Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 Last Thursday, Shwan Lamei and I were strolling through the charmed side streets of Brookline, a close-in Boston suburb. Shwan, former “high-potential” corporate executive, dropped out of corporate life 2 years ago. Founded a start-up in the energy-conservation arena with a business partner, Daria. Has been riding the ups and downs of start-up life. Shwan and Daria just secured a major round of business funding. Shwan and his wife Elizabeth purchased a gorgeous new house in Brookline. Life is good. It’s all about getting out of our own way, Shwan reflects. I have always loved this saying. What are some of the ways in which you and I actually get in our own way? This question makes me think of the phrase “blind spot.” The stuff about us that is frequently visible to others but not to ourselves A blind spot, so goes the APA (American Psychological Association) definition, is a lack of insight or awareness – often persistent – about a specific area of one’s behavior or personality, typically because recognition of one’s true feelings and motives would be painful. In classical psychoanalysis, it is regarded as a defense against recognition of repressed impulses or memories that would threaten the patient’s ego. If you want to be successful, you must respect one rule. Never lie to yourself.“ Paulo Coelho We create blind spots to protect ourselves from who we really are. In the act of this self-protection, we inflict more personal pain on ourselves and the people we engage with. Ouch. In his classic leadership book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There,” Marshall Goldsmith describes 20 archetypal behaviors of leaders who have moved up the ranks into roles of increasing authority. 20 behaviors that don’t serve them now. They likely didn’t work too well in their past. Personal blind spots. Here is my own list of the 7 major blind spots that I witness in my work as an Executive Coach, informed by twenty years of doing this work. All of us, whether we work in corporate life or not, are susceptible to these blind spots. Because we’re human. Because we want to succeed. Because we carry pain that longs to be masked. 7 Blind Spots That Will Derail You 7. Forcing Outcomes You want to succeed. Badly. Chances are, you have been rewarded for this desire to succeed. They have called you a go-getter. A winner. Because of this strong desire, you may at times get impatient with colleagues who challenge your ideas. You may cut short discussion or conversation that seems to interfere with what you have in mind. You may be tempted to promise outcomes that others tell you are not possible to achieve. And when what they have warned you about becomes reality, you drive your colleagues even harder to make it work. Your ambition, no matter how well-intentioned, has just met your dark side. 6. Acting Grandiose Grandiosity means firmly believing that you’re smarter than others. Know more than you perhaps actually know. You disregard tribal knowledge because you view yourself as an innovator and not a tradition-worshipper. Devalue the contributions of those who are perhaps not as articulate or energetic as you. Even if you are the smartest person in the room, smart never gets you much of anything. You run danger of becoming the jerk in the room. And in business, as in all of life, we don’t create sustained success when others don’t want to play with us. 5. Avoiding Complexity You believe that the best solutions are simple. You don’t like people that complicate things. You affirm that great leaders know how to simplify complexity. True. But please remember that they only do so by embracing complexity first. Walking into it. Welcoming ambiguity. Fully facing all that is not easily understood or codified. They lean in. They do not avoid. There is a fine line between simple and simplistic. Know where that line is. 4. Not Making Decisions It’s the opposite of forcing outcomes, acting grandiose, avoiding complexity. We keep conducting more and more data research before we believe we’re ready to decide. We ask for more scenario-planning, more risk-analysis. We hire yet another consultant and speak to one more group of Key Opinion Leaders. We don’t ever feel like we have enough information to make a well-considered decision. We habitually second-guess ourselves. We live in perpetual mental overwhelm. We think we can predict outcomes. Memo from the pandemic – we can’t. 3. Trying Too Hard You’re doing all the right things. You praise people. Involve your team in-decision making. You have a genuinely positive outlook. You take great steps to make sure you’re likeable. You go the extra-mile to communicate well with everyone. All the right things. For many, it all is just a bit too much. A little too perfect. They want to scream Enough already. Relax and stop trying so hard. So relax, please. 2. Trusting the Wrong People The wrong people? That’s the people who maybe don’t have the very best ideas. The greatest integrity. Or perhaps don’t even have your back. They DO know how to ingratiate themselves with you. They play you well. They make you feel good. You, in turn, reward them with plum assignments or a speedy promotion. Trust substance over flash, integrity over joviality. Above all, know the difference. 1. Making It About YOU This, in many ways, is the shadow of all shadows. The Blind Spot that encapsulates most of the others. You’ve been encouraged to take ownership of your accomplishments but somehow it comes across as grandstanding. You have been told that ambition is a wonderful thing – but what you didn’t “get” is that it is ambition for the collective success they want, not your own. And anything you say – even when it is about THEM – somehow always sounds like it’s about you. Humility escapes you. Because deep down, very deep down, you fear that you will never be enough. We need to forget what we think we are so that we can really BECOME what we are.“ Paulo Coelho There is only one remedy to overcoming blind spots. Radical self-awareness. Shine a light on your blind spots. Make the invisible visible. Invite frequent feedback. From the right people, not the wrong ones. Work with a therapist or a coach. Engage with communities where the engagement is never about your personal success. Where you can let go. Be curious about the pain that you may be hiding. Be courageous enough to open the door to that pain. Unmask it. Fewer blind spots will be your reward. More everyday ease. And you will, in the words of Paulo Coelho, BECOME more of what you are. Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article originally appeared on Achim Nowak and has been republished with permission.Find out how to syndicate your content with B2C Author: Achim NowakAchim Nowak is an Executive Coach, Business Thinker, TEDx Speaker, Mastermind Convener and Virtual Masterclass Host. The author of 3 books on Personal Presence, Achim has helped hundreds of CEOs and C-Suite executives in global enterprises such as Takeda, Sanofi, Owens Corning and Dover Industries to amplify their personal influence.… View full profile ›More by this author:The Beauty of a Swift AmendsYou Manage Your Boss, Don’t You?7 Mental Distortions That Do NOT Serve You