<ul><li>Blindspots stem from overconfidence, inexperience, too much information, emotional thinking, cognitive dissonance, poor incentives and “hierarchical distortions.”</li><li>Every leader has blindspots. Understanding yours is a valuable insight.</li><li>Blindspots can be good or bad. Figure out which ones to focus on and which to ignore</li><li>Leadership requires asking the most revealing questions in the most effective way.</li><li>To correct your blindspots, try to see things for yourself, look for contrary data, be aware of information others don’t see, get outside advice and test your ideas.</li></ul>

Blindspots

Our best leaders can serve two important roles: insiders who know how to make things happen, and outsiders who can see the bigger picture. They understand that blindspots can come back or be replaced, so they stay vigilant.

Key takeaways:

<ul>
 <li>Effective leaders play dual roles: insider and outsider</li>
 <li>Blindspots can reemerge or be replaced, so leaders must stay vigilant</li>
 <li>Being balanced is crucial for success</li>
</ul>

Seeing Clearly Internally and Externally

Blindspots especially affect those who are unaware of their own unawareness.These blindspots can stem from overconfidence, inexperience, being overloaded with information, emotional thinking, cognitive dissonance, poor incentives, and hierarchical distortions.

Blindspots and Leadership

The main root causes of blind spots are:
<ul>
 <li>Experience gaps</li>
 <li>Information overload</li>
 <li>Emotional bias</li>
 <li>Cognitive dissonance</li>
 <li>Misaligned incentives</li>
 <li>Hierarchical distortions</li>
 <li>Overconfidence</li>
</ul>

Origins of Blind Spots

“Awareness of a blindspot doesn’t mean it disappears.” “Blindspots are worthy of attention because the costs of neglecting them can be so high. A single blindspot in a critical area can undercut even the most talented leader.”

Use these five techniques to increase your awareness of your blind spots:<ul><li>"See it for yourself" - Build your attention to your customers and markets.</li><li>Seek out that which disconfirms what you believe - Act as a devil's advocate and question your own decisions.</li><li>Develop peripheral vision - Meet one-on-one with your team members.</li><li>Build a network of trusted advisers - Gather people to counsel you on markets and strategy, new technology, political dynamics, and your impact on your organization and workforce.</li><li>Promote productive team fights - To recruit the right team members, seek the smartest </li></ul>

Controlling Your Blindspots

Blindspots especially affect people who are unaware that they are unaware

<ul><li>"Self" - In the realm of "your own beliefs and behaviors," you fail to understand how you affect those around you.</li><li>"Team" - When you evaluate "the capabilities and motives of your team," you do not accurately see members' strengths and weaknesses.</li><li>"Company" - Your opinion about "the capabilities and culture of your organization" is flawed.</li><li>"Market" - Leaders afflicted with this blindspot cannot judge "the trends and competitive threats in [their] industry" reliably or conceive future changes.</li></ul>

Most Blindspots That Afflict Leaders Fall into One of Four Categ

<ul><li>“Review your mistakes for reoccurring weaknesses” – Ask yourself, “What are the most significant mistakes I have made?” “What were the causes of each mistake?” “Are there patterns or common elements across these mistakes?” “Do the patterns suggest reoccurring blindspots?” “What actions are needed...to prevent these mistakes from occurring again in the future?”</li><li>“Solicit feedback from those with insight about you” – Ask your colleagues to evaluate your potential lack of awareness with regards to your staff, your company or its markets.</li></ul>

Spotting Blindspots

How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter

Good leaders become great by skillfully managing their own vulnerabilities Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter is a comprehensive guide to recognizing and acting on the weak points that can impair effectiveness, diminish results, and harm a career. Written by a 30-year veteran of the leadership consulting industry and author of Trust in the Balance, the book contains examples, worksheets and surveys that illustrate the practical application of the advice presented. An online questionnaire helps readers discover their own leadership vulnerabilities, and the book provides a roadmap for creating a targeted plan to increase their awareness in the areas that truly matter. The blindspot risk is that leaders fail to respond to weaknesses or threats due to a variety of factors including the complexity of their organizations, over-confidence in their own capabilities, and being surrounded by deferential subordinates. Leadership Blindspots provides a useful model for understanding how blindspots operate and why they persist, but at the same time suggests real, actionable steps to improvement. The book details a range of techniques that make blindspots stand out in sharp relief, so action can be taken before severe damage occurs – to a leader or his or her company. Topics include: <ul> <li>A framework to understand the threats posed by blindspots</li> <li>The four most important types of blindspots – self, team, company and markets</li> <li>Detailed case studies of blindspots in leaders across a variety of industries</li> <li>A summary of the most common leadership blindspots</li> <li>Corrective practices that help mitigate the risks that blindspots pose</li> </ul> The one characteristic great leaders share is the constant desire for self-improvement. Good can always be better. These weaknesses and threats are called blindspots because they are invisible to the individual but have the potential to wreak havoc on one's reputation and long-term success. Identifying and fixing crucial problems is the leader's job, and sometimes the most debilitating problems are with the leaders themselves. Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter is the first step toward owning and addressing one's vulnerabilities and, as a result, becoming a more effective leader.

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