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Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter
Good leaders become great by skillfully managing their own vulnerabilities "Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter" is a comprehensive guide to recognizing and acting on the weak points that can impair effectiveness, diminish results, and harm a career. Written by a 30-year veteran of the leadership consulting industry and author of "Trust in the Balance," the book contains examples, worksheets and surveys that illustrate the practical application of the advice presented. An online questionnaire helps readers discover their own leadership vulnerabilities, and the book provides a roadmap for creating a targeted plan to increase their awareness in the areas that truly matter.
The blindspot risk is that leaders fail to respond to weaknesses or threats due to a variety of factors including the complexity of their organizations, over-confidence in their own capabilities, and being surrounded by deferential subordinates. "Leadership Blindspots" provides a useful model for understanding how blindspots operate and why they persist, but at the same time suggests real, actionable steps to improvement. The book details a range of techniques that make blindspots stand out in sharp relief, so action can be taken before severe damage occurs - to a leader or his or her company. Topics include: A framework to understand the threats posed by blindspots The four most important types of blindspots - self, team, company and markets Detailed case studies of blindspots in leaders across a variety of industries A summary of the most common leadership blindspots Corrective practices that help mitigate the risks that blindspots pose
The one characteristic great leaders share is the constant desire for self-improvement. Good can always be better. These weaknesses and threats are called blindspots because they are invisible to the individual but have the potential to wreak havoc on one's reputation and long-term success. Identifying and fixing crucial problems is the leader's job, and sometimes the most debilitating problems are with the leaders themselves. "Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter" is the first step toward owning and addressing one's vulnerabilities and, as a result, becoming a more effective leader.
The blindspot risk is that leaders fail to respond to weaknesses or threats due to a variety of factors including the complexity of their organizations, over-confidence in their own capabilities, and being surrounded by deferential subordinates. "Leadership Blindspots" provides a useful model for understanding how blindspots operate and why they persist, but at the same time suggests real, actionable steps to improvement. The book details a range of techniques that make blindspots stand out in sharp relief, so action can be taken before severe damage occurs - to a leader or his or her company. Topics include: A framework to understand the threats posed by blindspots The four most important types of blindspots - self, team, company and markets Detailed case studies of blindspots in leaders across a variety of industries A summary of the most common leadership blindspots Corrective practices that help mitigate the risks that blindspots pose
The one characteristic great leaders share is the constant desire for self-improvement. Good can always be better. These weaknesses and threats are called blindspots because they are invisible to the individual but have the potential to wreak havoc on one's reputation and long-term success. Identifying and fixing crucial problems is the leader's job, and sometimes the most debilitating problems are with the leaders themselves. "Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter" is the first step toward owning and addressing one's vulnerabilities and, as a result, becoming a more effective leader.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
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About the author
Robert Bruce Shaw
13 books9 followersROBERT BRUCE SHAW is a consultant specializing in organizational and team performance. An in-demand speaker, he is the author of Trust in the Balance and Leadership Blindspots.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 21, 2014
BOOK REVIEW: 'Leadership Blindspots': Management Consultant Shows How Executives Can Identify, Overcome Weaknesses That Matter
REVIEWED BY DAVID M. KINCHEN
"Any business today that embraces the status quo as an operating principle is going to be on a death march." -- Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, quoted on Page 164 of "Leadership Blindspots"
* * *
Reports that say ... that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things that we know that we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know. —Donald Rumsfeld, United States Secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush administration
* * *
Rumsfeld's famous -- or infamous -- formulation, came to mind when I saw the "Blindspot Matrix" in Robert B. Shaw's intriguing and readable book "Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter" (Jossey-Bass, an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, 240 pages, appendixes, notes, index, $35.00).
According to Wikipedia, Rumsfeld was derided for his statement, but also defended by Canadian columnist and author Mark Steyn -- whose books I've reviewed -- linguist Geoffrey Pullum and Australian economist and blogger John Quiggin.
Steyn called it "in fact a brilliant distillation of quite a complex matter"; Pullum said the quotation was "completely straightforward" and "impeccable, syntactically, semantically, logically, and rhetorically".
John Quiggin wrote: "Although the language may be tortured, the basic point is both valid and important."
* * *
In "Leadership Blindspots" Shaw presents (on Page 18) a Blindspot Matrix with Leader Capabilities: "Known Weaknesses; Known Strengths; Blindspots, and Unknown Strengths. He goes on to say Known Strengths represent "you know what you know." Known Weaknesses represent "You know what you don't know." And Unknown Strengths include "You don't know what you know."
