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. 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.

We Often Miss The Obvious

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

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 or referring to information that validates past wins instead of challenging them.

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 always a feeling of exhilaration, mental clarity and surge of energy that makes everything feel sharper. It’s addictive. 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.

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 and entrepreneurs – large and small, 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 businesses 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 us 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.

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:

1. What is it that we keep doing just because it’s always worked?
2. Who around me sees things I don’t?
3. And most importantly: What might I be too close to see clearly?

The Blind Spot Methodology™ was designed to uncover what’s hiding in plain sight and unlock what’s next. For more info start here → kaleidraadvisors.com