3 Blind Spots Founders Should Look Out For
All of us inhabit the upper-right hand quadrant from time to time. The key is to great self-leadership is to learn how to get out of it. (Source: The Johari Window Model.)
The old adage, "what you don't know can't hurt you" does’t apply to leading a company and may be the thing that’s damaging your efforts most
Did you know that 82% of all business start-ups fail in the first two years. It's true. Why is that? Is it capitalization, product market fit, a depleted talent pool? Well, no. It's none of them individually or collectively. After coaching dozens of founders/CEOs over the last 20-years, I believe it comes down to one thing: the leader’s ability to lead herself and build trust with others. In a word, Integrity!
Only after this has been achieved can a leader attract the right talent, unify the team around a compelling vision and align on a strategy the team can execute. And if the founder doesn't have Integrity and wastes trust “capital” with the team, none of that is even possible. Every founder I've worked with suffers from a blind spot or two or three, depending on the situation, that undermines a team’s trust.
Here are the top three “personae" founders should be aware of and their counterpoints:
#1: The smartest guy (gal) in the room: Research by Jim Collins and others shows that being strongly inclusive and collaborative is what fuels creativity, innovation and customer experiences. Yet, it is shocking to me, how many leaders dominate the discussion/direction. e.g. Insist on being the smartest person in the room, using their experience and positional authority to dominate. Ok, you do have the right, but what if doing so sucks all the oxygen out of the room and shuts down the team? Note to self: Just stop it!
Counterpoint: When I was on the Dearborn Executive Team, I was amazed at how quiet our CEO was during our monthly strategic. He would sit there for hours and not say anything, only occasionally asking a question. He realized his true power and did not want to disrupt or derail the flow of the conversation or a team member’s sense of ownership. One time I asked him for guidance on a strategic priority, and he simply smiled and, after a long pause, said, “Nick, that's why we pay you the big bucks...I think you'll figure it out.” And while we all had a good chuckle, I felt strongly affirmed in that small, innocent moment by my leader.
#2: The benevolent dictator: A leader that sees himself as altruistic and believes he is creating a huge opportunity for others just by giving them a job. The BD probably serves on a non profit board and does really nice things in the community. Outside the company, they are amazing! However, their level of personal attachment, "ego identity," to their role and fear of failure bring out their dark side any time they are challenged. Benevolent dictators are highly reactive leaders and are quick to fire staff without clear feedback on performance, standards or coaching opportunities. The team walks on eggshells around him and never addresses the leader's blind spot. Engagement is low and turnover is high, and all the BD can think of asking is, "Why doesn't anyone around here get it!"
Counterpoint: I worked with the founder of a highly successful investment advisory firm who was generous with his time, talents and resources, had his own radio show, served on several non profits in town and never missed his kids’ soccer games. Benevolent? Yes. Dictator? No. He didn’t identify with his outward success. In fact, he would humbly dismiss any mention of it, deflecting all credit to his team. He also prioritized his team’s development with weekly one-on-one mentoring and even investment in outside coaching as needed.
#3: The team shepherd: The virtues of loyalty and faithfulness are critical to every leader's character and ultimate success, but team shepherds put their teammates' careers ahead of the company's best interest. As a founder/CEO, your #1 job, after setting a clear vision, is to build the best possible team. Research shows that while development efforts have a positive ROI, nothing replaces a fabulous hire. Yes, budget, tenure and impact on culture are all key factors, but you can have high standards without being ruthless, can’t you?
Counterpoint: I recently worked with a founder of a regional staffing firm and had the opportunity to coach his executive team through a major transition from relative infancy to full blown corporate adolescence. Like many startups, the company had hired family and friends who had become “sacred cows,” so to speak. I worked with the VP to develop scorecards and, lo and behold, the results revealed that more than one of the “sacred cows” wasn’t performing up to standard. The VP was able to coach his management team to higher levels of performance, reassignment or, in a few cases, to jobs at other companies.
To repeat, all of us exhibit any or all of these personae from time to time. The good news is that once you’re aware of it, you’re already on the road to changing it. And how can you become aware? Here’s a simple start:
Be kind to yourself and realize blindspots are normal and perfection is elusive at best. Don’t be afraid to ask yourself what you may be overlooking. Don’t beat yourself up.
Get some feedback from someone who knows you really well, outside your organization – perhaps a peer or colleague who used to be your nemesis and gave you constructive feedback – even if you didn’t care for them.
If you are feeling courageous, consider a best practice of working with an outside coach to conduct a 360 feedback on your behalf.
I’m not referring to a 360 assessment of skill sets but rather of personal leadership strengths and weaknesses. Getting feedback like this is not for the faint of heart, but when it’s done correctly, which is to say safely, respectfully and confidentially, such feedback can become the breakfast of champions! Are you and your company ready to eat your Wheaties?
Sincerely,
Nick Van Nice, ScalePassion