This doesn't sound all that different from Rumsfeld's formulation, which gave filmmaker Errol Morris a title for his 2013 biographical documentary about Rumsfeld: "The Unknown Known."
The blindspot risk is that leaders fail to respond to weaknesses or threats due to a variety of factors including the complexity of their organizations, over-confidence in their own capabilities, and being surrounded by deferential subordinates.
Shaw's brilliant book provides a useful model for understanding how blindspots operate and why they persist, but at the same time suggests real, actionable steps to improvement. The book details a range of techniques that make blindspots stand out in sharp relief, so action can be taken before severe damage occurs –- to a leader or his or her company.
The one characteristic great leaders share is the constant desire for self-improvement. Good can always be better. These weaknesses and threats are called blindspots because they are invisible to the individual but have the potential to wreak havoc on one's reputation and long-term success. Identifying and fixing crucial problems is the leader's job, and sometimes the most debilitating problems are with the leaders themselves.
In "Leadership Blindspots" Shaw cites many executives by name whose blindspots prevented their companies from achieving their potential goals. One in particular is Steve Ballmer, who retired as CEO of Microsoft on Feb. 4, 2014, replaced by Satva Nadella. Shaw uses the Howard Schultz quote at the beginning of my review to point out the flaws of Ballmer "who failed to keep pace with more successful rivals in areas such as internet search, smart phones, and tablets," he writes. Microsoft's stock bumped up on Ballmer's departure.
Shaw suggested that Microsoft's chairman and co-founder Bill Gates should give the new CEO a photograph of Henry Ford "as a reminder of what needs to be done." Gates has a photograph of Henry Ford on his desk.
Ford, writes Shaw, is a case study of a leader who "surrounded himself with sycophants who told the great man what he wanted to hear." Ford's failure to keep pace with automotive developments by continuing to build obsolete Model Ts led the company to the verge of bankruptcy as it lost its massive lead in automotive production to innovators like General Motors and Chrysler.
Shaw also provides dozens of case studies of executives who did the right thing, made the right decisions, treated their subordinates with dignity, listened to their contrarian views. These case studies are as valuable as the ones showing actions that harmed the companies in question.
On page 97, Shaw writes that executives could benefit from a suggestion made by the great Peter Drucker years ago: "He thought that leaders could learn a great deal by writing down the reasons behind their key decisions, including their expectations of what would occur. Then, after a period of time, they should review the accuracy of their expectations and the lessons learned."
I'm not a big fan of most motivational business books, but I have nothing but praise for "Leadership Blindspots," where insights are found on virtually every page. If I were a business executive or entrepreneur, I would buy the book by the box full and distribute copies to my employees -- including the grunts who do the actual work!
About the author
Robert Bruce Shaw is a management consultant specializing in organization and leadership performance. He has worked closely with leaders and their teams in a wide range of industries and is the author of several books, including "Trust in the Balance: Building Successful Organizations on Results, Integrity, and Concern".
REVIEWED BY DAVID M. KINCHEN
"Any business today that embraces the status quo as an operating principle is going to be on a death march." -- Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, quoted on Page 164 of "Leadership Blindspots"
* * *
Reports that say ... that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things that we know that we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know. —Donald Rumsfeld, United States Secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush administration
* * *
Rumsfeld's famous -- or infamous -- formulation, came to mind when I saw the "Blindspot Matrix" in Robert B. Shaw's intriguing and readable book "Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter" (Jossey-Bass, an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, 240 pages, appendixes, notes, index, $35.00).
According to Wikipedia, Rumsfeld was derided for his statement, but also defended by Canadian columnist and author Mark Steyn -- whose books I've reviewed -- linguist Geoffrey Pullum and Australian economist and blogger John Quiggin.
Steyn called it "in fact a brilliant distillation of quite a complex matter"; Pullum said the quotation was "completely straightforward" and "impeccable, syntactically, semantically, logically, and rhetorically".
John Quiggin wrote: "Although the language may be tortured, the basic point is both valid and important."
* * *
In "Leadership Blindspots" Shaw presents (on Page 18) a Blindspot Matrix with Leader Capabilities: "Known Weaknesses; Known Strengths; Blindspots, and Unknown Strengths. He goes on to say Known Strengths represent "you know what you know." Known Weaknesses represent "You know what you don't know." And Unknown Strengths include "You don't know what you know."
This doesn't sound all that different from Rumsfeld's formulation, which gave filmmaker Errol Morris a title for his 2013 biographical documentary about Rumsfeld: "The Unknown Known."
