This is the third of 10 blind spots that can sabotage your effectiveness.

Blind Spot #3—Having an “I Know” Attitude. What it Means

Do you have an answer for everything? Do you feel the need to defend your views? These are tip-offs that you may have an “I know” attitude.
If you have an “I know” attitude it means that you think you have all the answers. You dismiss others’ input and you have the need to be right.

The Downside of Having an “I Know” Attitude

Is your need to be right much stronger than your need to be effective?
If this is the case, others will label you as: a tyrant, obnoxious, or a bully just to name a few. People will avoid you at all costs, feel exhausted just being around you, and walk away feeling diminished and inadequate.

 

Do YOU Have an “I Know” Attitude?

Ask others to rate you on the following items using the scale of 1 (rarely) to 5 (frequently). Resist your knee-jerk reaction to skip this part because you already know what others will say!

How do you rate?

32 to 40:    You’re in the danger zone. You come across as needing to be right about everything.

17 to 31:    You irritate others. Not all the time, but still too much of the time.

8 to 16:       You come across as flexible and open to other’s viewpoints. Improve the little things.

Want More?

Read the book Fearless Leadership and the anti-blogs on The 10 Blind Spots.

 

Dr. Loretta Malandro is the CEO of the Malandro Consulting Group (www.malandro.com) and the author of several landmark business communication books including: Fearless Leadership, Say It Right the First Time, and her new book, “Speak Up, Show Up, and Stand Out: The 9 Communication Rules You Need to Succeed”.