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\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
When something isn\u2019t working on your team, it\u2019s natural to look outward first.<\/p>\n
We examine performance, processes, communication and accountability. We ask why people aren\u2019t meeting expectations or why the same problems keep showing up. Sometimes those things are the issue. But over the years, I\u2019ve learned that recurring leadership challenges often have a common denominator: me.<\/p>\n
Before I make assumptions about my team, I try to run what I call an emotional pattern audit. These five questions help me identify blind spots before those blind spots<\/a> become barriers.<\/p>\n One of my favorite tools for self-awareness is the Enneagram because it highlights how you behave when you\u2019re thriving versus when you\u2019re stressed. The greatest strength<\/a> a leader can have is knowing their own weaknesses.<\/p>\n When I notice the same frustration appearing over and over again, I stop focusing on the individual situation and start looking for the pattern. If the same challenge<\/a> keeps showing up with different people or under different circumstances, there\u2019s usually something deeper worth examining. Patterns often reveal issues that a single event cannot.<\/p>\n This is often the hardest question to answer honestly. For years, I thought I had a delegation<\/a> problem. I couldn\u2019t understand why everything seemed to come back to me. Then I realized I wasn\u2019t struggling with delegation at all. I was struggling with my own understanding of my role.<\/p>\n I explained this recently using family photos. When my children were little, I was always the one holding the camera. I was organizing everyone and managing the moment instead of simply being in it. In business, I was doing the same thing. Instead of focusing on my responsibilities<\/a> as the owner, I kept stepping into responsibilities that belonged to other people. I was unintentionally preventing ownership.<\/p>\n One of the hardest lessons I learned was accepting that my team will never care about the business the way I do. That\u2019s not because they aren\u2019t committed. In fact, they work for me because they\u2019re committed to educating children and care about it deeply. However, that investment has a different lens than that of an owner. They\u2019re simply not going to care about the same things I care about to the same degree that I care as the owner.<\/p>\n For a long time, I found myself frustrated when people didn\u2019t show the same level of passion or urgency that I felt. Eventually, I realized I was expecting people to experience the business<\/a> through my lens instead of theirs. Once I adjusted that expectation, I became a better leader because I stopped measuring commitment by whether someone thought exactly like me.<\/p>\n Sometimes, the feedback we\u2019re least willing to hear is that we need to adjust our expectations, not our people.<\/p>\n Every leader needs someone who can see what they can\u2019t. For me, that\u2019s often my husband. I\u2019m a visionary by nature, which means I\u2019m usually thinking years ahead. While that\u2019s one of my greatest strengths, it can also become a blind spot.<\/p>\n Whenever I get too focused on the future, my husband jokes that I\u2019m Icarus flying too close to the sun. What he\u2019s really telling me is that while I\u2019m looking at the horizon, there are things happening right in front of me that need my attention. I have similar people at work, too, people who can prod me back onto the right path.<\/p>\n The best leaders don\u2019t surround themselves with people who always agree with them. They surround themselves with people who are willing to tell them the truth.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve identified a pattern, the next question is whether it\u2019s something that can actually change. There are things about me that I can improve. I can communicate<\/a> more clearly. I can create better systems. I can be more intentional in how I lead. There are also things that are simply part of who I am. I\u2019m always going to be a visionary. I\u2019m always going to care deeply about people.<\/p>\n Growth doesn\u2019t happen when we try to become someone else, but when we learn to refine the habits that hold us back while leaning into the strengths that make us effective.<\/p>\n Identifying a pattern is only the beginning. The next step is deciding whether it\u2019s something you can change and then creating a simple plan to address it. One mistake I see leaders make is trying to fix everything at once. If you discover that you\u2019re avoiding difficult conversations, struggling with delegation or creating confusion through unclear communication, don\u2019t create a ten-step improvement plan. Pick one area and focus on making consistent progress.<\/p>\n I like to identify no more than three action items. For example, if clarity is the issue, I might commit to ending every meeting with clearly defined ownership and next steps. If delegation is the issue, I might choose one responsibility to fully hand off instead of continuing to check in on it. If emotional awareness<\/a> is the issue, I might ask a trusted colleague to tell me when they notice I\u2019m operating from stress instead of intention.<\/p>\n Just as importantly, check back in with the people affected by the change. Ask whether they\u2019re seeing improvement and whether there\u2019s anything you\u2019re still missing. Leadership growth isn\u2019t about making assumptions. It\u2019s about creating feedback loops that help you improve over time.<\/p>\n The leaders who grow the fastest aren\u2019t the ones who never have blind spots. They\u2019re the ones willing to identify them, work on them, and measure their progress honestly.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n When something isn\u2019t working on your team, it\u2019s natural to look outward first.<\/p>\n We examine performance, processes, communication and accountability. We ask why people aren\u2019t meeting expectations or why the same problems keep showing up. Sometimes those things are the issue. But over the years, I\u2019ve learned that recurring leadership challenges often have a common denominator: me.<\/p>\n Before I make assumptions about my team, I try to run what I call an emotional pattern audit. These five questions help me identify blind spots before those blind spots<\/a> become barriers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n1. What problem keeps showing up repeatedly?<\/h2>\n
2. What role might I be playing in that pattern?<\/h2>\n
3. Am I expecting my team to be as invested as I am?<\/h2>\n
4. Who has permission to tell me when I\u2019m off course?<\/h2>\n
5. Am I acting from intention or habit?<\/h2>\n
Turning awareness into action<\/h2>\n
Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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