The Blind Spot - What We Miss When We Think We’re Right

Blind spots don’t beep. They cost

We all have blind spots. In life. In leadership. In business.

They’re not just the things we don’t see — they’re the things we think we see clearly. And that’s the danger: what we’re missing is often what’s holding us back.

And it’s usually not about a lack of talent or effort. It’s about missing the right insight at the right time.

The other day, I was riding in the passenger seat while my daughter was driving. She’s a new driver — cautious but confident. She was doing great — while I discovered the fastest, most effective weight-loss method on Earth: sitting passenger-side with your teenage kid behind the wheel.

Then I noticed she kept checking her rearview mirror, but not her blind spot. I asked, “Did you check the side before you changed lanes?” She said, “Yeah, I saw no one was behind me.” Ah. The mirror. But not the blind spot.

Because isn’t that exactly what we do? We glance at what’s behind us — past wins, dashboards, data, even gut feeling — but we don’t always turn our head fully to see what’s hiding just outside our view.

The LEGO Story: A Blind Spot in Action

Years ago, LEGO’s sales were declining. The internal fix was to go digital, add tech, compete with screens.

But then they asked kids what they actually loved about LEGO. Turns out, it wasn’t tech at all. It was storytelling. Kids weren’t building just structures — they were building worlds.

That changed everything. They relaunched LEGO City, created Ninjago, made The LEGO Movie and experienced explosive growth. Their blind spot was designing based on adult assumptions, not actual behavior. Once they saw it, the strategy changed and so did their results. I see this all the time — a few small shifts can change everything, but blind spots block the view.

Why We Miss What’s Obvious

When teams experience consistent success, they develop what psychologists call strategic optimism — their confidence grows much faster than their actual capabilities.

Studies show that:

Leaders are 71% less likely to seek dissenting opinions after three years of growth;

Teams start filtering out weak signals (like that one complaining client);

82% of employees admit they’ve withheld concerns about potential problems.

The Dopamine Effect

Success literally rewires how our brain processes information. It triggers dopamine surges that create an addiction to confirmation — we start subconsciously seeking data that validates past wins instead of challenging them.

I know that feeling. As a former athlete who used to train at least 4 hours a day —and someone who still works out almost every day—I feel it every time. After a tough workout, there’s that unmistakable high, that mental clarity and surge of energy that makes everything feel sharper. It’s addictive. That’s the power of dopamine, driving you to chase that same incredible rush again and again.

It’s the same in business. After a win, the brain rewards you — and instead of asking - what might we be missing, you start searching for signals that say - we’re right. That’s when the blind spot expands. I’ve made decisions that felt right — until I realized I was just following the mirror.

Research shows a 32% drop in critical thinking when reviewing data that confirms prior success — and decision-makers need 41% more contradictory evidence to change course. And the real danger is that you don’t even know it’s happening.

The Mirror Effect

Like my daughter checking her mirror but not her blind spot, we often review lagging indicators (past performance) and ignore leading indicators (emerging patterns).

Research shows even top executives overestimate their self-awareness by 79%. That gap creates the perfect conditions for blind spots to thrive.

The Success Bubble

I often refer to a pattern I’ve witnessed countless times as the success bubble — a silent killer of innovation that affects teams, organizations, and entire thinking process.

I define it as the space where confidence in past wins creates complacency, limits fresh ideas, and prevents the bold risks that drive future breakthroughs.

When groups succeed, studies show they become almost 60% less likely to consider outside opinions. They stop inviting friction. They get comfortable. The success bubble forms when past achievements turn into blind spots — stifling curiosity and bold, transformative thinking.

Even in today’s fast-moving, AI-driven world, the success bubble remains a challenge. Success often pushes teams to optimize what worked yesterday, rather than question whether it’s still right for tomorrow. And while AI accelerates innovation, it can just as easily reinforce incremental improvements — instead of driving disruptive change.

The success bubble is dangerous because it narrows vision. Ideas start bouncing between the same perspectives, and even great ideas risk being recycled without meaningful challenge. People stop asking, “What’s next?” and instead settle for “What’s worked?”

But the breakthrough you need isn’t in your rearview mirror — it’s in your blind spot. Real leadership isn’t about protecting the last win — it’s about questioning it.

Looking Backward, Not Forward

85% of business failures don’t come from new competitors — they happen because companies miss early warning signs. Yet only 12% of organizations actively question their own assumptions on a regular basis.

The “We Think Customers Love Us” Gap

The reality reveals one of the most common blind spots in business today: 80% of companies believe customers are happy with them. Only 8% of customers agree. The biggest opportunities aren't hidden. They're just in your blind spot.

How to Start Seeing What You’re Missing

Ask yourself this week:

1. What’s something we keep doing just because it’s always worked?

2. Who on the team or around me sees things I don’t?

3. And most importantly: What might I be too close to see clearly?

You don’t need a full reset. You just need to see what you haven’t seen yet.

The Blind Spot Methodology™

Reveal what's hiding. Reframe what matters. Realign for impact.

The Blind Spot Methodology™ is Kaleidra's proprietary, copyrighted framework designed for those ready to confront what's truly holding them back—and take bold steps toward transformation.

Ready to discover your blind spot? Book your consultation today