3 Leadership Blind Spots That Sabotage Team Performance - E6

every week in coaching calls and conversations with leaders and entrepreneurs, I see the same blind spots show up again and again. These are leadership blind spots, things that people don't see that are holding them back. They're not flashy, but they're absolutely costing leaders clarity and execution, the ability to get things done. And the worst part is most leaders don't even know they're happening. Today I'm breaking down the three most common blind spots that I see in leadership and how you can avoid them. These are abstract issues. These are things I see in high performing teams, seasoned executives, fast scaling founders. Like there's no magic button that makes these go away except for paying attention, having people that help you see them. They show up in culture, in communication and definitely in execution. And when they're left unchecked, they create confusion, frustration and missed results. Let's walk through each one and I'll give you the frameworks on how to fix them. Leadership blind spot number one is a lack of clarity. And when I talk about clarity, I mean articulating with precision, where are we going? What needs to happen and when does it do? When I think about this as a framework, I think about through the lens of a leader and his responsibility to create clarity of expectations and be able to communicate that with a team member and say, here is where we're going. Here is how I know we will get there. Here is what needs to happen and here is when it is done. Like let's be crystal clear because what happens is people leave things out. They guess it creates an interpretation as opposed to a specification. And those are really different things. Like if I say, hey, I want to be at this point on this date at this time. And then I just tell somebody else that, hey, let's go to Florida. Those are wildly divergent ideas. Let's go to Florida doesn't mean let's go to Disney World on May the 12th at 3 p.m. The direction's the same, let's go to Florida. But the intent is wildly different. Clarity means where are we going? What needs to happen and when it is due? That's our job as leaders to clearly articulate, define and lay that out. And if we don't, we cannot be disappointed with the results. Wait a minute, I just said it's my fault if somebody else doesn't deliver the results that I expected that I didn't communicate. Yeah, that's right. What we work with clients on and what I like to teach people is a leadership accountability model. And this is very clearly here, a leadership accountability model. This is on me as the leader. It's my job to set clear expectations. It's my job to create and confirm a system of measure. It's my job to coach and train. And it's my job to install a culture of accountability. That cycle in that order. First, I have to clarify expectations. I have to make sure that we have articulated where are we going? What needs to happen and when does it do? Second, I have to ensure that we have a system of measure. There's no point in saying hey, we're going somewhere if I can't actually measure the progress. Third is I have to create a culture of coaching and training and feedback. I have to create a bi-directional feedback loop so that people understand where we are. If I set expectations and I create a system of measure but I never tell anyone or I never communicate and they don't meet expectations, that's my fault. And then fourth, I have to create the culture of accountability. I have to ensure that we are on the same page and when we don't achieve a result or we don't achieve a target that we talk about, that we communicate it, that accountability is created. We have to make sure we clarify the difference between good intentions and clear expectations. Hey, let's go on a trip to Florida. That's a good intention. Let's go to Disney World on July 3rd at noon. That's a clear expectation. They're markedly different. The intent is the same. We're going to Florida. The difference is the specificity. Now, I didn't say how this was gonna get done. I didn't say, hey, we're gonna drive to Florida. I can delegate that. But when I have articulated very, very clearly we're gonna go to Disney World on July 3rd and we're gonna be there at noon. There's no gap. There's no ambiguity about that. A major blind spot is assuming people know what you mean without ever saying it out loud. I hear this all the time when I hear a leader say, they should just know what I mean. And my question is always, well, did you tell them? Did you articulate what you just told me to them in so many words? Well, no, they should know. They should understand. It doesn't work that way. It's our job as leaders to create clarity. And when we don't, it's a blind spot. And I have been guilty of this same thing. And it's something I have to guard against because in my head, it's crystal clear. But if I haven't put the words to that, it's just ambiguous. It's a good intention. It's not a clear expectation. It's not clear direction. Unspoken expectations are future disappointments in the making. I'm gonna say that again because I think it's really powerful. An unspoken expectation is a future disappointment in the making. If I expect something and I don't articulate it, I cannot be disappointed if you don't do it. Full stop. It's my fault. Blind spot number two. Alignment isn't just agreement. It's commitment to deliver on those expectations. It's