Leading. Rising. Growing. Directing. Marching. Changing. Isolating. Missing. Falling. Is this a leadership life cycle? Is this a typical emerge and submerge tidal wave being followed by the leaders in the world. Is it a star born to shine and then lose its lustre as a falling shooting star? These are the questions that are being raised in the contemporary leadership horizon.
We see such charismatic leaders entering and dominating companies, forums, podcasts. They become the real generators. They are quoted. They are celebrated. They are garlanded. They are awarded. Then the murmurs. The whispers. The rumours. The queries. The surprise. The ashes. The much quoted Carlos Ghosn (Renault turnaround) case is not uncommon. He came. He dazzled. He delivered. He disappeared. He disappointed. He was arrested.
Leaders are placed on pedestals. Do leaders slip or are they pushed? Do leaders know that they do not know? Do leaders want to fall? The last question is the only one that is easy to answer. Hardly any leader would want to fall. Yet, many do. That is why it is important to get out of the blind spots and take proactive action to prevent falling in it.
The problem is that the higher you go the lonelier you become. You are crowded but deserted. You have many people in your team but are they the people who will give you honest feedback? If they do, will the leader really value it or react to it? These are also some big asks. Success and growth comes with a price.
The leader who is reaching high is likely to have many cheerleaders who want reflective glory of their success. These may be the leadership team members who aspire to get their perks through the perception of being the leader’s power circle.
Every human being has a blind spot where the ability to see is blacked out. Leaders with high emotional intelligence are normally aware and trying to deal with them. However, emotional quotient is still a rarity and most leaders are still blind to their blind spots. Some of the typical blind spots are:
Blinder# 1- I am approachable and accessible to others- “I have an open door policy”. How many times have we heard leaders proudly professing to it? The claim of being available and ready for people to get their time and attention is loud and frequent. Some symbolic gestures are also made. I see many times CEOs sitting in transparent glass window rooms. Other places I see the team heads placed on the same floor as the team.
This physical visibility is supposed to bridge the gap between the leader and the team. The leader is blind to the fact that people are afraid to approach him. The leader is oblivious to the fact that when they come to meet him, he is always in an impatient mode, giving this feeling to people that he has more important matters to attend.
The leader is shocked to find out that people find him distant and disconnected. He keeps on talking about how his office and door is open. He does not realize that it is not the door of his office but the door of his mind and heart that is shut. This is what creates disconnect and distance eventually leading to a company losing top disengaged talent.
Blinder#2- I empower and trust people- Another great leadership misperception is that ‘I give space to people to work independently’. He or she behaves in a manner of holding meetings and asking managers to take bold decisions. The managers encouraged take some initiatives and come back for approval. The approval gets delayed as the leader questions them on the risks and chances, etc.
This delay is causing the initiative to be outdated. The delay is making the team frustrated. The delay is creating this perception about the leader just not walking the talk. This is a common problem amongst leaders who make big claims in the light of the moment but fail to carry it through as they are not gutsy enough to back their teams.
Blinder#3- I focus on people’s well-being- The big mantra of today’s leaders is that employees’ well-being is a top priority. We see each company building employee well-being committees and departments. The leader gloats about play place for young children of employees etc. All these are commendable. In contrast, the same CEO is writing messages after work hours and expecting responses at all odd hours. In the morning they talk about work/life balance and in the evening they start stressing the family life by sending all sorts of emails and messages.
Blinder#4- I am fair and equitable in my treatment- One of the most common false self-imageries of leaders is their being fair and equitable. They are always talking about how they make sure all work is being meted on merit. They proudly claim that they have no favourites. They overlook the fact that it is not just the official interaction that counts but the off the meetings time spend, which is under scrutiny. In one situation a leader was keeping his staff at equidistant during office work, but during lunch hour he was found sitting with the same three team members in the office lunch place every day.
That fact set the tongues rolling, where many felt that he had a soft spot for them. The perception of just chatting and lunching with the same trio put a tag of favoritism. Most leaders are visionless when it comes to their interactions outside work. However, every move is under scrutiny. Even in a company event where the leaders is a chief guest handing out awards and rewards every gesture is spotlighted. People complained about how he smiled at one of his “pets” while handing over the award and how he was expressionless when giving the same to another employee. This may seem small but has a big impact on the engagement of the team with the leader.
Does it mean great leaders have no blind spots? Are inspirational leaders flawless? No, not at all. They are in fact as likely to make mistakes as most leaders. The difference is that they are aware of their own lack of awareness. They know that they do not know. That is why they will always seek feedback from people who will be honest and unbiased.
They will get their 360-degree feedback done from above, below and peers. They will seek coaching help to redirect behaviours that need to be changed. They will not feel defensive. They will not be dismissive. They will not be blind to their blinders. Unidentified, unknown blind spots create sinking of the corporate ship. With the best of intentions, efforts may become futile. As they say the gap between intention and impact is a blind spot.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is a columnist, consultant, coach, and an analyst and can be reached at [email protected]
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