Do you know the impact of your 'blind spots' on others?
Vehicles aren't the only things that have blind spots; we as people have them too. These are the areas you are unaware of in your personality that often have a ripple effect on how other people perceive you, which can then affect the health of your relationships with them.
When you're unaware of your blind spots or refuse to do anything about them, it can shape and affect your team dynamics in a negative light. For example, it can bring projects to a halt, and more miscommunication and misunderstanding can ensue, especially when you're working virtually.
Another realistic example is from my client. As we went through his 360 review, we began to note that his abrupt personality has rubbed people the wrong way. He insisted that this part of his personality is his "magic", and it was what has gotten him so far in his career. But he didn't really see how that personality trait could also be hampering his progression. His senior leaders also reiterated that he would need to know when to pause, speak, and monitor what he's saying as he progresses.
As Marcus Aurelius said in his meditation plan:
"Meditate often on interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the universe. For in a sense, all things are mutually woven together and therefore have an affinity for each other. For one thing follows after another according to their tension of movement, their sympathetic stirrings and the unity of all substance."
Even if you try to avoid it, you can't help but work with the people in your team, even virtually. Facilitating feedback can help bring harmony back to your team and will ultimately help you get connected to them while still honouring your independence.
If you find it difficult to ask for feedback, you can try these three tips:
Find the right time to ask.
The right time to ask for feedback would most likely be after a project ends or when you've taken on a new role. Another thing to keep in mind is approaching people when they don't have a lot of things on their plate.
Ask the right people for feedback.
Only turn to people who you know have your best interests in their mind. This can be your coach, a manager, a client, or a co-worker. Make sure that they have a relevant background in connection to your career.
Ask open-ended questions.
You can start with the questions below, and don't forget to ask follow-up questions if needed.
"What area in my communication style can be improved?"
"What can I do to support the team's mission better?"
"What steps can I take to improve how I work with my team?"
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In my podcast episode, on moving through anxiety to soul work in a pandamic, with Dan Murray-Serter, he talked about his process of growing as a founder and knowing that certain traits that you have, whilst you think they're good in your personal echo chamber of coming up with great ideas when you're founding a company, they can have detrimental effects on your employees, the actions they take and how success some meetings are.
We also discussed some of the behavioural changes that Daniel has made to create a level of interconnectedness and interdependence in the company by deepening his awareness of his blind spots and creating a course of action to reduce them.
Action Steps
To reduce your blind spots and help you get more connected with your team, consider working through the following questions:
When you think about your role as a manager or leader, ponder
How might your blind spots affect your team's performance and wellbeing?
Who do you ask for constructive feedback? (Refer to my previous post for more guidance on this!)
Which habit or attitude isn’t currently serving you at work to be at your best?
Ultimately, knowing what your blind spots are, getting feedback from them and creating a course of action can help you become wiser and take better steps as you go through your career and most especially, in your life.