Blind Spots That Quietly Sabotage Performance (and How to See Them)

Leaders rarely fail because of what they know. They stumble over what they don’t see. Those quiet blind spots—assumptions, habits, and meeting patterns we stopped questioning—drain clarity, energy, and results. This article is a human, practical guide to spotting them and acting fast.

“Self-awareness is not a mirror—it’s a dashboard. It’s only useful if you glance often and adjust quickly.”

Donald Fleming, fondateur de M360 Leader

Why blind spots matter now

Two realities make blind spots especially costly:

• Engagement is fragile, impact is huge. Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace estimates low engagement costs the global economy US$8.9 trillion (≈9% of global GDP)—a leadership problem more than a “people problem.” (Source: ahtd.org)
• The workday never ends. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index shows a surge in after-hours collaboration and more meetings across time zones—an “infinite workday” that multiplies noise and hides problems. (Source: Microsoft)

And here’s the kicker: many leaders genuinely believe they’re already self-aware. Yet research has shown self-perception often diverges from how others experience us—especially under pressure. (Source: hbr.org)

A client story: “We’re busy… but are we better?”

When Anaïs, a VP Operations in a 300-person firm, asked for help, she didn’t say “we have blind spots.” She said, “We’re drowning in meetings and updates. We’re not shipping faster.”

In our first session, we mapped one simple week:

• 41% of leadership time was spent in recurring meetings.
• 7 of 12 weekly meetings had no explicit decision owner.
• Only 2 meetings closed with a written “who/what/by when.”

Using M360meet (our real-time Meeting Cost Calculator) during three core sessions, the team watched the dollars tick up in real time. That single moment created urgency—and permission to cut or redesign meetings. (Microsoft’s data shows late-night, cross-time-zone meetings are rising; it’s not just your company. Source: Microsoft)

Over 90 days, we paired this with M360+’s Habit Tracker to reinforce three micro-moves (see below). Results:

• 23% fewer recurring meetings;
• weekly decision log rate from 17% → 81%;
• a 14% cycle-time improvement in their top customer-facing workflow.

No heroics—just consistency.

“Clarity is the cheapest performance enhancer you’ll ever buy.”

Pascal Dubois, coach exécutif, partenaire d’affaires M360 Leader

The five blind spots most leaders underestimate

Why these five? Because they sit at the intersection of self-awareness and systems. Leaders with robust self-awareness create fewer friction points and stronger team outcomes. (Source: hbr.org)

A quick, credible look at the evidence

• Self-awareness and performance: Leaders who examine their assumptions make better decisions and relationships; Tasha Eurich summarizes a broad base of research in HBR. (Source: hbr.org)
• Engagement and results: Gallup’s multi-year meta-analyses link team engagement with higher productivity and profitability and lower turnover and safety incidents. (Source: Gallup.com)
• Meetings and overload: The Microsoft Work Trend Index highlights the rise of after-hours and cross-time-zone meetings, amplifying overload and obscuring signal from noise. (Source: Microsoft)

The 90-day Blind-Spot Sprint (field-tested)

Success metrics to watch:

• Meeting hours per leader (target −20%);
• Decision log rate (target ≥80% of meetings);
• Cycle time on one top workflow (target −10–20%);
• Weekly engagement pulse question in Compass: “I had the clarity I needed to do my best work this week.” Aim for a steady climb. (Engagement isn’t soft; it’s predictive. Source: Gallup.com)

Mini-dashboard you can use today

What leaders tell us after 90 days

• “I didn’t need more time. I needed fewer unowned meetings.”
• “We discovered our real blocker wasn’t talent—it was our hand-offs.”
• “The habit tracker turned intentions into momentum.”

When blind spots become visible and measurable, teams rediscover pace and pride. That’s why we built an integrated ecosystem—M360 Compass for alignment and feedback, M360+ for habit follow-through, M360meet to right-size meetings, and M360 LPR to anchor leadership routines.

Quiz: Avez-vous des angles morts leadership ?

A closing word

You don’t have to see everything. You have to see the few things that multiply everything else: clarity of outcome, ownership, and human feedback. Start there. The rest follows.

“Clarity, then ownership, then cadence. That sequence repairs more teams than any single strategy document.”

Donald Fleming, fondateur de M360 Leader

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