The blindspot risk is that leaders fail to respond to weaknesses or threats due to a variety of factors including the complexity of their organizations, over-confidence in their own capabilities, and being surrounded by deferential subordinates.
Shaw's brilliant book provides a useful model for understanding how blindspots operate and why they persist, but at the same time suggests real, actionable steps to improvement. The book details a range of techniques that make blindspots stand out in sharp relief, so action can be taken before severe damage occurs –- to a leader or his or her company.
The one characteristic great leaders share is the constant desire for self-improvement. Good can always be better. These weaknesses and threats are called blindspots because they are invisible to the individual but have the potential to wreak havoc on one's reputation and long-term success. Identifying and fixing crucial problems is the leader's job, and sometimes the most debilitating problems are with the leaders themselves.
In "Leadership Blindspots" Shaw cites many executives by name whose blindspots prevented their companies from achieving their potential goals. One in particular is Steve Ballmer, who retired as CEO of Microsoft on Feb. 4, 2014, replaced by Satva Nadella. Shaw uses the Howard Schultz quote at the beginning of my review to point out the flaws of Ballmer "who failed to keep pace with more successful rivals in areas such as internet search, smart phones, and tablets," he writes. Microsoft's stock bumped up on Ballmer's departure.
Shaw suggested that Microsoft's chairman and co-founder Bill Gates should give the new CEO a photograph of Henry Ford "as a reminder of what needs to be done." Gates has a photograph of Henry Ford on his desk.
Ford, writes Shaw, is a case study of a leader who "surrounded himself with sycophants who told the great man what he wanted to hear." Ford's failure to keep pace with automotive developments by continuing to build obsolete Model Ts led the company to the verge of bankruptcy as it lost its massive lead in automotive production to innovators like General Motors and Chrysler.
Shaw also provides dozens of case studies of executives who did the right thing, made the right decisions, treated their subordinates with dignity, listened to their contrarian views. These case studies are as valuable as the ones showing actions that harmed the companies in question.
On page 97, Shaw writes that executives could benefit from a suggestion made by the great Peter Drucker years ago: "He thought that leaders could learn a great deal by writing down the reasons behind their key decisions, including their expectations of what would occur. Then, after a period of time, they should review the accuracy of their expectations and the lessons learned."
I'm not a big fan of most motivational business books, but I have nothing but praise for "Leadership Blindspots," where insights are found on virtually every page. If I were a business executive or entrepreneur, I would buy the book by the box full and distribute copies to my employees -- including the grunts who do the actual work!
About the author
Robert Bruce Shaw is a management consultant specializing in organization and leadership performance. He has worked closely with leaders and their teams in a wide range of industries and is the author of several books, including "Trust in the Balance: Building Successful Organizations on Results, Integrity, and Concern".
March 29, 2018
Mistakes show us areas where we lack knowledge, competence or understanding. Ask for feedback often and make people comfortable sharing it. Get information directly from the source and promote a culture of debate.
March 3, 2024
Ok book, lots of tidbits and anecdotes. Could have been the audio version but didn’t feel overall to be all that revolutionary, used similar real life examples over and over. Could have been quite a bit shorter.
March 10, 2024
You always need multiple viewpoints.
May 7, 2016
Examples were fine, but a bit overridden by corporate leadership. Leadership varies by domain--nonprofit leadership or education leadership is fundamentally different than governmental or corporate leadership. The examples should have drawn from alternative perspectives. Additionally, the book was generally overridden by examples, too. There was very little in the way of practical (implement-now) advice, and what was there was overly conceptual with very few operationalized or tangible elements. I wouldn't recommend this book generally, but I did flag a few of the self-assessment checks at the back of the book for further study.
January 14, 2016
This turned out to be better than I expected. Much of this material I've encountered before in other readings and leadership training, but Shaw did a good job collecting and packaging it. What gives this value is his pervasive use of illustrative cases. Ordinarily, anecdotes wear thin, but he stays on point and, more to the point, doesn't belabor the point. His examples are generally succinct and not a reach.
Good recourse for future and current leaders.
Good recourse for future and current leaders.
July 9, 2021
Examples and case studies are a bit shallow to give insights. Tips and guides are fairly basic and scratch the surface. Would have preferred it to give deeper on why it is difficult for leaders to be self conscious or how to break free from old mindsets.
April 30, 2016
I enjoyed this. I have always looked to improve my leadership skills. the concepts here are very practical
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