On Blind Spots, Feedback and Self-Observation

In my opinion, the value of self-awareness to leaders can be summarized in three points:

1. None of us, leaders included, can fix or change what we can’t see. That’s why they call them blind spots.
2. The higher one advances in an organization, the less likely it is that he or she will receive accurate and useful feedback. In a sense, the higher one goes in the organization, the more blind leaders become if solely dependent on feedback from others.
3. Therefore, the most reliable source of useful insights for leaders in organizations is their own capacity to self-observe and self-correct which we often lump under the term self-awareness.

In my experience, there is no more critical skill for leaders to develop, if they are to be effective in a sustainable way, is than nurturing and developing self-awareness in themselves and those whom they lead.