I haven’t thought about blind spots since I owned a car two years ago. They highlighted an unseen risk that could be avoided if I changed my position or perspective. This usually required looking over my shoulder, using another mirror or asking a passenger to look.
During my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator certification, I also got to dive into my own blind spots. “There’s no way I have those.” I thought. “I'm super self-aware of my faults and weaknesses.”
So wrong.
When we think of decision-making, we can break it down into four components for simplicity sake.
1) Gathering the Facts
2) Brainstorming and Building the Plan
3) Executing the Plan
4) Gaining Buy In
With my personality type (ENTP), I was able to highlight my dominant reaction (Intuition), or building the plan, followed by executing the plan. I love being inspired and going into action and making it happen.
What’s missing? The details and the buy in.
By skipping over the facts, I wasn’t able to fully address roadblocks or alternative options. I had the shell of the plan, but waited until it was necessary to figure out the details.
When I didn’t have buy in, I found myself feeling misunderstood or unsupported in my endeavors. In order to get the buy in, I needed the details to support it.
This is a very simplistic view of the decision-making process, but highlights a critical flaw that we all share. Whatever our process, we can overlook or overcompensate our strengths leaving us without the full and complete picture.