RecruitTheBest Daily Digest- Managing Your Blindspots

Blindspot: An unrecognized weakness of threat that has the potential to undermine a leader’s success.’

People who are smart and self-assured are often very skillful at justifying their thinking and behavior- to the point of being in denial about their weaknesses and the threats they face.’

Mistakes are the royal road to understanding blindspots, particularly when repeated over time and in different situations.’

Part of the skill in identifying and overcoming blindspots is to understand that some are the result of individual traits and others arise from situational factors.’

Leaders can assume they are aware of what is occurring around them when, in fact, they have partial, sometimes inaccurate, and often outdated views.’

‘There is some truth in the saying that the surest way to destroy a company is to give it ten years of unmitigated success.’

Leaders must strive to create a culture that promotes straight talk but also pay attention to the nuances of communication in the decision making process.’

The challenge is to remain focused on the decision that needs to be made while simultaneously paying attention to subtleties that can easily be lost in the heat of debate.’

Leaders need to listen openly before a decision is made and then become drivers of results once it is reached.’

One of the burdens of moving up is that the complexity of the decisions leaders face increases at the same time as their ability to reveal their vulnerabilities decreases.’

Successful leaders have a strong belief in their own abilities … the best and the brightest can easily come to believe that following anything other than their own convictions is foolish.’

The leader creates the team and the team then creates the leader– as a primary source of feedback and advice, it becomes a key influence on the leader’s thinking and behavior.’

Source:

Robert Bruce Shaw (2014). Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter

RecruitTheBest Daily Digest- Great Leaders Don’t Fool Their People

Don’t try t0 fool your people. They can smell phoniness a mile away, but they also recognize sincerity and authenticity, and they respect it. That starts with the job interview. If they don’t like your honest answers, you might as well find out sooner than later.’

If you’re a leader, a lot of headaches will come your way, and it’s your job to handle them. But leading your people will give your life more meaning, more depth, and a stronger sense of purpose- exactly the things your people long for too. Always remember: leading is not a chore but a privilege.’

Don’t expect to coax your people from the shallow end to the deep end. They won’t go. Better to have everyone jump into the deep end right from the start.’

No person in your organization is more important than the team and its principles- including you. There are no ‘irreplaceable people’ but your principles must hold.’

You don’t have to be the smartest guy in the room. But you do need to figure out who is, hire them, and let them do their job.’

‘Remember, once you become the leader, you’re the bad cop. If your people like your assignments more than you, congratulations. You hired well.’

‘Don’t play favorites. Water all your plants equally, and watch who grows.’

Don’t try to predict who’s going to succeed and who isn’t. Get out of the prediction business. Get into the production and promotion business.’

You have to work harder than your people do– and they need to see that.’

Never expect your people to work harder than or to take care more than you do. So be sure to do everything you ask of them at least as well as you want them to do it.’

When your people bring you their problems, questions, or ideas, thank them.’

Source:

John U. Bacon (2021). Let Them Lead: Unexpected Lessons in Leadership from America’s Worst High School Hockey Team