Page 27 - Fearless Leadership

14 FEARLESS LEADERSHIP

Blind spots are automatic, mechanical, and unconscious behaviors.
They occur spontaneously and habitually, and they get worse in times
of stress and anxiety. Unless you understand the hold that the automatic
behavior has on you and others, you cannot alter it. Fearless leadership
brings a clear distinction between automatic behavior and extraordinary
behavior, which is covered in Chapter 5, “Changing Your Direction and
Taking a Bold Stand.”
To better grasp automatic behavior, it is important to understand that
there is a positive intention behind most unproductive behavior. People,
as a rule, do not intend to hurt, damage, or undermine others.
The question I have for you is, are you willing to examine your blind
spots? We begin this process in earnest in Chapter 2. Keep in mind that
(1) everyone has blind spots, and (2) blind spots are not bad, wrong, or
malicious. They are automatic behaviors that each person experiences
but no one talks about.

You Get What You Tolerate
What happens when companies ignore unproductive behavior? Our
group worked with the CEO of a major business consulting company,
who was experiencing challenges with his senior team. It became
evident that there was one person in the group who was a lightning
rod—we’ll call him Doug. The rest of the group felt that the CEO
let Doug get away with everything. Doug was condescending and
made sarcastic comments such as “What’s on your alleged mind?”
He was personal in his insults. But because he was one of the top pro-
ducers in the company, the CEO tolerated his behavior, and Doug
was not held accountable for his impact. This sent a message to the
organization that behavioral standards were applied inconsistently
and arbitrarily.
It is not uncommon to see people spar with each other in meetings
and nobody does anything to stop it. Even though it prolongs the meet-
ing and makes the group unproductive, team members do not even
acknowledge the problem. They simply allow the behavior and tension
to continue. They are resigned and believe: “There’s nothing we can do,
and we are not accountable for how people behave.”