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Are you a leader? Check your blind spots
Have you ever met a friendly person who for some reason wasn’t friendly to you? Puzzling, isn’t it? It is true: We can’t please everyone. We also wonder if there is some way we are coming across that is turning people off.
Almost all of us have “blind spots”. These are areas about ourselves that need improvement – we just aren’t aware of them. Those who know us and like us usually don’t say anything about these. Sometimes they don’t even notice the flaws.
It was about 20 years ago that I discovered one of my own blind spots. I was facilitating a class on leadership, and a class member was relating a story about he and his wife attending a business event. They had recently partnered up to start their own business, and were in a conversation with a man who also had his own business. This man began asking questions to the other man regarding his business. He barely acknowledged his wife. They were offended that he wasn’t paying attention to the wife, since they had made it clear that they were equal partners.
This story stayed with me, and a few days later I was attending a networking event. I met a couple that had started their own business, and I began asking them questions about their product. Then it hit me…I was spending most of my time talking to the man. I remembered the story and immediately caught myself. I stopped and said, “I am sorry, I am being rude. I am spending all my time talking to the “guy:”. I recovered, and began talking to the woman. She was enthusiastic and her description gave me a deeper understanding of the business. I remember thinking, “I made a fool out of myself, but I probably won’t see these people again. Wrong! She called a few days later to enroll in my class – a class on leadership and people skills!
WE HAVE BLIND SPOTS! If you want to know what they are, ask your friends or family members. They will tell you if you ask them. Then bring your blind spots up to a high awareness and begin working on them one by one. You will take a big step forward in your professional development.