Page 46 - Fearless Leadership

Chapter

2

The Blind Spots

That Derail Leaders

Not everything that is faced can be changed.
But nothing can be changed until it is faced.
—JAMES BALDWIN (1924–1987)

et’s not kid ourselves. Blind spots are the root causes of some of the most
Lsevere breakdowns faced by leaders, organizations, and societies.
Leaders who are unaware of how their behavior impacts others can cre-
ate dire and unintended consequences. Blind spots corrupt decision mak-
ing, reduce our scope of awareness, and lock in rigid and fixed viewpoints.
Everyone suffers when leaders are not awake to their blind spots. The
work environment becomes lackluster and pessimistic. People spend more
time talking about what is not working, than working. Productivity and
performance drop. And mistakes and breakdowns are quietly covered up
instead of openly discussed and resolved. No one takes accountability, but
everyone freely hands out blame. An entire enterprise becomes focused
on looking good instead of being effective.
Two things are clear:

1. Everyone has blind spots—unproductive behaviors that under-
mine effectiveness, limit results, and damage relationships.
2. You cannot see your own blind spots without the partnership and
support of others, no matter how clever or discerning you are.

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