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Reflection is part of our aviation DNA. We analyze flights, discuss what worked and examine what could improve. It's an ingrained discipline that keeps our teams sharp and our operations safe.Yet when it comes to leadership, many of us don't apply the same level of scrutiny to ourselves.
While we focus on results, we might miss the behaviors that quietly shape them.
These overlooked tendencies are blind spots that influence trust, communication and team dynamics—often without our awareness. And they show up in leaders at every level of business aviation.
Because these blind spots appear everywhere in our industry, they can be hard to recognize on our own. And not everyone has access to candid feedback from a mentor or peer.
A pilot talks too much during a checkride. An aviation director deflects credit in front of the CEO. A team member avoids eye contact during a tough conversation. These small moments may seem insignificant, yet they directly shape our leadership and our impact.
Just as every checklist strengthens a flight's outcome, understanding these seven blind spots can strengthen your leadership and influence how you show up.
Seven Blind Spots to Avoid
1. Overactive Humility
Impact: Humility builds trust, but overuse tends to weaken leadership. When you deflect well-deserved praise, you may appear unsure or eager to please. You may unintentionally signal that you don't recognize your own value or contribution.
Advice: Find balance. Claim your achievements with clarity and gratitude. Share credit generously, but stand confidently in your role. When you own your impact, others feel more comfortable relying on it.
2. Incessant Talking
Impact: Talking too much can signal insecurity or unclear thinking. Senior leaders expect thoughtful, concise communication—especially in interviews or high-stakes conversations. If you over-explain, you may overwhelm the listener or dilute your own message.
Advice: Watch for cues. Is someone shifting in their seat? Checking their phone? No longer taking notes? Permit yourself to pause. Reset if needed. And remember that listening is one of the fastest ways to build insight and credibility.
Another blind spot often emerges when our communication slips toward pessimism.
3. Excessive Negativity
Impact: Chronic criticism drags your team down. It lowers morale, stifles creativity and erodes trust. Most people who fall into this pattern don't even realize how often they sound discouraged or dismissive.
Advice: Set a team goal around positivity. Invite colleagues to point out when you sound critical or overly pessimistic. Accept that input without defensiveness. And remember that when you choose optimism—even during stressful moments—it signals professionalism and steadiness.
Negativity often stems from internal doubt, which leads to the next saboteur.
4. Imposter Syndrome
Impact: The internal voice insisting you don't belong is rooted in fear, not fact—yet it directly affects how you show up. When you question your own qualifications, you unintentionally shrink your influence and limit the confidence others place in you.
Advice: Nearly 70 percent of professionals experience imposter syndrome, so you are far from alone. You can quiet this negative self-talk by developing a "personal value proposition" that reminds you where you add meaning and momentum. And remember to resist the urge to chase perfection. In many cases, "good" truly is more than good enough.
When imposter feelings rise, stress often rises with them—making the next saboteur even more familiar.
5. Poor Stress Management
Impact: Whether you hide stress or show it, the effect is the same. It influences your health, clarity and decision-making. It also impacts those who depend on you. In aviation, we understand how stress can affect performance—and leadership is no different.
Advice: Prioritize your day. Identify what must happen now versus what can wait. Protect your sleep, nutrition and movement, and remember that small lifestyle shifts restore balance. When you sense that you're about to cross the line, take a 10-minute break to reset. And when tensions rise, a little humor often eases the moment and offers perspective.
Stress often distracts us from investing in ourselves, which leads to the next blind spot.
6. Self-Improvement Deficit
Impact: Leaders who expect growth must model it. When you stop developing yourself—or lose sight of your own self-awareness—your team notices. And when you're not learning, you may unintentionally limit the growth of those around you.
Advice: Create a personal improvement plan. Read, listen, ask for constructive feedback, attend training and share what you learn. Curiosity strengthens your leadership foundation and signals to your team that growth is a shared expectation, not a one-way directive.
How we invest in ourselves is important, but so is how we physically show up. That brings us to the final blind spot.
7. Insecure Body Language
Impact: As leaders, we communicate long before we speak. Poor posture, crossed arms, limited eye contact or a hesitant smile can signal discomfort or doubt. These subtle cues shape how others interpret your confidence, steadiness and trustworthiness.
Advice: Align your verbal and nonverbal messages. Shift your focus from how others perceive you to the impression you want to make on yourself. As Amy Cuddy writes in Presence, "Focus less on the impression you're making on others and more on the impression you're making on yourself."
Seeing What Gets in the Way
Blind spots only have power when they go unnoticed. By recognizing them—and addressing them—we gain the opportunity to grow, adjust and show up as stronger, more self-aware leaders. That awareness is what transforms intention into action and, ultimately, leadership.
A colleague once shared a quote often attributed to Lao Tzu that captures this progression well: "Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
Here's to a destiny grounded in awareness, growth and purposeful leadership.