Mind the Gap

If you are anything like me you are a bit of a learning ‘junkie’. Always looking for the next thing to learn, or ways of getting new insights whether that be a course, a webinar, a conference, a seminar, reading a book or hiring your own coach.

We are always setting targets or goals and then when we get there set new ones, often without celebrating how far we have come. We focus on filling the gap between where we are and where we want to be.

I have spent part of this week with my mastermind group reviewing my business and how I operate and identifying what I need to do in the next quarter. An additional element was a day looking at how you communicate to create a powerful partnership.

It’s easy to think you have learned a topic and there is no need to revisit it. WRONG!

Just the way the concepts and exercises were presented allowed me to look at what I do differently.

What I took away was some ideas for coaching. More importantly it allowed me to identify a blind spot I have around my own expectations when communicating with others and how I can improve on a particular communication skill.

Blind spots – the biggest growth area

Our blind spots are the things we don’t know we are doing or the things we don’t know we don’t know – and neither to do others. So, when they are revealed to us, no matter how small, they help us make progress and grow in areas we never imagined.

The very reason that you don’t know what you don’t know makes identifying your blind spots difficult and the only person getting in the way of them is you! You can see the conundrum…..

And it’s worth saying that blind spots can be talents as well as development areas.

So how do you open yourself up to them?

Here are my tips to help you:

• Be prepared to revisit topics, tools you’ve used before to review how they are working for you. If you know someone who is really good at these things, go and talk to them. Find out their approach, how they think, what they do that is different to you.
• Be honest with yourself. We can be our own worst enemy and skirt over situations and topics that we are uncomfortable with. Give yourself some space to really explore what might be going on for you.
• Conduct a review after meetings and events. Ask your self:

         What went well?

         What didn’t go so well?

         Knowing what I know now what would I do differently?

         What action will I now take to do things differently moving forward?

     It can often help to involve others in this to get some different perspectives.

• Take 100% responsibility for every situation. If you are not getting what you want, what can you do differently to make it clear what you want? This may mean that you still don’t get what you want and you may learn something about yourself in the process.
• Get a great coach to support and challenge you. They will see things in you that you and those close to you don’t, or aren’t prepared to tell you about.

Celebrate!

Continuous learning and growth is a bit like peeling an onion. The first few layers come off really easy and the closer you get to the centre the more patient you need to be and the shifts are more subtle.

Be kind to yourself - recognise your progress and celebrate. Focus on how far you have come as well as where you want to get to and own your success.

‘Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.’
Winston Churchill