Bruce Dougherty explains blind spots: traits others see in you that you don't. You might think you're being helpful but come across as micromanaging, or seem confident when you feel like you're just getting by. These gaps cause defensiveness and damage trust.
Now, this second section is called the blind spot. These are the traits and patterns that others see in you, but you don't see in yourself. It could be your strengths, your weaknesses, your tone of voice, or your body language. It could be an insecurity that you present to the world that you don't realize you even have, but others are clearly aware of it. Since there are blind spots for you, but others can see them, These are often the areas of our lives that create defensiveness and dismissiveness and misunderstandings, communication problems, trust issues, and all kinds of conflict. So these traits, they're still known to others, but they're not really known to you. Here's some examples. You think you're just doing your job. You stay organized, you keep things moving, you step up when needed. But others constantly look to you for direction and reassurance. They see confidence and calm and strength in how you show up, even though you see yourself as just getting through the day. You don't see your own positive trait that others can see. Or how about you think you're just being helpful, making suggestions, taking initiative, keeping things on track, but others feel micromanaged, dismissed, or overwhelmed around you. They seek control where you seek care, and because you don't realize it, your relationships slowly begin to suffer. You don't see your own negative trait that others can see.
