Latest / Career Coaching with Fexingo: Professional Coaches, Career Counselors, and Guidance for Workers / How a Career Blind Spot Map Reveals What Colleagues See That You Don't
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, I want to start with a number that stopped me cold when I read it earlier this year. Harvard Business Review ran a study in 2023 looking at what they call 'career blind spots'—gaps between how you see yourself at work and how your colleagues actually perceive you. Luna: I think I remember that. It was something like the majority of people have at least one significant blind spot, right? Lucas: Exactly. Sixty-two percent of professionals have at least one blind spot that measurably undermines their effectiveness. But here's the kicker: only twelve percent of those people are aware of it. So you've got roughly half the workforce walking around with a distortion in their professional self-image, and they have no idea. Luna: If we've helped you think through a career move or a tough professional decision before—or even just made you feel a little less alone in wondering 'am I the only one who feels this way'—a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these conversations ad-free and independent. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it matters more than you'd think. And that HBR study is a good example of why we do this—because the data can really change how you approach your own career. So let's talk about how you actually map your blind spots. Lucas: The method I like is something I call a Career Blind Spot Map. It's a four-step process, and it's deliberately low-tech. You don't need a coach or a 360-degree tool. You just need three colleagues you trust and a notebook. Luna: Three colleagues—are you picking people from different levels? Like a peer, a manager, and a direct report? Lucas: Exactly that. The whole point is to triangulate. Your peer sees you in collaboration. Your manager sees you in terms of delivery and upward management. Your direct report sees how you lead under pressure. Each perspective gives you a different slice of the blind spot. Luna: And what do you ask them? I imagine it can't be 'hey, what's wrong with me?' Lucas: No, and that's the key. You ask three very specific questions. First: 'What is something I do that seems to work well, that I might not realize is working?' That's your hidden strength. Second: 'What is something I do that sometimes backfires, that I might not realize is backfiring?' That's your blind spot. Third: 'What is something I think is a strength, but others might see differently?' That's what I call a false positive—a behavior you're proud of that actually hurts you. Luna: That third question is brutal. I coached a marketing director once who prided herself on her 'enthusiasm' in meetings—her words. But when I asked her team anonymously, they described her as 'impatient' and 'dismissive of slower thinkers.' She was genuinely shocked. Lucas: That's a perfect example. Her enthusiasm was a false positive. She thought it was a superpower, but it was actually limiting her team's contribution. Once she learned to pause and let others finish, her team's output improved measurably within a quarter. Lucas: The next step is categorization. You take the responses from your three colleagues and write them down in three columns: strengths, blind spots, and false positives. You're looking for patterns. If two people independently say the same thing, that's almost certainly real. Luna: And if all three say the same thing, you've got a goldmine. Or a landmine, depending on the column. Lucas: Right. Then step three is what I call the 'test and learn' phase. You pick one blind spot or false positive—just one—and you design a small behavioral experiment to test whether fixing it changes outcomes. Maybe you commit to waiting three seconds before responding in meetings. Maybe you start sending a one-paragraph recap after every decision to ensure alignment. Luna: And you track it for how long? A week? A month? Lucas: At least two weeks. One week is too short—you'll revert to habits. Two weeks gives you enough repetition to see if the change sticks and if people react differently. Then you check back with your three colleagues and ask: 'Have you noticed any difference in how I show up?' Luna: So the loop is: ask, categorize, experiment, re-check. That's the map. Lucas: Exactly. And the final step is to formalize it. You write a one-page document that summarizes your blind spot map and you keep it somewhere you'll see regularly—maybe your journal, maybe a digital note. The idea is that you update it every six months, because blind spots shift as your role changes. Luna: I love that it's not a one-and-done. Most people do a 360 review once and then file it away. This is meant to be a living document. Lucas: Exactly. And one reason it works better than a traditional performance review is that performance reviews are usually backward-looking and manager-centric. They're about what you did last quarter. A blind spot map is forward-looking and multi-perspective. It's about how you show up, which is a better predictor of future success than any past metric. Luna: There's also a psychological safety angle. The HBR study found that people who actively seek blind spot feedback are perceived as more self-aware and more trustworthy by their colleagues. It's a virtuous cycle. Lucas: That's a great point. The act of asking for feedback itself builds trust. You're essentially saying 'I don't have all the answers, and I value your perspective.' That's disarming in a corporate culture that often rewards overconfidence. Luna: So if someone is listening and wants to start this today, what's the single most actionable thing they can do this week? Lucas: Pick one trusted colleague—not your manager, not someone you supervise. Pick a peer you respect. And ask them that second question: 'What is something I do that sometimes backfires, that I might not realize is backfiring?' That's the highest-leverage question. It's uncomfortable, but it's also the one most likely to reveal something you genuinely didn't know. Luna: And if they hesitate, you can say 'I'm working on a personal development project and I really value your honest take.' That lowers the stakes. Lucas: Exactly. And if you get an answer that stings—and you might—sit with it for 24 hours before reacting. Don't defend, don't explain. Just say 'thank you, that's really helpful.' Then process it later. That's the real test of self-awareness. Luna: I think that's the most underrated career skill there is: the ability to receive uncomfortable feedback without shutting down. Lucas: Completely agree. And a Career Blind Spot Map is essentially a systematic way to practice that skill. You're not waiting for feedback to happen to you—you're pulling it toward you.