Why Most Leaders Are Flying Blind (And Don't Even Know It)

0:01We need to confront the reality of where we are so we can actually then identify our real strengths and where things are going very well and we want to double down on that but we're also not naive to the areas that need improvement.

0:17Hi there everyone, welcome back to Brave Bold Brilliant. So I am Jeanette Linfoot, the host of the podcast. I've spent 25 plus years in the corporate world as a corporate CEO running very large global businesses, but also as a serial entrepreneur and a portfolio business owner myself. So I've been around the block a little bit and you know, today's episode, what I really want us to discuss is really about why a lot of leaders in business are actually flying blind. And I say that with the greatest respect because I know how difficult it is to actually run businesses and be able to keep all of that energy, all of that emotion, all of that focus, deliver the results that you need to, you know, for all the stakeholders that you have in your world.

1:11So it is not easy. But actually, there are certain things that if you're aware of this, you can really make a difference. So I ask you a question. And the question is this, do you really genuinely know where your business is right now? And I mean, in terms of the strategic position in the market, the numbers that you're achieving, the results that you're getting, Where are your team in terms of their capability, their development? Do you really know the health of your business? Now, this applies if you are a business owner, maybe you're a founder of a business. It also applies if you are in the corporate world.

1:58You might be running a department or running a large organization, you know, that's listed on the London Stock Exchange. But the principles apply whether you are a sole opener or if you have a huge global business that you're running. Because the truth is that after the 30 plus years that I've been in business, you know, I often find that when I ask that simple question, do you know the true health of your business, that a lot of people say yes with great confidence. But actually, when we dig underneath the surface, we find that they don't really know what's going on. And this also becomes more problematic as your business grows.

2:41So, you know, a lot of this is around your own leadership, your own awareness. A lot of it is around the team. You know, is it high performing team that you have or are there areas that you need to develop further? But also, you know, the actual performance of the business, the position in the market, what's going on in the real world. And sometimes as you grow your business or if you're in a large organisation, you can find that you can become removed from the day to day. You can become removed from the reality. Now, as a leader, I always say you have to be like a helicopter. So you have to be able to hover above, you know, work on your business, not in your business, be able to see the horizon, the strategic position, make the big decisions, you know, follow the investment cases that you need to make those big choices about.

3:34And then you need to be able to land, land in the business. You know, maybe an opportunity has come up that you need to pay some attention to. Or there could be a problem, maybe an issue with someone on the team or, you know, there's something that's happened externally that needs your attention. So you're always having to adjust as a leader and be that helicopter. But here's the thing, you know, when you're if you elevate yourself too much and you get that balance wrong, you can find that actually you don't really know the true health of your business. And that means as a leader, you are running blind.

4:10All right. So what I want to talk about is that exact topic today. now if we are not connected on social media let's get connected you're going to find me Jeanette Linfoot with two n's and two t's all over social media so let's get connected and of course with Brave Bold Brilliant we not only have an incredible podcast which is on Apple or Spotify so you can hit subscribe there to follow us we also have a recently relaunched YouTube channel. So if you prefer watching video, and maybe you're watching this on video right now, then please hit the subscribe button because it's going to really help us.

4:52We're really, our aim is to help as many people as possible unlock their brilliance. But that doesn't happen alone. That happens when we build a great community of business leaders. So, you know, that's what we're all about at Brave Bold Brilliant. And of course, I would encourage you and your teams to, you know, head out, head over to the website as well, you know, on Brave Bold brilliant www.brave-bold-brilliant.com we've got a whole plethora of resources in the resource hub and of course if you're interested in us working together to help you your teams and your business step up step up to that next level of growth then let's talk right let's talk so let's get into this you might want to make some notes this could be helpful for you of course feel free to watch back And if you've got any questions or maybe some thoughts that you just want to throw out there for us to discuss together, send them over, send me a DM, put a comment in the post if you're watching this on social media.

5:50So the first point I want to make about why leaders are flying blind is because success can often mask the problem. So what do I mean by that? Well, here's the thing, you know, as a leader, you can often build a narrative around sort of the numbers that or the results that you think are coming through. So when you look at your P &L, when you look at your KPIs and all of that kind of good stuff, you know, you may see success in those numbers and that is fantastic. But actually, what's going on behind the scenes? Are the processes as robust as they could be? Is there some aggressive competitor activity?

6:29It's not quite hit yet. and so success can often mask the problem if you're doing quite well then that can actually sometimes make you complacent as a leader so yes we should celebrate success and I'm all for that 100 % but you also need to make sure that you're not letting your ego get in the way and just focus on those high level you know bullets and numbers to actually think that you're you're more successful than you are. The business is more solid than it is. So that's the first point. Success can mask the problem.

