What are Leadership Blind Spots, and How to Overcome Them?

Leadership is a skill that is often developed over time. A true leader is an individual who influences others and motivates them to do better in life. However, creating a positive environment and being an effective leader is not an easy task. It requires a lot of dedication and effort to become an effective leader. Being a leader is all about embracing change and learning new things. While you may be on the journey of exploring new things, there are chances that mistakes can happen. Leadership blind spots can be understood as the unrecognized weaknesses and threats that can impact any leader's success and growth capabilities. When an individual is well-versed in their weaknesses, they can put in the effort to fight them. The problem occurs when you might not be aware of the weaknesses as they could have a dangerous impact.

Common Leadership Blind Spots

Before we discuss how to overcome blind spots, let us learn about common leadership blind spots.

• Underestimating the amount of work done - Every individual may have a different way of functioning. As a leader, you should avoid underestimating and blaming an employee for taking too much time on a task. This could impact confidence levels and could even deteriorate the individual’s productivity levels.
• Taking impulsive and emotion-based decisions - Leaders are responsible for providing the right direction to the employees and participants. When you are indecisive or make impulsive decisions, you fail as a leader. It can happen that you may not be making the decisions analytically. To avoid leadership blind spots, you must even involve the team in the decision-making process.
• Avoiding difficult conversations- No matter how difficult the situation is, you need to understand that communication is the key to overcoming any challenge. Leaders should avoid neglecting such topics and take part in all types of conversations.
• Blaming or playing the victim- An effective leader would often blame others or play the victim card when anything critical happens.  
• Treating commitments lightly- Leaders should stick to their words as it could be an effective way to deal with the leadership blind spots.   
• Being insensitive- How you treat others plays a significant role and defines your identity as a leader. You cannot treat people in a low manner or be insensitive towards them. If you want to be respected, learn to be respectful first. If you are expecting everyone to work extra hours, set an example first. Do not force others to do things that you are not willing to do.

How to Overcome Blind Spots?

Leadership blind spots can occur from the feelings of being overconfident and powerful. Whether you are leading a team of multiple people or treating your own self, here are some ways to help you overcome leadership blind spots.

Learn from Past Mistakes

The key is to first understand and audit your past mistakes. Look for the weaknesses or situations that impacted your leadership abilities in the past. Try to determine if that quality was recurring or how it affected the activity. You must even allow team members to communicate so that they can share the correct feedback openly.  

Be More Self-Aware

You can overcome leadership blind spots only when you are more aware of the activities you perform each day. Self-awareness is key and can help you deal with critical things in life. Make a conscious effort to understand yourself and keep taking steps to get rid of those bad habits. You should develop an effective learning approach and be willing to adapt or change your habits.

Develop an Open Culture

Ask your team members to share ideas and suggestions on what can be done to reduce blind spots. Try to build an inclusive work culture and encourage everyone to participate in the conversation. If any of the team members are hesitant, try to assist them. Find out the challenges that the employees or group members are facing. Help them overcome the challenge and develop a culture where everyone is free to speak. If any junior is sharing any feedback, try to take it constructively. Do not take everything to heart, as it could impact how you view things in life.

Implement Feedback in the Right Way

After knowing the leadership blind spots, you should find out how to reduce them. Implementing the wrong tactics could make it challenging to get rid of them. You must take help from experts or look for effective ways online to determine how the blind spot can be eliminated.

Look for a Buddy

Another key to dealing with leadership blind spots could be to surround yourself with critical thinkers who may help deal with the situation. Seek out a buddy with whom you can discuss and ask for help. Your buddy or friend may help determine the hidden weaknesses that may be developing inside you. Make sure you always focus on what people around you are communicating to you.

Leaders are primarily involved in activities related to growth and development. They are often involved in identifying the negative traits in others, and they tend to forget their own weaknesses. While helping others, you should focus on the way you communicate. Be mindful of your tone and the language you are using. You must consider asking for feedback or asking questions to the people involved to get an idea about how they have perceived it. Use these effective ways to eliminate leadership blind spots and deal with them appropriately.