Leadership Blindspots: How Successful Leaders Identify and Overcome the Weaknesses That Matter
Jossey-Bass, April 2014
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. 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 road map for creating a targeted plan to increase awareness in the areas that will impact their success.
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 from 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 is the first step toward owning and addressing one's vulnerabilities and, as a result, becoming a more effective leader.
Hardcover | ISBN: 9781118646298 | Publication Date: April 2014
Reviews:
"The best leaders are brutally honest with themselves and their
team members, seeing reality for what it is and then taking action
to address any weaknesses. Robert Shaw, who has extensive
experience working with successful leaders, provides insight into
how to avoid fooling yourself about what is really going on in
your company and markets."
-- Michael J. Thomson, president and chief operating
officer, SunCoke Energy
"Robert Shaw's book Leadership Blindspots underscores the
need to be both confident in your leadership capabilities and, at
the same time, open to hearing contrary points of view, including
feedback about your leadership impact. Individuals at all levels
of a company will benefit from Robert's clear advice on how to
lead effectively."
-- Sylvia Montero, author, Make It Your Business
"Optimism is both necessary and problematic for those leading a
company. This book is particularly useful for entrepreneurial
leaders who need to be careful that their drive and passion does
not blind them to the challenges they face in growing their
business. Leadership Blindspots helps you surface what you
need to know to be successful."
-- Michael J. Kelly, chief executive officer, On Call
International
"Leaders are sometimes blinded to the opportunities to grow their
firms because they can't see beyond their current business model.
Robert Shaw highlights the need to test one's core beliefs and
assumptions. In particular, he offers pragmatic advice on building
a leadership team that can look at a firm's vulnerabilities and
think beyond the status quo."
-- Mark Ronald, former president and chief executive
officer, BAE Systems, Inc.
