Blind Spots: Developing a Proactive Posture

We talk about being proactive a lot at Leadr. Many organisations (including Leadr) have proactive workflows and communications built right into their systems and processes. For example, being proactive can be as simple as…

Sending a recap email after a meeting just to make sure everyone is on the same page and to nip any confusion before it ever gets out of hand

Doing regular check-ins with customers to ensure they never get confused, frustrated, or too far off track

Keeping upstream and downstream teammates updated on any anticipated changes that could impact them

There are also more complex ways of being proactive. Business executives have to think through all sorts of potential scenarios and outcomes in order to properly plan. An example of this might be running through security breach scenarios to prepare for an attack. Or anticipating what a competitor might do and putting a plan together just in case.

Being proactive is essential to running a business responsibly. We have to be able to anticipate the best and worst that could happen and to build mitigation plans to protect what we’ve worked so hard to build.

But this isn’t really what I want to talk about today.

You don’t know what you don’t know (and not knowing can hurt you)

While I don’t want to minimize the critical importance of businesses being proactive, I’d like to spend our time today focused on the individual employee. And I want to do that because I’ve noticed in all my time as an entrepreneur and CEO that there’s one area most individual employees tend to neglect: their own personal blind spots.

In other words: for one reason or another, most employees don’t seem comfortable being proactive about asking for advice and/or help. And in some cases, they may not even recognize their gaps or blind spots. And this can be incredibly damaging to a business.

The simple reality is we are all on a journey, myself included. We all have so much yet to learn. If there’s one thing that is unproductive in a startup environment, it’s a know-it-all. Startups need people who are willing to learn, test, ask questions, and iterate. And most importantly, startups need people who are going to grow alongside the company.

Learning to be more proactive (the hard way)

Back in 2016, I was trying to improve as CEO so I sent out a request for feedback from my direct reports. I got a number of things I was expecting, but there was one thing that really surprised me: A number of my team wrote that I was micromanaging them.

Micromanaging? I had no idea. None in the slightest.

It was so surprising because I never thought of myself that way. I was also hurt that nobody had bothered to tell me. Think of how much sooner I could have learned this had I been proactively seeking feedback all along.

I took the feedback to my Chairman and asked for advice on what to do and how to improve. He gave me a number of pieces of advice that are foundational to our culture now.

Developing a proactive posture toward personal growth

The following concepts came from that conversation with my Chairman, and this is what we began to implement.

First, in all communications, clearly identify whether you’re looking to provide information (FYI), have a conversation, or get a decision.

Second, there is a direct alignment between communication flow and autonomy.

Third, Information should be flowing proactively. It’s on the direct report to communicate upwards.

I want you to recall what I did to get to this place. I initiated the review process (this wasn’t a formal review), and I took the surprising feedback in and truly heard it. I then asked someone with more experience than me how I could change and improve. This is the moment when I truly started to improve.

The lesson here is that if you want to develop and improve and grow, this is the posture you need to take.

Are you frequently asking for feedback?

Is it being documented?

Are you asking someone with more experience than you how you can improve?

And when they give you feedback are you implementing it and then closing the loop?

As much as it hurt, in the next executive meeting after that, I told my team all of the feedback I had received (the good and the bad). I also shared my plan for how I was going to continue to improve myself.

You can’t grow unless you’re willing to get uncomfortable

There is one truth that I have learned: Your growth is in direct proportion of your willingness to be uncomfortable.

I used to think that growth came from reading books, but if that was the case, librarians would be the richest people on the planet. No, growth comes from doing.

Like a weightlifter, growth comes from lifting more than you can handle–taking on more work, trying something you’ve never done before, hearing something you don’t want to hear.

This also explains why so many people want to grow, but so few do. Growth requires hard work.

I don’t tell you all of this to toot my own horn. I tell you this because I want you to learn the lesson earlier than I did.

You can try and lift some weights on your own, or you can work with someone who has been where you’re trying to go, and they can help guide you along the way. There’s no need to make all the same mistakes other people already have. But one thing is certain: You have to start. You must get uncomfortable and allow others to speak into your life and help you recognize where you’re weak. It’s the only way you can begin the course-correct. What are you waiting for. Go ask someone for help!

→ Your turn. Tell me about a period of growth you’ve been through that required you to become humble and seek help from others. What did you learn?