saying, hey, this is where we're going. This is when we wanna be there. This is the expectation. Are you clear on this? And a person can say, yes, that's agreement. Alignment is saying, hey, this is where we're going. This is when we wanna be there. This is what we're going to do. Are you in agreement? And do you commit to delivering those results? Is your team really bought in or are they just nodding along? That's the question you need to address and answer for yourself. That's the question I always try to think about is, have I created commitment, not just agreement? And there's a big distinction between the two. Leaders confirm alignment. They can't assume it. Clarity creates direction. Alignment creates energy. When we have clarity and we confirm alignment, wow, we're about to get something done. If you don't align before you execute, you can't be surprised when people drift off course. Clarity, where are we going? What needs to happen? When is it due? Alignment, are you committed to delivering that result? Are you committed to letting me know if we're off course? Are you committed to ensuring we hit this target? When you achieve that from a clarity perspective, you've got magic. You have the ability to execute without drag, to execute without bleeding off energy that could otherwise be channeled towards the target. Everything we do that isn't in an energy investment in the target is a waste. And if you don't align before you execute, you can't be surprised when people drift off course. Blind spot number three, a weak accountability culture. Man, let's be clear. This is not about micromanagement. It's about mutual commitment. There are two types of accountability. There is accountability of self. When people hold themselves accountable to the commitments they have made. That's like magic, that's angel singing, that is beautiful. When people have clarity and they hold themselves accountable to the commitments they have made, you have a culture of accountability where people hold themselves to the standard. That's wonderful, but you can't stop there. You can't just say, well, that's what I want. If we don't get that, I'm just gonna let it go. Because what happens is accountability falls off. It's not about micromanagement. It's about mutual commitment. It's about alignment to what we have committed to doing. Clear expectations plus a regular follow-up is what creates a culture of accountability in the absence of accountability of self, in the absence of a person raising the hand and saying, hey, we're off course or understanding that they're the ones accountable and responsible for delivering on their commitments. We as leaders, we as managers must ensure that we follow up because the minute that we don't, and this is the blonde spot I see, the minute that we don't, the entire organization sinks down. I'm gonna let that settle for a second. It's not that one person doesn't do it. It's we are allowing the lowered standard to be the standard. Accountability isn't confrontation. Let me be real clear on this. I'm not talking about a fierce in-your-face leadership or management style. I'm just simply talking about following up on our commitments. It's confirmation. That's why clarity is so important. That's why commitments are so important because it makes the accountability conversation so easy. It makes it natural. Hey, Sally, on July 1st, we agree that we would deliver X. It's now July 2nd, and we haven't. Help me understand where we got off course. Help me understand why this wasn't communicated in advance. My expectation is you're gonna let me know ahead of time. We talked about that and you committed to that. Help me understand what happened. What am I missing? That's one of my favorite leadership questions, by the way. What am I missing? I'm not pointing fingers. I'm not assuming that I am right and you are wrong. I'm asking for someone to expose what I might not have, which is information. I'm gonna say this line again because I think it's so important. Accountability isn't confrontation. It's confirmation. It's confirmation of the expectations that we set, the clarity we created. It's confirmation of the commitments that were made and now we are confirming that it didn't happen. We're having the conversation. Again, it doesn't mean it has to be fierce and it doesn't mean it has to be a tough conversation. It just has to happen. 'Cause if you don't, the entire organization sinks. One of the phrases that I often use and it's one of my favorites and I gotta check myself on all this all the time is every commitment should have a what by when. If I as a leader don't ask for this and say, hey, George, what have you committed to delivering? And by when? If I don't get a commitment back that there's clarity of understanding, what is it that my favorite tactics was to have folks call me out on it and man, they will do it. Former leadership teams, someone would leave. Hey, Dusty, we left this with a zero on the what by when. You didn't ask me. Awesome, call me out. Let's get that clarified. What by when? What by when? When we articulate that, it makes the follow-up conversation so easy. People will hold themselves accountable when they see you follow up with consistency. Now, however you need to do that is it a reminder in your calendar is that the task in your to do list, it just has to happen. It's not micromanage. You're not talking about how things get done. You're just talking about the