BLIND SPOTS
...achieve success by seeing what you can't see
A book by Claudia M Shelton, author, speaker, educator and (most importantly) an executive coach. (Wiley - ISBN 978-0-470-04225-0)
This is a relatively easy book to read with some useful concepts that should be of benefit to anyone who seeks to improve their outcomes at work or in their personal life.
The major proposition put forward in the book is that we all have blind spots that act to limit the success we achieve in life. Blind spots are defined in the book, as things we think and do unconsciously that can negatively influence how other people feel about us. They are things we don't see about ourselves but are noticed by others and as such can be 'career limiting'. These blind spots are self limiting or self-defeating patterns or thinking or behaving that are important to unearth and deal with.
Claudia identifies five most common causes of blind spots. These are:
The solution is to develop greater awareness of your blind spots and develop what the author refers to as a 'Clear Sight Plan'.
There are three steps to developing a Clear Sight Plan outlined in the book:
The book then goes on to identify five principles of clear sight:
A very important message throughout this book is the need to understand your real strengths and knowing how to use them more effectively in different contexts. Learn how to build on and better utilise your strengths; as you do this be aware of potential blind spots that may, unconsciously, develop.
Develop a clear sight plan as outlined in this book. There is no particular format provided for a Clear Sight Plan in the book, however probably the simplest format would be as follows:
Review and update this plan regularly. I inferred, from the book, that you may have a number of 'Clear Sight Plans' one for each major goal in life.
The final chapters in the book then build on the above concepts and deal with issues such as seeing blind spots in others (and particularly where our blind spots may coincide with others) and building success for life.
Overall I found this a worthwhile read - an easy and thought provoking book to read. The author uses a large number of small 'case studies' to provide a practical frame to the 'theory' that is espoused in the book. I found myself thinking on a number of occasions, as I read this book, "that's me" so from that perspective, I saw it is a perceptive book; evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
Warwick Cavell
October 2007
This is a relatively easy book to read with some useful concepts that should be of benefit to anyone who seeks to improve their outcomes at work or in their personal life.
The major proposition put forward in the book is that we all have blind spots that act to limit the success we achieve in life. Blind spots are defined in the book, as things we think and do unconsciously that can negatively influence how other people feel about us. They are things we don't see about ourselves but are noticed by others and as such can be 'career limiting'. These blind spots are self limiting or self-defeating patterns or thinking or behaving that are important to unearth and deal with.
Claudia identifies five most common causes of blind spots. These are:
- Misused or overused strengths: using a strength in an inappropriate context or overusing (over- reliance on) a particular strength.
- Old Habits: using old patterns of behaviour that were successful in the past and in a different context but now seem inappropriate.
- Stress Expressed: when we get stressed we often inappropriately express that stress and use behaviours that may be unproductive.
- Untuned Radar: misreading other people and the messages they are giving us.
- Disconnect: Failure to (effectively) communicate. Not allowing others to communicate by withdrawing or being over-powering.
The solution is to develop greater awareness of your blind spots and develop what the author refers to as a 'Clear Sight Plan'.
There are three steps to developing a Clear Sight Plan outlined in the book:
- Make a model of yourself - the point of the model is to give you the freedom to see yourself in a new way, not to critique you. Looking for what is wrong (with you) is not a useful mindset. The author then provides a matrix to assist you in modelling yourself. As part of this process you will need to seek feedback from others - the book identifies five approaches to getting feedback. The key to this step is to develop a deeper and balanced understanding of yourself and particularly identifying those self-limiting patterns you may not have seen, or fully understood, to this point in time as well as identifying your key strengths that you will use to build your success on in the future.
- Consider new possibilities - new ways of thinking and behaving. Involve others in this process, as appropriate.
- Take simple actions implemented consistently and aimed at addressing the blind spots.
The book then goes on to identify five principles of clear sight:
- Shift to neutral: remove yourself from day to day pressures, emotions and all the activity; stand back and take a calm objective (not critical) look yourself and life. Think about a way you can effectively 'shift to neutral' and do it.
- Imagine Positive Possibilities: Imagine the possibilities within you. Freeing your imagination to see (and hold) positive possibilities is a critical part of developing a Clear Sight Plan.
- Simply Focus on Success: focus on what you want, not what you don't want or what might happen. What is success to you - focus on that! Goal clarity.
- Stretch Your Strengths: Start with your greatest strength and think about how this strength can be used/adapted to address blind spots.
- Choose with Confidence: develop a strong belief in yourself no matter what happens - develop resilience. The book then introduces a concept called 'The Confidence Triangle' which portrays the relationship among three components of confidence - accurate assessment of skills, current emotional information and confidence/well-being.
A very important message throughout this book is the need to understand your real strengths and knowing how to use them more effectively in different contexts. Learn how to build on and better utilise your strengths; as you do this be aware of potential blind spots that may, unconsciously, develop.
Develop a clear sight plan as outlined in this book. There is no particular format provided for a Clear Sight Plan in the book, however probably the simplest format would be as follows:
- Clear Statement of Your Goal.
- Patterns of thinking or behaviour that are currently limiting your achievement of this goal (blind spots).
- Identification of your key strengths.
- Simple (immediate) actions that utilise your strengths to address the blind spots and move you, more assuredly, toward your goal.
Review and update this plan regularly. I inferred, from the book, that you may have a number of 'Clear Sight Plans' one for each major goal in life.
The final chapters in the book then build on the above concepts and deal with issues such as seeing blind spots in others (and particularly where our blind spots may coincide with others) and building success for life.
Overall I found this a worthwhile read - an easy and thought provoking book to read. The author uses a large number of small 'case studies' to provide a practical frame to the 'theory' that is espoused in the book. I found myself thinking on a number of occasions, as I read this book, "that's me" so from that perspective, I saw it is a perceptive book; evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
Warwick Cavell
October 2007