By BrendaL-20, 11 June 2009

When I signed up to take part in a workshop with Dialogue in the Dark, I had high expectations of experiencing something life-changing because, for two hours, I would know what it feels like to be blind. I thought that all I would come away with was an appreciation for sight and an understanding that being able to see the light of day is something I should never take for granted.

That all happened. But my experience with Dialogue in the Dark helped me learn something else, too.

I learned what it takes to be an effective leader.

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Last Friday, I attended Dialogue in the Dark’s “Executive Workshop”. The goal of this workshop is give participants like myself a new perspective on basic leadership skills by making us work together in complete darkness.

I learned something about myself last Friday, something that traditional leadership workshops and management classes had not clearly conveyed to me: I learned that, as a leader, I'm pretty bad at communicating with those working under me.

* * * * *

A different leader was chosen for each of the activities during the two-hour workshop. I was appointed the leader for an activity that involved my being separated from the rest of the group. Essentially, I played the big-wig executive, holed away in my lofty, fancy-pants office whilst my underlings toiled below me.

Long story short: when I was the leader, we failed to accomplish our assigned task.

I couldn't really put my finger on what exactly I had done wrong, but at the post-workshop discussion, it hit me like a pile of bricks.

You see, when I was initially assigned the role as leader, I assumed that I would be the only person responsible for coming up with the solution to our assigned task and that I would solely dictate the actions of my group members. Not for a moment during my separation did I think to stop and ask what my group members had already accomplished or what they wanted to do.

I was so caught up with having the responsibility of leading my entire group that I completely forgot that my team members could—and would—think for themselves. The confusion that ensued as a result of my blindly arrogant leadership (please, excuse the pun) prevented my team's success.

Learning about the importance of communication is one of the most basic lessons in leadership, but it took a venture into complete and utter darkness for me to see that light.

* * * * *

For me, darkness isn't a permanent disability. When I walked into pitch black darkness at the beginning of the workshop, I knew that my blindness was something that I would be able to shed at the end of two hours. What I didn't know, however, was that I was already crippled with my own disability: poor leadership. Blind or not blind, I was still a crappy leader.

I'm sure that somewhere along the line, I would have eventually come to this realization on my own. But this eventual self-realization might have come much too late and at a hefty cost. How many projects would I have had to fail? How many group members would I have had to piss off before I realized what I had been doing wrong?

* * * * *

There's a quote that was shared with us at Dialogue in the Dark, and it’s something worth remembering:

“Sight is what we see with our eyes; insight is what we gain without seeing.”

Please click here to read: Dialogue in the dark, Hong Kong

..... Stop here Please click here to read: Dialogue in the Dark – Empowering understanding and empathy! by Chris Lau, published on 27 May 2009 Interview with Andreas Heinecke - "Dialogue in the Dark" Founder, published on 26 May 2009