7:07So before we continue, I want to speak directly to those of you who are listening and thinking, I know I'm capable of more, but I need structure. I need some help. Because here's what I've actually learned after, gosh, more than three decades in business. You know, ambition without clarity creates frustration. And motivation without structure, it really does fade very, very fast. So that's exactly why we created Rise Academy. And Rise Academy is not theory. It isn't fluffy motivation, although you will be motivated. And it certainly isn't another online course that you never finish. It's actually a fully structured growth environment for ambitious entrepreneurs, leaders, and founders who absolutely are ready to do all of these things, sharpen their strategy, elevate their leadership, increase revenue with intention, and build businesses that actually support the life that they want.

8:13And inside Rise Academy, we focus on the foundations most people skip, leading yourself, leading your teams, and leading the business. It's about clarity, standards, decision making, commercial intelligence and execution. Because scaling, it really isn't about doing more. It's actually about doing the right things and doing the things right consistently. So if you're serious about stepping up into your next level of your leadership, your business life, and not just consuming content, but actually implementing it, then Rise Academy was absolutely built for you. So you can find all the details on our website, go to www.brave-bold-brilliant.com.

8:58And now let's get back to the show. Number two, your team. Are your team really being honest with you? Are they really telling you what's going on or is the culture more of a culture of fear of repercussions maybe they say yes to your face but actually there's something else going on behind now this is a really tricky one because when you're building a team you know you want like-minded individuals are all aligned behind a common purpose you recruit for culture as well and for fit not just the technical expertise or knowledge and but often I find with teams they don't want to be the bearer of bad news and they don't necessarily want to tell you the truth and they can it's not that they're trying to be dishonest but sometimes the culture may get in the way or the pressure of delivering results may mean that people don't really tell you what's going on now certainly in my time in corporate in particular when I was running very large global businesses with thousands of people on my team It can become very easy to get removed from the front line, from what's really going on.

10:09So the way that I used to actually address that, and this might be something for you to think about, was that I would often do back to the floor. And by that, I mean that I would spend time with the operational teams on the ground. Now, whether that was spending time in the call centre and listening on calls and talking directly to clients, whether it might be within a destination where I would spend time, you know, with our reps that would be in uniforms, whether it would be sitting down and joining some guests for dinner on one of our cruise liners to really understand kind of what's happening.

10:42And when you do that, you always learn. And sometimes it's good to do that, you know, where people know who you are. And other times it's good to to kind of be a little bit more discreet and behind the scenes so you can really hear what's going on. That's a great way to find out. And of course, with your team, it's so important to set the right tone. It's so important to be able to, you know, create a culture where people will tell you the truth, what's going on, even if that's not positive news. You know, I always work on the basis with all the teams that I've led over the years and I've been privileged to run some incredible businesses and built some amazing teams.

11:20And I love doing that. I would say I don't want any surprises. All right. If something's going off track, tell me. We sit down, we discuss it. We actually decide as a team how we're going to address something. The worst thing that you can do is keep something from me or to say yes when you really you mean no. and that takes time it takes trust you've got to create that right environment for that to happen and it isn't easy actually but certainly just a couple of thoughts there for you in terms of how you can actually really understand what's truly going on in the business even if your team are maybe a little bit nervous about telling you the reality of the situation so number three you know why else might a leader be running a little bit blind with their business well blind spots and blind spots can quietly kill growth so you know you think about the i don't know the big lorries that are on the motorway and often they'll say you know blind spot you know driver can't see you there and that's the same in business you know so so you might have strengths that you're overusing without realizing it that means we're overcompensating in one part of the business versus another part of the business that actually needs some improvement needs some regeneration maybe you know the the systems and processes we're in a world where ai is absolutely going at breakneck pace isn't it and that can often mean that the old way of doing things the processes that you had maybe the systems you had have become outdated and therefore there are some blind spots that you're not aware of and also if you're not um you know if you you can't possibly be an expert on everything when you're a leader that's why you have a team you bring people in a cleverer than you in lots of areas or more experienced.

13:08But, you know, you've got to also keep your peripheral vision out and speak to people, get the feedback, see what's going on, use the data to help you identify where these blind spots may be. You know, and actually, you know, really often what is needed is just a neutral diagnostic. So if you're feeling a little bit too close, too close to the details of what's going on in your organization a neutral perspective can often help and that's actually how we work with a lot of our clients a lot of the businesses and leaders and teams that we work with because we are neutral so we bring the lived experience i know what it's like to sit in a ceo seat you know we're all about real life business experience and putting things into practice with our clients that we know work but the benefit of having a neutral pair of eyes on your business is absolutely phenomenal it will be the difference between actually you know just hearing the internal view of the world versus someone that with kindness because they're interested in what you're doing but they don't have a vested interest and that is how we help businesses and we start with our Align 360 where we say let's take a look let's have some stakeholder interviews let's speak to the people on the ground we will have a neutral look at your strategy we can look at your KPIs obviously under a whole banner of confidentiality clearly and from that we're able to give you a neutral assessment I do the same thing when I'm looking at mergers and acquisitions very often you know a private equity house for example may be looking to buy a business and they asked me to come in and look at the deal look at the business is it a good business is it maybe a business that needs some strengthening where are the risks where are the opportunities because I can have a lens that actually you can't have so easily when you're stuck in the detail or if you're actually investing but you're not an expert in that sector So having a neutral place, a neutral perspective can be hugely helpful.

