Have you ever felt absolutely certain you understood yourself, only to discover a gap, a hidden aspect of your behavior or personality, that others could clearly see, but you were missing completely? It’s a jarring experience, and it happens to the best of us. Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an emerging leader, these “blind spots” can significantly impact your effectiveness, your relationships, and ultimately your career trajectory.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Marty Dubin, a clinical psychologist, executive coach, and seasoned consultant who specializes in helping leaders uncover and address these blind spots. Marty’s insights aren’t just theoretical; they’re rooted in decades of experience working with hundreds of top executives at Fortune 500 companies and Silicon Valley startups.
Marty’s upcoming book, aptly titled Blind Spotting, tackles this topic head-on. Our conversation was an illuminating exploration of how small, strategic shifts in self-awareness can unlock massive potential for leaders at every level. This blog captures the essence of our discussion, highlights Marty’s powerful framework, and provides actionable steps you can take immediately to become more self-aware, intentional, and effective in your leadership.
Meet Marty Dubin: Clinical Psychologist Turned Leadership Expert
Before we dive in, let me introduce Marty Dubin properly. Marty’s impressive background blends clinical psychology and business acumen in a uniquely impactful way. Early in his career, Marty practiced clinical psychology, eventually transitioning to the business world, where he served as CEO of a multimillion-dollar healthcare company. His dual expertise in human behavior and organizational leadership positioned him to successfully guide leaders through challenging transitions and growth opportunities.
After his tenure as CEO, Marty shifted into executive coaching and consulting, first with the Center for Creative Leadership, then as a partner at RHR International, and later advising Silicon Valley venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. Today, he works directly with senior executives and leadership teams, helping them unlock greater strategic self-awareness. Marty splits his time between Colorado and New Mexico, balancing his work with his passion for skiing, hiking, and enjoying life’s simple pleasures.
Understanding Blind Spots
Blind spots aren’t necessarily faults or weaknesses. Rather, they are aspects of ourselves we are unaware of, yet that others around us can clearly see. Marty explained this succinctly during our conversation:
“These are things about ourselves that we are not aware of, but oftentimes other people are aware. These behaviors and traits usually serve you well 90% of the time, but sometimes they don’t, and that’s when they become blind spots.”
This subtle distinction is crucial. Blind spots often arise from overusing strengths or traits that generally benefit us. For instance, a highly confident leader may occasionally appear arrogant, or a leader known for decisiveness may inadvertently become dismissive of others’ input.
When left unaddressed, these blind spots can undermine leadership effectiveness, limit career growth, and damage professional relationships. However, when recognized and addressed proactively, these same blind spots can lead to transformational growth and effectiveness.
Marty’s Six Key Areas of Self-Awareness
Marty’s research and practical experience led him to identify six critical areas where leaders must build deeper self-awareness:
- Identity: Understanding how you define yourself and how others perceive your professional brand.
- Traits: Knowing your core personality traits and recognizing how they impact your behavior.
- Motives: Getting clear on what genuinely drives you, your underlying motivations and what fuels your actions.
- Emotions: Being aware of your emotional responses and managing them effectively in professional contexts.
- Intellect: Recognizing your knowledge gaps, understanding what you don’t know and how you process information.
- Behavior: Identifying specific behaviors, habits, and actions that influence your leadership style and outcomes.
During our conversation, Marty shared compelling examples to illustrate how understanding these areas can dramatically shift leadership effectiveness.
Practical Steps for Addressing Your Blind Spots
If you’re inspired to identify and address your own blind spots, Marty provided several powerful and practical steps to begin immediately:
1. Solicit Honest Feedback
To uncover blind spots, the best source of insight is often external feedback. Whether through informal conversations or formal 360-degree assessments, proactively seek candid input about how others perceive you.
2. Regularly Reflect on Your Identity
Your professional identity shapes your behavior. Spend intentional time regularly reflecting on your professional brand and how it aligns (or misaligns) with your aspirations.
3. Monitor Your Emotional Triggers
Blind spots often emerge under stress or heightened emotions. Identifying when and why you become emotionally triggered helps you proactively manage your responses.
4. Cultivate Curiosity and Ask Better Questions
Marty emphasizes curiosity as an antidote to blind spots. Instead of assuming you know the answer, approach situations with questions, openness, and humility.
5. Leverage Strategic Tweaks
Blind spots don’t require drastic changes. Often, subtle, consistent adjustments have significant impact.
6. Create a Culture of Open Feedback
Marty highlighted that a healthy feedback culture within your team can exponentially enhance collective awareness.
The Power of Small Changes
One of Marty’s most profound insights was his emphasis on small changes leading to big outcomes:
“The one thing we have control over is how we show up. The more self-aware you are, the more strategic and deliberate you can be about how you show up in your behavior.”
Much like a golf coach who makes a subtle adjustment to a golfer’s swing, minor but consistent adjustments in your self-awareness can profoundly improve your leadership effectiveness.
My conversation with Marty Dubin underscored that blind spots aren’t simply vulnerabilities, they are powerful opportunities for growth. Becoming more strategically self-aware can transform your relationships, elevate your leadership effectiveness, and enhance your professional impact.
I encourage you to adopt Marty’s practical tips, solicit feedback, embrace curiosity, reflect regularly, and experiment with strategic tweaks. In doing so, you’ll discover not just what’s possible in your leadership, but what’s truly extraordinary.
Here’s to clearly seeing, and becoming, the leader you’re capable of being.
