JBM HR Consulting Inc.


So what am I talking about?  Blind spots?  Most people feel they are a competent, high performing professional. But are you as effective as you should be?  Do you have personality traits that are hindering and potentially harming your effectiveness or reputation?  Personality traits are rarely a focus and actually diminishes our ability to be respected, trusted or as effective as we could be when they are blind spots.  In many cases, blind spots can cost you your job.

Blind spots have the potential to harm a leader and his/her organization.  Every personal strength, when overused, can turn into a blind spot or weakness.  "Blind spots are patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that we often do unconsciously, potentially negatively influencing our relationships with others" (C. Shelton)  Such blind spots often are strong irritants to those around you. Keep in mind though, our personal weaknesses can also become a strength if we are open enough to improve upon them.  Others may define our strengths and weaknesses much differently than we see them.

Blind spots are ticking time bombs of sorts.  Blind spots become potentially dangerous when we refuse to listen to those signals and/or direct feedback that focuses on identifying the traits that are harming relationships.  First recommendation...ditch the EGO!

Here are some common blind spots...
  • You value being "right" over being effective
  • You are overly defensive, seeking to focus on others weaknesses (displaced criticism)
  • You fail to provide credit to those who are actually the individuals responsible for change, success
  • You trust the "wrong" individuals
  • Your choice of words are often "backhanded"
  • Your style is overbearingly direct
  • Your consideration of people's feelings is low on your priority
  • You fail to capture hearts and minds
  • You fail to balance the "what" with the "how"
  • You seek to implement change without consideration of your team members at all levels
  • Others have identified traits that are ineffective in relationship building and you chose to ignore them
  • Your messages are inconsistent
  • You lack follow through on promises
  • You can have an "inconsistent personality"
  • You are overly sensitive to constructive criticism
  • You rarely compliment others/colleagues
  • You talk more than listen..talking over others..thinking of your next response as someone is talking
  • You lack tact, struggles with diplomatic interactions (you may not realize)
  • Utilize "threats" in efforts to achieve improved performance

As a consultant, one of my key roles is to assist with identifying blind spots among various professionals and leaders as such blind spots lead to a great deal of the challenges of team members, identified throughout my work with employees.

 

Seek to optimize your "emotional intelligence".  Emotional intelligence according to Wikipedia is "the ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior."  People with higher emotional intelligence are exemplary job performers and are most effective leaders. 

 
How to address Blind spots..Putting up the mirror up as I call it!
  • Analyze yourself from the eyes of others, become more objective. 
  • Consider the blind spots personal challenges that get in the way of fully using your strengths.
  • Gather information from others, your supervisor, your staff, other colleagues that would have the information and ability to objectively assess such blind spots.
  • Make it comfortable for others to share negative feedback. Show gratitude for such feedback.
  • Seek out Leadership Coaching and personality assessment tools

Since so often performance evaluations lack the value they are intended to because of ineffective methods of handling the performance management process, it is important that we assess ourselves to optimize our effectiveness.  The personality assessment tools assist us in identifying such weaknesses and are often utilized through the Leadership Coaching process.  The assessment alone isn't necessarily going to get you to identifying methods of improvement.  Seek a Coach to help!  It could make or break your career! 

 
There is a balance to being a highly effective performer.  Highly effective professionals possess both the "soft skills" and the "technical" skills necessary.  When we lose our ability to consider how we make people feel, we lose our ability to be effective leaders and the desire to work with us diminishes.
 
Warmest regards,
 

Jeannine Brown Miller, MA, SPHR President, OD Consultant
JBM HR Consulting Inc.

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