"The biggest risk factor for leadership derailment is not a lack of intelligence or competence, but rather a lack of self-awareness and the inability to manage one's blind spots." - Douglas Jackson
You have no idea what you're missing!
I've spent over two decades working with CEOs and individuals who couldn't figure out why their organizations kept hitting the same walls. They hired the "right" people. They implemented the "right" systems. They invested in the "right" training.
And still, the same problems persisted.
Here's the uncomfortable truth I've had to deliver hundreds of times: The problem isn't your team.
It may be you.
The Brutal Reality of Leadership Blind Spots
The definition of a blind spot is something you literally cannot see about yourself that's painfully obvious to everyone around you. The higher you rise in leadership, the more dangerous these become.
I've sat with brilliant CEOs who couldn't understand why their "open door policies" weren't working, while in the same breath shutting down any ideas that weren't their own.
I've watched visionary founders micromanage their teams into mediocrity while insisting they're "empowering" people.
The most dangerous part? You have absolutely no idea what you're missing.
Quick Reality Check
Rate yourself honestly on these statements (1 = Rarely, 5 = Very Often):
Mindset:
- You focus on what could go wrong instead of what could go right
- You wait for perfect conditions before moving forward
- You need others to validate your decisions
- You stick with the familiar even when it limits growth
Actions:
- You keep control of important tasks because "no one else will do it right"
- You avoid tough conversations that might create tension
- You delay decisions waiting for "more data" when you already have enough
- You let performance issues slide, hoping they'll magically improve
Results You're Seeing:
- Innovation is sluggish or non-existent
- Decision-making bottlenecks at your level
- Team members wait for explicit approval before taking action
- The same problems keep resurfacing despite multiple "fixes"
If you scored 4 or 5 on several of these, I'm going to be blunt: your leadership approach is creating the very problems you're trying to solve.
You may have outgrown the founder's ability to have a hand in everything, but haven't developed the leadership systems to scale effectively.
The Fear Factor: What I've Learned Working With CEOs
After decades working with leaders, I've discovered one universal truth: Fear drives more leadership decisions than anyone wants to admit.
Fear shows up in three critical ways:
Fear clouds your thinking. When you're afraid of being wrong, you delay decisions waiting for perfect data that will never come.
Fear distorts your decision-making. When you fear failure, you make choices that protect your ego rather than grow your business.
Fear sabotages your communication. When you fear vulnerability, you create distance between yourself and your team.
Your fears aren't the problem. Your unwillingness to acknowledge them is. The moment you recognize how fear shapes your leadership, you gain the power to choose differently.
The Real Cost
I've seen these blind spots destroy more value than any market downturn:
- A hospitality company CEO lost his three best executives in six months because he couldn't stop meddling in their departments.
- A tech founder watched his market share drop 40% because he deliberated over product decisions that his team could have made months earlier
- A service company spent $2M on customer service training while refusing to address the rigid policies that were actually causing client complaints
For companies with 50-1,000 employees generating $5M-$200M in revenue, these blind spots aren't just annoying - they're existential threats. What worked when you founded the company is actively harming you now.
It's hard to say, and even harder to understanding but your success has made you dangerous. The drive and control that built your business might be limiting it.
Three No-BS Steps I've Seen Work
1. Own Your Impact
Stop blaming the team for organizational issues that start with you. When I start working with CEOs, I have them complete this sentence: "If I'm honest, the way I lead might be causing..."
The initial responses are superficial. But by the third or fourth try, the real insights emerge. One founder finally admitted, "The way I lead might be causing people to hide problems from me until they're unfixable."
That's when the real work can begin.
2. Get Real Feedback (Not What You Want to Hear)
You cannot see your own blind spots without help. Period. What's worked best with my clients:
- Structured 360-degree feedback that asks the right questions and gets below the surface behaviors that are causing the problem.
- A coach who will call you on your BS.
- Anonymous feedback mechanisms so people can tell the truth without fear. Contact me about Human Synergistics Behavioral Assessments to help your leadership and get a better idea of what's going on with your company.
- Join a trusted peer group who will push back on your assumptions
3. Change Your Behavior (Not Just Your Intentions)
I've worked with too many CEOs who had powerful insights and then did absolutely nothing different. Awareness without action is useless.
Focus on specific behavioral changes:
If you micromanage:
- Delegate one significant project completely this week
- Define what success looks like, then back off entirely
- When you feel the urge to check in, don't
If you're risk-averse:
- Set a decision deadline and stick to it no matter what
- Establish what "good enough" data looks like in advance
- Celebrate when teams take smart risks, even if they fail
If transparency isn't your strong suit:
- Tell your team what you're really thinking, not just your conclusions
- Acknowledge when you're wrong
- Share what keeps you up at night
I measure success not by what my clients understand, but by what they do differently.
The Real Payoff
When leaders address their blind spots, the transformation can be remarkable:
Executives who learn to truly delegate rather than just talk about it often see dramatic improvements in talent retention and acquisition.
Leaders that remove excessive approval layers can watch their innovation cycles shrink from 18 months to just weeks, unleashing creativity that was always there but stifled.
Leaders who empower frontline teams with actual decision-making authority frequently see customer satisfaction scores climb rapidly.
This isn't fluffy leadership theory. It's business reality. Leadership blind spots cost organizations money, talent, and opportunity every single day.
Next Steps: No More Excuses
If this hit a nerve, good. Here's what works:
- Complete a formal leadership blind spot assessment. I have one that will give you deeper insights. These tools can pinpoint exactly where your leadership approach may be creating organizational issues.
- Share these concepts with your leadership team and have an honest conversation. Ask them which of these patterns they see in the organization.
- Pick one behavior to change this week - not next quarter, not after the next big project. What one leadership habit could you modify immediately?
- Get support from someone who will hold you accountable. Leadership transformation rarely happens in isolation.
Your blind spots aren't character flaws. They're the unintended dark side of your greatest strengths. Recognizing when those strengths have become your biggest limitations is the most powerful leadership move you'll ever make.
The business you save might be your own.
Related: Unseen but Critical: How Self-Awareness Shapes Great Leaders