by Nick Roud, Award Winning Leadership Development Coach and Founder of Nick Roud Coaching
Most professionals spend their entire careers trying to eliminate weaknesses. We take courses to improve them, seek feedback to correct them, and quietly hope no one notices them in high stakes moments. The underlying assumptions is simple: blind spots are liabilities.
But what if that assumption is incomplete?
What if, instead of only correcting blind spots or hide them more, you could use them actively and strategically to accelerate your professional growth, deepen your self-awareness and even position yourself for promotion? The idea requires a different approach and shift in thinking. It asks you to move from avoidance to curiosity. My invitation to you is Not “How do I fix this flaw?” but “What does this blind spot reveal, and how can I use it?”
Let me bring that into a real life situation for you.
What is a Blind Spot, Really?
A blind spot isn’t just something you’re bad at. It’s something you don’t see clearly about yourself especially in how you think, behave or affect others. Research we have completed over the past decade here at Nick Roud Coaching brings three common themes to life.
- Skill blind spots: You overestimate or underestimate your abilities
- Behavioural blind spots: You’re unaware of how your actions are perceived
- Perspective blind spots: You assume your way of seeing the world is universal
The gold nugget here is that blind spots operate quietly. They don’t announce themselves on arrival to an important meeting, board presentation or team meeting. They show up in patterns: recurring feedback, stalled progress, or subtle friction in relationships near and far. Most humans we have coached respond by trying desperately to fix these gaps. But that approach often leads to surface level change. You may improve the behaviour without understanding the deeper pattern behind it.
With curiosity, that changes
The Shift from Fixing to Exploring (or as I like to call playing)
When you treat a blind spot as something to play with rather than eliminate, two things appear. First you uncover the underlying strength behind it. Many blind spots are exaggerated versions of strengths. For example, someone lets call him Jim dominates conversations may also be highly decisive and confident. Someone lets call him John who avoids conflict may be deeply empathetic and relationship focused. Second, you gain leverage. Instead of suppressing the trait, you learn when and how to use it effectively. To me this is where career advancement begins.
Let me be clear Leaders are not people without blind spots. They are people who understand how their patterns work and can adjust maturely in context.
John Example: The Over Communicator Who Became a Strategic Leader for a Global Tech Firm.
John was a mid level manager in a tech firm here in NZ. His feedback from our RLA360 was consistent: “You overwhelm people with detail”. In meetings I observed him walk thru every single aspect every contingency every little point. His instinct was to fix it by speaking less! He tried to simplify but it felt unnatural. He worried the was losing his edge. So we reframed the issue. He asked “When is my level of detail actually valuable?” The answer was clear, during high risk, high pressure decisions. In situations where ambiguity was high and stakes were significant, his thoroughness prevented costly mistakes. So John developed a brand new approach and it went like this
- In day to day routine meetings he led with summaries and key points
- In strategic discussions John leaned into his depth, but framed it as risk analysis rather than information overload
Over a period of time I recall being around four months his reputation internally and with external customers shifted. He was no longer seen as ‘too detailed’ or in the weeds. He became the person who sees around tight corners. This reframing played a massive reason he was later that year promoted to the US and into a senior VP role. What changed wasn’t the trait, it was his awareness and application of it.
James Example: The Conflict Avoider Who Built Stronger Influence
James a senior financial analyst in a Sydney Bank avoided conflict, difficult conversations. He preferred harmony and often would put off giving critical feedback to his team. This created problems. His direct reports (6 of them) lacked clarity, and issues escalated unnecessarily. Traditional advice would suggest he “become and be more assertive” Good luck on nailing that one James I said. He tried but it felt forced and inconsistent. Instead we came up with an approach that to this day serves him well. He examined the strength behind his blind spot: emotional sensitivity. He was highly attended to how others felt, which made him hesitant to disrupt relationships. Rather than suppressing that sensitivity he used it fully. So he began to approach difficult conversations differently.
- He prepared by considering the others person’s perspective
- He framed feedback in a way that preserved dignity and trust
- He used his empathy to anticipate reactions and guide the conversation.
- The Result? His feedback became more effective, not less. Colleagues began to seek him out for complex interpersonal issues. He became known as someone who could break ties, handle tension without escalation.
This capacity often overlooked became James’s key factor in his advancement into the CFO role. His blind spot did not disappear. It evolved into a differentiated strength.
Sally Example: The High Performer Who Learned to Let Go!
Sally a senior engineer in a large listed organisation was a top performer, she was on route to the CEO role. Reliable, efficient and consistently exceeding expectations. Her blind spot again gained from our 360 degree assessment was she struggled to delegate. She believed her value came from doing things well and quickly. Delegation got in the way, it felt risky. What if others didn’t meet her own high standards? This worked until it didn’t. As her responsibilities grew, she became the bottleneck. Projects slowed, her team felt underutilized. Instead of forcing herself to delegate more, she explored the belief driving her behaviour. She realised her identity was tied to being the “go-to” person across her company. Letting go felt like losing relevance. This insight changed everything for her. She reframed delegation as a leadership behaviour rather than a loss of control. By enabling others to succeed she increased her impact. She started very small
- Assigning ownership of specific tasks
- Allowing room for different approaches
- Focusing on outcomes rather than process
- Her team’s performance improved. More importantly her role shifted from executor to leader. This shift was recognised by the board of directors. She was asked to apply for the CE role and went thru a process that ended up with her being offered the role of CEO NZ. Again, the blind spot wasn’t simply corrected. It was understood and redirected. Powerful stuff don’t you think?
How to work with your Blind Spots
This isn’t about introspection for its own sake. It’s about practical career relevant insight. Start with getting up to date feedback, look for themes, patterns (don’t brush them off) own them. If multiple people mention the same behaviour it’s worth exploring. Then ask better questions. When does this behaviour show up most strongly? What strength might be driving it? In what situations could it be useful?
The role of curiosity or play. Curiosity is what transforms blind spots from liabilities to assets. Without genuine curiosity it becomes just data (black or white). Without curiosity you default to fixing or defending. With curiosity you explore and adapt. An Invitation to Look again in the mirror. Think about a piece of feedback you’ve received repeatedly. Perhaps you’ve dismissed it resisted it or tried to fix it without must success. What if instead you approached it with curiosity? Could this become your biggest secret weapon?
