“Going in blind” is akin to a suicide mission. The phrase is an open acknowledgement that you do not have the experience, tools, information, resources, assistance, or support to complete a task successfully, which likely means you should not be engaging in it in the first place.
“Rushing in where angels fear to tread” was Alexander Pope’s description the inherent idiocy of entering a situation unprepared and without the required skills needed to achieve a favorable outcome.
Which is why I was skeptical of the idea that emerging leaders, like myself, should intentionally adopt the mentality of leading the people around us, both professional and personal, as if we are blind.
“B.L.I.N.D.,” I have since learned, is a helpful acronym for Beginning Leadership In a New Direction.
Statistically, 10,000 people leave the American workforce every day, many of whom are Baby Boomers. Of those, 50 percent are in some variation of a leadership or managerial position. Our economy has never seen such a mass exodus from the working world, which creates a leadership talent gap of unprecedented proportions.
I see it all the time, as so many of us are receiving an opportunity for a leadership position earlier in our careers than our parents did.
My mentor introduced me to leading B.L.I.N.D. as he noticed I spent a lot of time focused on what my team around me was doing or not doing.
“Leadership vision starts with your ability to see yourself and how you effect those around you. It’s amazing how many people with titles are completely oblivious to how the noise in their own head impacts everyone around them,” Buss Brauer said.
He referred to that noise as an “Internal Narrative,” where the voice inside your head is often the loudest in the room. It frequently tells you that you are a fraud, having landed the position at work, and sometimes even in your personal life, due to a misrepresentation of yourself.
Your Internal Narrative can tell you that you are not qualified for the role you have or the role you want. The phrase “fake it until you make it” comes to mind as a method of acknowledging this negative mindset and overcoming it.
The problem with “faking it,” though, is that it requires acceptance that you indeed are underqualified and undeserving, thus creating the need to pretend your way through the days until you are able to acquire the knowledge and worth to feel rightly placed in your position.
So often though, when we finally feel that way, he said, we often are tapped for a promotion or recruited by another organization for a higher-level position. Upon acceptance of the more senior title, the fraudulent feelings resurface, leaving us in the same mental position we’ve always been.
“The greatest mentor in my life, my first guide dog trainer, impressed upon me every day while I was in training the importance of standing up straight, opening my eyes, and walking and talking with confidence. He told me my guide dog would only accept me as the leader if I projected a command of myself, a command of the moment, and a command of mission focus.”
Buss Brauer went on to say those skills were the first steps he took while leading in a new direction. No longer would he look at the ground, as people who are blind often do. It didn’t and doesn’t matter whether you can see the person with whom you are speaking, Buss said. What is important is she can see you and can feel what you are projecting.
The beginning of the new leadership direction is all about introspective analysis and change. Believe you are the most qualified person to live your own life, and the positions you are in are appropriately earned based on your life’s experiences and abilities.
Not knowing how to do something, like leading a guide dog, is different from being unable to do something. Learning is not a sign of being unqualified, nor does it mean you are somehow a fraud because the people around you appear to have more practical information regarding processes and other job-related functions.
It is imperative to remember so many of us feel the same way. “Don’t underestimate the anxiousness in the room,” Buss told me. Everyone feels inadequate, even if only temporary. Most people’s first reaction to a crisis is fear as they wonder how they will resolve the issue effectively.
Leading B.L.I.N.D. in a new direction begins with the personal acknowledgement of your Internal Narrative, and a commitment to changing it. Appreciating yourself and your abilities, rather than questioning them, so you can confidently influence your team as you help them change their Internal Narratives pushes you into your new leadership direction.
There is no fee for your team’s first live webinar and there is no better, practical or more fun leadership diversity, equity, and inclusion training than “Find the Door,” which is delivered by an executive who is blind and his guide dog. Ask any question, learn how a blind person’s travel skills can help accelerate your career, and find out how you too can “Find the Door” to a corporate culture where DEI is fun, profitable, and embraced by all.
Drop your name and email in the form below and we’ll keep you in the loop regarding future blogs, emerging leader guidance, and how a blind executive’s travels can help you find your career’s next door.