Blind Spots and Perspective-Taking
A blind spot is something our own perspective prevents us from noticing. Asking about other people’s experiences, incentives, and constraints can reveal problems that are hard to see from our position.
THE IDEA
Blind Spots and Perspective-Taking
A leader may interpret silence as agreement when employees believe speaking up will achieve nothing. Hearing their account can reveal a problem the leader’s own experience concealed.
In Parrish’s account, Michael Abrashoff took command of the USS Benfold in 1997 and began looking at shipboard routines from the crew’s perspective. At Sunday cookouts, officers cut in line, took food first, and ate separately. Abrashoff joined the back of the line and sat with the sailors. The next weekend, the officers waited in line and ate with the crew, without an order to do so.
Abrashoff’s principle was: "Captains need to see the ship from the crew's perspective. They need to make it easy and rewarding for crew members to express themselves and their ideas."
The cookout illustrates how changing a leader’s behavior can make an expectation visible. It also suggests ways to look for blind spots:
- Assume your view is incomplete. Ask what your position makes difficult to see.
- Observe everyday routines. Notice who waits, who gets heard, and who bears the cost of a decision.
- Ask and listen. Make it possible for people to describe problems without expecting punishment or dismissal.
- Act on what you learn. Explain the change and give people a way to say whether it helped.
When to use it
A new department head wants to improve morale but doesn't understand why turnover is high. She spends a day shadowing each team member, discovers administrative burdens they never complained about, and reallocates a support role, immediately reducing stress.
In a hypothetical product example, a team launches a feature without user testing. Customers find it confusing. Observing user sessions reveals a navigation problem, and a fix increases adoption by 40%. The point is to test assumptions about users rather than assume they navigate as the designers do.
A military leader assumes his squad understands the broader mission. After a direct, low-stakes Q&A session, he learns they lack context for why certain orders matter. He integrates a 2-minute briefing before each operation, improving execution and reducing errors.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
USS Benfold Cookout Line
Abrashoff observed officers skipping the lunch line and eating apart. By simply joining the end of the line himself, he signaled a cultural shift without issuing commands. The next weekend, everyone waited in line and ate together, demonstrating how a leader’s perspective change can reshape norms.
The Disengaged Team
A manager assumes employees are lazy because they rarely suggest improvements. Anonymous feedback reveals that they expect their ideas to be ignored. She introduces monthly listening sessions and acts on a suggestion, then asks whether employees find the process useful.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Recall a time when you were certain you were right, only to later discover you had missed crucial information. What could have helped you see the blind spot earlier?
In your current role, whose perspective do you most frequently overlook? What one action can you take this week to truly understand their experience?
How can you build a routine check for blind spots—perhaps a weekly 5-minute conversation with someone on the front lines—into your schedule?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Clear Thinking Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results (Shane Parrish)