malandro communication

Are You Insensitive? Blind Spot #2

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

Blind Spot #2—Being Insensitive to Your Impact on Others.  What It Means.   

Do you miss the verbal and nonverbal cues of others?  If you do, you may have a low threshold for recognizing when your own words and behaviors have a less-than-desirable impact.

If you have this second blind spot—being insensitive to your impact on others—it means one of two things:  1) You lack awareness about how your behavior affects others, or 2) You lack the skills to know how to change your behavior to have a positive impact.

The Downside of Missing or Ignoring Cues 

Are you shocked by how people react to things you say or do?  If you are, you may be insensitive to your impact on others.  Although your intention is not to provoke a negative reaction in people, your behavior sends a different message.

If you are insensitive to others, it’s likely that you do not recognize how your words or actions make people feel.  You will miss important cues and you will leave people feeling irritated, resentful, disrespected, angry, or hurt.

 

Are YOU Insensitive to Your Impact on Others?   

Ask others to assess your behavior using the scale of 1 (rarely) to 5 (frequently).

blind spots

How do you rate?

32 to 40:    Warning—your insensitivity is highly insensitive. You miss even the most basic cues from others.  Read this several times.

17 to 31:    You are basically a sensitive person with insensitive behaviors.  Close the gap.

8 to 16:       You pick up the cues of others and respond appropriately.   Keep refining your skills.

Want More?

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

Anti Blog

Do You Go it Alone? Blind Spot #1

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

Blind Spot #1—Going it Alone. What it Means

Do you believe that you should be able to handle everything by yourself? That it’s your responsibility to keep the weight of the world on your shoulders?
People who view themselves as self-sufficient and responsible frequently fall into the trap of going it alone. Going it alone—shouldering the burden yourself and not seeking (or rejecting) support from others—is the #1 blind spot.

The Downside of Going it Alone

Do people trust you to be open and honest in good times and bad? High performance teamwork requires this type of self-disclosure, mutual support, and trust.
If you are a team member or a team leader who goes it alone, others will feel excluded and minimized. When people can’t connect with the real and vulnerable you, they will comply, work around you, limit their contributions, and solve problems on their own without the benefit of your input.

 

Do YOU Go it Alone?

If you want the unvarnished truth, ask peers, direct reports, superiors, and your friends/family to assess you.
Directions: Use the scale of 1 (rarely) to 5 (frequently) to rate each item.

 

Blind Spot 1 Assessment

 

 

How do you rate?

32 to 40:    No debate—you go it alone.  Ask others for coaching and apply it.

17 to 31:    You go it alone in certain situations.  Discover what triggers you.

8 to 16:       You seldom go it alone but that’s always room to grow.

 

Want More?

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

Anti Blog

 

 

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”.