I am a woman of a certain age – an age that requires glasses for close work. It’s interesting to realize you need a little assistance with something you’ve been doing quite well for years. Humbling, yes. Essential, also yes. Fortunately, I have accepted the fact that I’d rather see than not see and now own several pairs of very stylish eyewear.
The information about my eyesight is pertinent to another recent revelation. I found that when I put on my glasses and look in the mirror, I am able to see my flaws much more clearly. There they are – big as life itself. Once I recovered from the shock of seeing myself much more clearly, I immediately thought, “how long has that been there?” The imperfections I see so clearly may have been evident to others for quite some time.
As leaders, we can be blind to our leadership flaws because our eyesight has grown tired over the years. We no longer see as sharply as we once had. We can grow complacent within the daily routine. We aren’t doing anything wrong, but we aren’t doing a lot of things right either. We spend a little more time in our offices than we should. Our conversations are a little less constructive than they once were. And, most important, we haven’t invested the time developing those followers as we once did. We aren’t seeing clearly.
Our leadership glasses sharpen our vision and bring the picture into focus. Look closely now. You may see opportunities to…
- Motivate your team to hang in there with a difficult project
- Encourage a junior employee to step forward into leadership
- Collaborate with others to find new ways to be innovative
- Inspire your team to move from mediocrity to greatness
Put on your leadership glasses and take a closer look. What do you see?