{"id":37964,"date":"2017-10-17T00:02:53","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T05:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=37964"},"modified":"2017-10-17T00:02:53","modified_gmt":"2017-10-17T05:02:53","slug":"selfie-stick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/selfie-stick\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You See Yourself Clearly?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you see a group of friends roar with laughter after taking a selfie, you can bet they used a warp app to capture the moment. Like the funhouse mirrors of yesteryear, the app stretches our bodies and squeezes our faces to hilarious extremes. We have to laugh because the reflection has nothing to do with reality.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll never forget the day a fellow leader poked his finger in my sternum and severely criticized my leadership. I stood speechless, not because his words were true, but because his criticism mirrored the very flaws he manifested in spades. In censuring me, he revealed his own warped selfie\u2014but this one wasn\u2019t so funny.<\/p>\n

Every leader carries a selfie stick. We must. After all, effective leadership requires we take a good look at ourselves\u2014not only from our own vantage point<\/a>, but that of our teammates as well.<\/p>\n

Blind Spots in Plain Sight<\/h3>\n

Our position of authority doesn\u2019t bestow a supernatural ability to see the truth. Our authority can, in some cases, do the exact opposite. If our self-awareness gets warped\u2014and we see ourselves far different than reality\u2014we can begin to lead with directives that merely prop up our fragile ego.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all known leaders oblivious of\u2014or unwilling to see\u2014their weaknesses<\/a>. The emperor has no clothes, but no one has the guts to say so. In such an insecure environment, many people prefer to let the king continue the charade rather than to speak up and lose their heads.<\/p>\n

Truth be told, we all have blind spots that hinder our self-awareness. Personality tests can offer a great starting point on our journey to self-awareness. After all, no one fails a personality test! These assessments have no wrong answers because their goal is self-discovery. The real test comes after you get the results.<\/p>\n

Chicken in My Teeth<\/h3>\n

But self-awareness means more than knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your personality. It also means understanding how others may react to your temperament. One time, I asked several colleagues to give me some honest feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Along with the affirmations, they opened my eyes to a blind spot in my leadership. Hearing their words felt like staring in the mirror after a social event and\u2014horror of horrors\u2014seeing chicken in my teeth!<\/p>\n

I had no awareness of the flaw they saw. Honestly, I struggled to face the truth. I later went to each person and apologized for how I had blown it. And I\u2019ve tried to pay attention to that blind spot since then. It was a tough assignment, but worth the work.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m convinced that a wise leader welcomes feedback. Only a foolish leader thinks she has already arrived. And in a way, she has. She\u2019ll make no progress. Why? The problem always lies somewhere else. But it takes tremendous courage to dig the lint out of your navel, examine it, and own it!<\/p>\n

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Take a Good Look<\/h3>\n

I urge you to invite those who work over you, beside you, and under you to offer some honest feedback. It isn\u2019t easy, believe me, but it\u2019s essential. Is it disappointing? It sure can be! But like a doctor who discovers a spot on a lung, we know it\u2019s better to acknowledge the issue and deal with it than to waste\u2014and eventually lose\u2014our influence because of our disregard of the disease.<\/p>\n

The path to effective leadership<\/a> begins after seeing our true reflection. Knowing about it only makes it better if we deal with it. Don\u2019t filter or delete your selfies. Instead, take a good look. Authentic self-awareness plays an essential role in leadership because truth wins in the end. Trying to lead by faking it may allow some leaders to sidestep the truth for a while. But reality shows up in the long run.<\/p>\n\t\t