commitments that were made. Most leaders don't need more advice. They simply need clarity. That's what the vision to victory scorecard is all about. It's free, it's fast, and it gives you a clear picture of where you are and what's next. Start now at clarityalignmentexecution.com. Let's make sure that your next step forward is the right one. Here's kind of a bonus that I see a lot. This is a blind spot and this came from one of my mentors. I was venting that I couldn't understand why I had to keep saying the same thing over and over again. Why do I have to keep talking about core values? Why do I have to keep talking about our strategy? Why do I have to keep talking about our vision? And I can remember this very vividly. He sat there and he looked at me and he goes, "Huh, you know, Dusty, "when you're tired of saying it, "it's only starting to sink in." And I remember sitting there for a minute going, "Wait a minute, wait, hold on, what? "When I'm tired of talking about it, "it's only starting to sink in." And he said, "Yeah." Because you think communication is about you and it's not. It's about them. So it's not about whether you're frustrated for him to say it. It's about whether or not you've said it enough for it to land and resonate. When you're tired of talking about it, it's only starting to sink in. The language I like to think about here is, if your message matters, you have to repeat it until it echoes. And here's what I mean by that. If the message is really important, when you hear other people talking about it, oh yeah, it's sinking in. If the message matters, you have to repeat it until it echoes. When people know that every time they get run across you, you're gonna talk about the same three things or you're always going to talk about our plan, our result, whatever it is, if it matters, you have to repeat it until it echoes. Here's your takeaway. These blind spots are completely fixable. They're 100% within your control, but only if you're willing to see them. Here's a couple of questions you can use to check yourself, so to speak, before you wreck yourself, to make sure that you are conveying and creating a culture of clarity, a culture of alignment, and a culture of accountability. Are you assuming that people understand you? Can you or have you answered the what by when question? Are you aligning expectations or are you asking for commitments? Are you communicating or are you getting commitments? And the third, are you following up? Have I followed up consistently? 'Cause if you let something slide once, are you following up consistently or are you letting things slide? I have a good friend and former colleague who used to always whip out this little saying, and I have no idea where it can be attributed or to whom it should be attributed. But he'd always whip out this little saying, anytime when we got into a conversation about following through or accountability or lowering expectations. And I vividly remember the very first time he said it to me because it made me laugh and it also set me back on my heels a little bit. I don't remember the context of the conversation or the exact situation, but I remember that we were talking about lowering standards or maybe we shouldn't be asking for something that was quite so difficult. And he looked at me and he goes, well, we have to be careful. We might be creating a lollipop problem here. And I remember looking at him and I went, David, what on earth are you talking about? What the heck is a lollipop problem? He just grinned and he said, well, you have to be really careful. Beware of the lollipop of mediocrity. If you lick it once, you will suck forever. Here's a couple of things you can try. At your next team meeting, walk through your top priorities using the what by when structure. If you don't have a clear articulation of what needs to be done by when and add in there who's accountable, but what by when, you don't really have an expectation. You don't really have clarity. You just have a good intent. You have an intention. And ask each leader, do you know what we expect by when and why it matters? Confirm with each leader. Do you have clarity? Are you committing to this result by this time? Do you understand why this is important? Ask for confirmation. It's critically important because you're getting commitment. And that's a whole lot more important than just a head nodding. Ask for commitment. If this episode helped exposing the blind spots that you might be dealing with, or some of the ones that we struggle with and guard against all the time, check out ArcusGroup.com. We have some articles and tools about how to avoid these and some systems that you can install to create clarity, to build alignment and commitment, and to ensure that culture of accountability. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a leader you trust. The more people that you can expose the blind spots with, the more awareness and the less impactful they will be on your leadership. Thanks so much for listening. This is Leadership Unlocked. If today's episode gave you something to think about, something to apply, then there's more where that came from. Head over to ArcusGroup.com and sign up for our newsletter. It's where we share tools, insights, and our leadership frameworks to help you lead with more clarity, more alignment, and more impact. No fluff, just what helps you lead better. Thanks for tuning in. See you next time on Leadership Unlocked.