Assessing Your Leadership Blind Spots
We all have leadership blind spots. These are aspects of how we show up as managers, influencers, and team leaders that others may perceive more clearly than we perceive ourselves. Leadership blind spots undermine overall effectiveness - they can prevent us from having difficult conversations, stall innovative thinking, reduce engagement, and limit inclusivity. Identifying and improving our blind spots as leaders is critical work for driving impact in 2024.
Understanding leadership blind spots is particularly timely now as organizations shift how and where work happens in a post-pandemic reality. With flexibility increasing, self-awareness and continual improvement around unconscious patterns matter more - hybrid work means less direct oversight into daily behaviors and blind spots left unchecked can become entrenched.
Reasons assessing leadership blind spots should be a priority –
Blind spots widen with power and responsibility - the higher leaders rise, the more skewed perception can get without third-party voices offering guardrails.
Vulnerabilities turn toxic over time - early warning signs around hot buttons, assumptions and insensitivities often get ignored until real damage occurs.
Skill deficits disguise as willful choices - without clear feedback and self-reflection, areas for improvement are chalked up to fixed personality traits rather than fixable gaps in capability.
Derailers accelerate during disruption - organizational changes like restructuring, M&A activity, or hybrid workforce models often intensify unaddressed behavioral risks in leadership.
Start identifying your own blind spots by asking trusted colleagues, team members, peers and mentors for candid feedback on questions like –
Do I invite and react well to feedback, or get defensive?
Am I aware of my impact on others through my words and actions?
Do I check my own biases/assumptions before making decisions?
Do I acknowledge mistakes and show accountability?
Do I create an inclusive environment where all feel heard?
Then compare external perspectives to your own self-perceptions - the gaps between the two represent priority blind spots to address. Document 3-5 key areas for improvement and commit to measurable actions for growth in those areas this year.
Ongoing self-assessment, continuous feedback loops and reflective practice are critical for all aspiring leaders today - help uncover and work through blind spots to maximize leadership potential.
