have some fresh observations about you as a leader. Take time to meet briefly with each person one-on-one. Let them know that you'd really value their honest feedback, specifically on what you could start doing, stop doing, or continue doing to improve your leadership. Frame it as wanting to become a leader who's easier to work with. As they share their feedback with you, don't argue or defend, just listen. Thank them for their openness. If needed, ask for clarification, but don't push back. And after they've finish sharing, thank them for being so open, telling them that you commit to take on board their feedback, particularly the things that you should change. Hopefully your team member or colleague will feel safe enough to open up with you, but do understand that they may feel nervous or even reluctant to share for fear of upsetting you, particularly if it's the first time you're asking them for such in-the-moment feedback. There's a video in this course that covers creating a culture where it's safe to speak up. It contains advice to help people feel safe enough to open up to you. Why not try this in-the-moment feedback gathering process every couple of weeks, and try asking different team members and colleagues each time. Experiment to find a sustainable approach that works for you and those you work with. By regularly seeking in-the-moment feedback, you'll become more self-aware, and when people begin seeing you wanting their feedback and then seeing you acting upon what they've shared with you, for example, seeing you change your habits and behaviors, they'll view you as a more authentic leader, as someone they can trust and be more open with, as someone they'll want to work with. So what's stopping you? Starting today, begin seeking in-the-moment feedback, and remember, knowing isn't enough. You must also commit to act upon what you learn about yourself.

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