Shine Light on Your Blind Spots

We engage in a moral dimension of thought patterns, behaviors, feelings, and actions daily. We pray our decisions are sound and good. We work hard to avoid being leaders who disappoint or, even worse, defraud their constituents, stockholders, customers, or employees. We know arrogance and pride will quickly and deliberately destroy our lives, relationships, ministries, and organizations.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Proverbs 16:18-19

The antidote to pride is humility.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

Even in our best efforts to make healthy decisions, blind spots and information we do not know about ourselves can derail our lives. Blind spots are areas that need improvement, but you are not aware of the problem…sincerely. Underlying beliefs, thoughts, and judgments in our hearts may sabotage critical life decisions. We don't do anything to correct those thoughts because they are hidden from our view. We don't know they exist, nor the trouble they are causing. You said "no" to rebellion and disobedience ages ago. Rebellion is not the issue here; blindness is. Poor decisions are executed because you can’t see the problem. The problem is hiding in your blind spot.

Finding our blind spots is where humility comes in. Humility in leadership is a superpower. If you are coming to God's leadership table, giving Him your best, you are humbling yourself and asking Him to shine His light on your blind spots. Are you willing to be wrong? Are you ready to receive feedback to improve your leadership? From your board? From your employees? I believe you can. God will give you strength. Becoming a humble person was His idea in the first place.

One quick way to reveal your leadership blindspots is through a 360-degree assessment tool. Some type of 360-degree assessment is used by most Fortune 500 companies. Using an assessment tool, leaders receive confidential, anonymous feedback about their leadership from their supervisors, subordinates, peers, and other key stakeholders. The assessment can be customized to contain questions about job performance, leadership abilities, interpersonal skills, attitudes, and behaviors. Use a tool that includes a self-questionnaire so you can compare what you think about your leadership to the perspectives of others. You will receive anonymous results of the group’s feedback about your leadership. You can then compare your score to a standard average and the group's results. Remember this feedback is their perception of your leadership.

Research which assessment to use to ensure you have a reliable tool. Not just any kind of feedback will increase your self-awareness. It would be best if you had reliable, valid, and fair feedback.

• Reliable – use a proven tool.

• Valid – consider the subject matter expertise of the topic, your situation, and the context.

• Fair – be aware of feedback bias (whether the person likes you or is afraid of the implications of giving you feedback). The higher you are in the pecking order, the more challenging to get unbiased feedback.

Why do most Fortune 500 organizations use this tool? It brings RESULTS.

• Increased positivity

• Increased trust

• Increased engagement

• Builds an emotionally safe culture

• More supported

• Nurtured creativity

• Increased innovation

• Improved leadership

The assessment gives insights…it clears up blind spots. Leaders can then identify areas for improvement and skill development. Using 360-degree feedback evaluations leads to increased feelings of positivity, trust, and engagement with your people. Think about it. As the leader, you are modeling humility and promoting a culture of feedback for improvement. Your team will feel safe and supported. Creativity and innovation thrive in a safe and supported culture.

Organizations gain the most value from the tool when the assessment is administered correctly, the process is well communicated to all participants, and everyone has clear expectations of the whole experience.

One more thing. Humbly receive the feedback. How does that look?

• Thank all who participated for their authentic feedback.

• Kindly say "thank you" sincerely, even when you do not like or disagree with the feedback. Refrain from expressing anger to the participants if you ever want authentic feedback again.

• Blind spots have a spiritual component. Pray over what you discover and ask God to reveal blind spots. Remember, blind spots are about deception, not rebellion.

• Give and ask for forgiveness and repair situations/relationships/misunderstandings as needed.

• Learn and discover the healthy way to lead.

Questions? Comments? Want to share ideas and thoughts?

Please email me at diane@drdianeswanson.com

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