15:20So if you feel like you need that, reach out, come and have a conversation because that is absolutely where we can really help you in a no bullshit way, you know, just to keep it really, really clear. because the cost of not knowing, you know, is huge. So very often people will say, oh, well, I don't need to do that. I don't need to invest in, you know, someone to come in and look at my business. I know my business. But the reality is that you know a version of your business and you may not have had an external perspective where you can actually benchmark against other industries or against other businesses in the sector where someone who is neutral is able to do that.

16:01So the cost of not knowing is actually more and significantly more than the cost of actually investing in that neutral perspective. So honestly, when you have that clarity, it changes everything. It really does because it gives you, you know, a very clear reality check. It allows you then to move forward with pace, with a plan, with clearly identified areas to work on. I do the same. You know, when we work with teams, we look at the characteristics of a high performing team and we say, well, where are we now? Let's be honest. We have to confront the brutal truth of our current reality before we can move forward.

16:40So, you know, this is really a topic that I feel so passionate about, you know, and if this is resonating with you, if you're listening to this and think, oh, gosh, yeah, actually, there's a few kind of bells going off in my mind as I'm thinking and as I'm listening to you. you know, then don't miss, don't miss the rest of this series, you know, don't miss the rest of, you know, what, how we can help you. We are here, you know, we have over 630 odd podcast episodes with incredible guests and, you know, by me sharing some thoughts like this as well. So don't miss out, hit subscribe. And if you are hearing this and thinking, oh, a colleague or someone on team or maybe a fellow a fellow business person in your network would benefit from this please do share it because that's why we're here that's why we do this stuff so you need to get a real check on your business because otherwise you're running blind now I have shared with you some very clear examples as to how you can do that and we would love to help you know and if you if if you're feeling a little bit uncomfortable listening to this well good good because that's the whole point Right.

17:53We're not here. We're not here to, you know, just pretend that everything is always wonderful. It isn't. We need to check in. We need a neutral view. We need to confront the reality of where we are so we can actually then identify our real strengths and where things are going very well. and we want to double down on that, but we're also not naive to the areas that need improvement or to changing market conditions externally that maybe we've been burying our head under sand and sort of hoping they go away. Well, they won't go away. So this is the time for you to step up, to step up as a leader, to have absolute clarity, confront the brutal truth of where you are as a business but then importantly draw that line in the sand and then have the plan to move forward that you can execute against you're able to take the action and get the team galvanized so everyone understands why they're doing it and what the next phase of growth looks like that's what we're here to do so you know 100 i just want to recap okay so most leaders they're not struggling you know because they lack ambition or effort you know a lot of businesses and a lot of business leaders they're struggling because they're making decisions without actually necessarily having the full picture even if they think they've got the full picture so you've got to get honest you've got to get clear you've got to get absolutely focused and then quite frankly it's time to make brave decisions it's time to be bold with your actions because that is where you're going to unlock that next stage of brilliant in your business so you know if you found the episode interesting helpful share it with someone in your network please do leave us a comment please do reach out if you have a question if we can help you as brave bold brilliant whether it's one of our executive edge programs where we spend three days deeply immersed with you and your board whether it's leadership masterminds that you your team could do with you know where we work with you for six months on the accountability really focused on the business critical topics that you need or it could be our rise academy that would be perfect for your teams fully online digital leadership development program that focuses on leading yourself leading the teams leading the business really cost effective global and it allows for your leaders your future leaders your managers to step up to that next level of growth in their leadership journey.

20:21So whatever it may be, please do reach out. Please do connect. And remember, it's only by being brave and bold that you are going to unlock your brilliant. But now's the time. Now is the time. So don't hesitate. You only have one life. Let's make it count. I really hope you've enjoyed this episode of Brave, Bold Brilliant. Remember, check out our new website, www.brave-bold-brilliant.com. You're going to find loads of resources on there that's going to help you with your leadership journey and with the businesses that you're trying to scale up and grow. So take care, everyone. And remember, there are no limits to your growth, but it is by being brave and bold that you're going to unlock your brilliant.