Get Out of Your Way

Get out of your way and relax into who you are. If you try to emulate another person completely then who would be you? We all have talents and expertise, strengths and weaknesses. Celebrate your strengths and acknowledge your weaknesses....work on them both if you like, though, in my mind, working on weaknesses makes your strengths more powerful while at the same time helps you pull yourself forward.

Many spend so much time fighting feedback. Instead of truly listening to what others are saying, both directly and indirectly, usually they fight back....spending an inordinate amount of time and energy arguing about the message rather than taking an objective look at it and doing something about it. Fighting blocks effective listening, breaking down communication and growth.

In the Johari Window (blog post October 5, 2003) I talk about the blind spot. Most people spend the greatest percentage of their time in this 'window'. We don't like to hear we're stubborn or never listen. We like to think we're perfect. If we see weaknesses in others so readily, why is it so difficult to see it in ourselves? And if we took feedback and used it to get stronger, what would be the downside?

If you don't trust direct feedback, do you pay attention to the subtleties of results when it comes to your leadership skills, interaction with others, and whether or not people gravitate to you or run the other way? Do you find others constantly asking for input and ideas, or negating everything you say? What do you think the root cause of this is?

Responses to you are feedback in themselves. Is there a trend? How large is your circle of influence? And is it growing or shrinking? Questions to ask yourself.

It's time to get out of your own way of leading and succeeding.

Best...
Donna Karlin