Reality Check, We All Have Blind Spots
Reality Check, We All Have Blind Spots
Reality Check, We All Have Blind Spots
I was talking to someone last week after a presentation, and she said, “All this leadership and communication stuff is great, but it doesn’t really apply to me. Everyone likes me.”
That may be true sister, but let’s face it, you don’t know what you don’t know. We all have blind spots. A blind spot is a part of our personality or behavior that we’re not aware of, yet others can see it. And regardless of our intelligence, emotional or otherwise, we all have them.
If you want to continue to grow, personally or professionally, it helps to become more self-aware.
If you’re ready for a reality check and want to uncover your blind spots, try these suggestions:
- You have to want to know what your blind spots are. If you’re not ready to uncover them, that’s ok. Ignorance is bliss and sometimes we’re not in a place to “work” on our own issues. Give yourself permission not to worry about it until it’s something you can really focus on.
- If you do seek feedback, be prepared to listen without getting defensive. Ask questions and make statements, but don’t attack and don’t defend.
- Ask the people who know you and care about you to be honest and give you constructive feedback. Giving feedback is a risk, so be grateful if people are willing to give it.
- Pick one area and focus on it. Behavior changes one of three ways: rarely, slowly, or never. Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. It will become overwhelming and nothing will change.
- Seek on-going feedback and make it safe for people to provide it. If you get defensive and argumentative, people will stop giving you feedback.
- Ask for positive, as well as constructive feedback. Ask others about your strengths and where they see you making progress.
- It’s a journey, not a destination. No matter how enlightened we are, we’ll always have some blind spots, and that’s ok. Continuously striving for progress is the goal.
How do you uncover your blind spots? Comment below!
Great leaders make great organizations. JAMS is a shining example of this. As an added bonus, they held their event in Vegas and Jay got to come with! Swipe to see our selfie! ➡️➡️
As we embrace the new world of work, mental health and employee well-being must be a priority in the workplace. With 1 out of every 4 adults and children struggling with a mental health issue, these are no longer "nice to have" conversations. In order to attract, retain, and develop great talent, mental health must be a focal point for organizations and leaders.
Whether you are an individual contributor or people leader, it is more important than ever to create a psychologically safe environment for mental health conversations to take place. Creating a safe space for people to talk openly about mental health is not only the right thing to do, it is also the number one predictor of high-performing teams.
While these conversations can be tricky, there are several things you can do. 👇 #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthatwork #leadership #leaders #empathy #vulnerability #highperformingteams #futureofwork
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Every time your mind wanders, go back to the song. This repairs grey matter density damaged by stress and grows your brain’s capacity to manage attention, maintain focus, and regulate emotions. As an added bonus, listening to music releases dopamine, a mood-enhancing happy hormone. #mindfulmonday #mindfulness #resilience #listen #attentionmanagement #focus #braintraining #music #favoritesong
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“You don’t know what you don’t know. That is a great statement.
Great advice!! Had to share some feedback with a friend over the weekend regarding how he communicates with another person who he’d been complaining about. It was a minefield, but went really well (and he already knew what I was saying was true, so that helped a lot), but when carefully worded, it can be great for everyone involved.
Hi Val! Sounds like you did your friend a huge favor, and props to you for taking the time and risk to provide feedback!
Wow. That’s great. I always say, “sometimes I may say things you may not like, so I apologize in advance, but if I hurt your feelings, let me know.” We all have people that like us, but those that don’t may never say it. I loved that statement ” you don’t know what you don’t know.” Thank you Anne! That was great.
Thanks, Juanita! I like the way you preface giving feedback. Great idea.