Money, people, products or services, and customers—there would be no argument that these are necessary components for any organization to be successful. However, these elements must be effectively managed. Leadership is the single imperative required to ensure that the organization achieves its vision.

Even the best strategy can fail if a corporation doesn’t have a cadre of leaders with the right capabilities at the right levels of the organization.¹

It is amazing how many blind spots managers and leaders have with regard to their own leadership skills. Larcen Consulting Group (LCG) has worked with thousands of managers and executives in companies ranging from small startups to Fortune 100 companies. Much of what we do falls in the broader category of Leadership Development—including Executive Assessment, Executive Development, Coaching, Team Building, Competency System Design and other similar engagements. Our starting point with all of our clients is helping the leader understand his/her individual and organizational strengths and blind spots.

I recently had my annual eye exam. My ophthalmologist told me my eyesight had improved -- for the second year in a row. It would be great if my improved eyesight kept me from having "blind spots" in my thinking and actions. When it comes to leadership, it would be fantastic if perfect vision was possible. We know this doesn't happen. No single leader has every desirable leadership trait essential for total effectiveness. ²

In their McKinsey Quarterly article “Leadership is the Starting Point of Strategy,” Tsun-yan Hsieh and Sara Yik propose that too many organizations fail to understand and recognize that new strategies require different if not new leadership skills. Even when leaders are skillful at creating vision and developing the strategies necessary to achieve the vision, they too often do not recognize the leadership competency gaps that may serve as major barriers to execution of the strategies. Hsieh and Yik recommend the following strategies to identify and confront our blind spots.

1.		Acknowledge Blind Spots: Through self-examination and increasing self-awareness, our “leadership eyesight” can become clearer and we can see the potential (and the need) for improvement. We can “seal” the commitment to improve by engaging in a process of examination of our strengths and areas for development with others.
2.		Develop a Discovery Process: We must be open to discovering our areas for growth and development. This requires introspection combined with will. We must be willing to hear the feedback from others.
3.		Don't Let Blind Spots Rob You: The Chinese philosopher, Laotse, said in the 6th Century B.C.: "He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty." If we don’t recognize and confront our blind spots, we will be robbed of the opportunity to perform at our personal best.
4.		Plan to Add Light on the Issue: It is tempting to become defensive when we begin to see our blind spots—when we identify areas where we need to improve. We need to leverage our strengths in order to build our personal effectiveness. We must also acknowledge our development areas in order to achieve our potential. Improvement must be a result of a conscious commitment followed by action.
5.		Commit to Continuous Learning: Peter Senge3 has taught us that "personal mastery," "mental models," "shared vision," and "team learning" are the systematic components of the “learning organization”. People and organizations must exercise a discipline and a commitment to continuously evaluate and adapt in order to achieve our personal and organization goals.
6.		Recognize the Rewards: In our work with executives, we have seen dramatic change in the individual and the organization as a result of the Executive Assessment and Development Process. The LCG process focuses first on the individual’s strengths. Then, through the use of self-assessment as well as 360-feedback tools, we help the individual with their areas for development. Through one-on-one coaching over a number of months, we help the individual to implement an action plan and begin to see the positive results of a commitment to growth.

Leadership is the key to achieving organization success. Commitment to continuous learning and personal development is required to achieve leadership effectiveness.

Sources
1.		Tsun-yan Hsieh and Sara Yik. “Leadership is the Starting Point of Strategy,” The McKinsey Quarterly, 2005, Number 1.
2.		Frederick E. Roach. Leadership Brief.
3.		Peter M. Senge. The Fifth Discipline, Doubleday,1990.