Episode 55 - Identifying & Tackling Your Blindspot (In Life & Business)

by Erica Leniczek January 10, 2023

Blindspots. In life, business, and everything in between, your blindspot can be a lot of different things, but in short, it's the “thing” that you might not even notice you do that holds you back from success. I mean, it is called a BLINDspot for a reason, you might not even realize that it’s happening to you or your business.

In life, common blind spots can be things like:

An “I am always right” attitude or not being willing to learn
Not asking for help
Blaming everyone and everything for your circumstances
Not taking ownership for your choices that lead to your circumstance
Withholding emotions
Poor communication
Thinking the way things have always been done is the way they need to be done
Avoiding conflict

In business, which means in your operation outside of the family dynamic, things you could blind spots might include:

Lack of willingness to learn
Non-evolutionary views - not letting practices evolve from how they were done 20-60 years ago
Biases
Lack of goal setting
Neglecting outsourcing when outsourcing is needed
Lack of acknowledgement, understanding, or adaptation to industry change

So now that we know what a blindspot is, how do you start to identify and tackle them?

Like I said earlier, the thing about a blindspot is that you don’t know that you have it, so we need to first learn how to identify what the blindspots are and where they are in business or personal life.

Expand your horizons. Typically blind spots are in the places you don’t usually go to, acknowledge, or deal with. You can go to conferences, read books, watch how other people do things, learn more about yourself, talk to others, talk to people in different sectors of your industry, etc.
Actively seek feedback. Perhaps you’re constantly looking at yields, watching how to improve things, checking in with your accountant/bookkeeper, etc. You can also give yourself critical feedback as if you were evaluating someone else. This can be done by asking some simple questions weekly, monthly or quarterly.

What were your biggest time wasters?
What were your biggest successes?
What support do you need?
What can be done more efficiently?
What are you most proud of?

Get a mentor or coach. Sometimes we can think we know so much or that we don’t need help, but having someone ahead of you in life or closer to where you want to be can be a good person to bounce ideas off, someone to troubleshoot with, acknowledgement that where you want to be can be done, they might see your trouble spots from an outside perspective, and so much more.
Actively step out of your comfort zone. If you always do the same things you’ve always done, then you’ll always do the same thing you always do. Change also doesn’t have to be big… you can make small, effective changes slowly that will slowly get you to where you want to go. A good example that I’ve heard a lot of talk about lately is having a shorter, more efficient calving period, or moving your calving period to a later time of year. Maybe we don’t start by putting bulls out for half as long or putting them out 3 months later, maybe you start by just moving things a couple weeks each year. Eventually, you’ll get to where you want to go, and small steps will get you to where you want to go eventually, but the changes won’t be so drastic. Especially if you find something doesn’t work. It’s a lot easier to erase pencil than it is pen.
Actively give yourself grace. Part of being great is the fact that you need to learn to take criticism, understand that you will make mistakes, and learn to learn from mistakes rather than shut down when they happen.
Learn to ask for help. Asking for help, undoubtedly, is one of the hardest things for me to do, personally. I don’t ever want to put people out, I don’t want to be an inconvenience, but I also know that asking for help is a great tool for learning, networking, and finding ways for growth! It’s something I’m working on, too.

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