Walking the dog around where I live, I’m constantly reminded of life’s unpredictability. You never know when something might dart out of the bushes—whether it’s a wallaby, a rabbit, or even a snake slithering across the path! These moments make me think of blind spots and hot spots, not just on a walking trail, but in our everyday lives—especially within teams.
In any team, whether it’s in a workplace or a community, blind spots and hot spots exist.
What are Blind Spots and Hot Spots?
- Blind Spot: An area where a person’s view is obstructed. In a team context, this could mean aspects of a team’s dynamic or performance that leaders or team members might overlook—often to their detriment.
- Hot Spot: Hotspot – a place of significant activity or a small area with a relatively high temperature in comparison to its surroundings
Just like avoiding a sudden leap from a kangaroo, navigating these blind spots and hot spots in teams requires awareness and proactive management.
How Blind Spots and Hot Spots Show Up in Teams
When we use tools like CliftonStrengths, we start seeing where these blind spots and hot spots exist. The data reveals strengths, but it also shows us where potential challenges might lie.
For instance, I recently worked with a leadership team where most leaders were high in the CliftonStrengths theme of Self-Assurance. Individually, in these highly capable exceptional leaders, they demonstrated confidence to forge ahead, inspiring others even during challenging times. But collectively, this created a blind spot—others may feel hesitant to challenge them. As a result, important feedback was left unsaid. When this blind spot was brought to their attention, they became mindful of it and started actively seeking input from others in ways that played to their own strengths and that of those in their teams.
On the flip side, take a team high in the CliftonStrengths theme of Relator. They excel at building deep, trusting relationships within small groups. This could be a hot spot—it creates high-performance pockets, but it can also lead to working in silos. Relators tend to prefer smaller, close-knit settings and can sometimes overlook engaging with the wider group.
Leveraging Woo and Includer
For Relators, working with colleagues high in Woo or Includer can be a game changer. Woo (Winning Others Over) helps bring energy and enthusiasm to meeting new people and expanding networks, while Includer ensures that everyone feels part of the conversation. By partnering with someone who has these strengths, Relators can extend their influence beyond their immediate circle, balancing their focus on deep relationships with broader team collaboration.
For example, a Relator working closely with someone high in Includer might ask, “How can we make sure everyone in the team feels included in this project?” or partner with someone with Woo to draw new team members into conversations, helping Relators bridge gaps in broader engagement, new ideas or increased collaboration.
The 1% Improvement: Lessons from Atomic Habits
One of my favourite insights from James Clear’s Atomic Habits is the idea that small, consistent improvements—just 1% better every day—can compound into remarkable results over time. This philosophy applies perfectly to managing both blind spots and hot spots in teams.
For leaders and team members, addressing blind spots doesn’t require massive changes overnight. Start with small habits that gradually shift the dynamic. For instance:
- For Blind Spots: Begin by adding one new voice to your decision-making process or scheduling regular feedback loops with team members who might offer different perspectives.
- For Hot Spots: Identify areas where team energy is concentrated and ensure you’re building sustainable habits to manage that intensity, such as regular check-ins on workload or delegating tasks more effectively to avoid burnout.
Imagine if your team focused on just 1% more engagement in areas where you usually overlook input, or spent 1% more effort connecting with those outside your usual circle. Over time, these small actions will build into a culture of inclusion, awareness, and continuous improvement.
Questions to ask:
To bring blind spots and hot spots into view, here are some powerful questions any member of the team can ask:
- For Blind Spots:
- “What are we missing in this situation that others might see?”
- “Where have we assumed everyone is on the same page, but haven’t checked in?”
- “Are there voices or perspectives we haven’t heard from?”
- “What are the potential risks if we continue down this path without external feedback?”
- For Hot Spots:
- “What areas of our work generate the most energy or results? How are we managing that intensity?”
- “Could our strengths here be overwhelming others in the team?”
- “Is this activity benefiting the whole team, or just certain individuals or groups?”
- “How can we ensure that our energy is sustainable and not burning people out?”
Actions to take:
- For Blind Spots:
- Seek external input: For leaders, regularly engage team members who might not typically voice their opinions. Actively solicit feedback from those on the periphery to get a fuller picture.
- If you are the quiet one: Share your thoughts in a way that leverages one of your strengths, if you are not comfortable speaking you in a group, share it one on one with your leader, put your brave pants on, your input is valuable.
- Diverse perspectives: In decision-making, include those with complementary strengths or outside viewpoints to avoid groupthink.
- Regular reflection: Set time in meetings for reflective questions like, “What haven’t we considered?” or “What assumptions are we making?”
- For Hot Spots:
- Encourage cross-team collaboration: Rotate responsibilities or create cross-functional projects to prevent silos from forming.
- Monitor well-being: Pay attention to the intensity levels in these areas to prevent burnout. Encourage regular breaks and reflection on workload sustainability.
- Create transparency: Ensure that the activities driving results in one part of the team are shared with others to avoid creating disconnected pockets of productivity.
Bringing Blind Spots and Hot Spots Into View
The beauty of CliftonStrengths is that it brings what’s unseen into the light. Once we can see these blind spots and hot spots, we can adjust our behaviour, open up communication, and leverage these insights to strengthen our teams. Just like walking the dog, when we remain aware, we can better navigate the unexpected and make the journey smoother for everyone.
Questions to Leave With:
- What blind spots exist in your team’s dynamics that you haven’t addressed yet?
- Where are the hot spots in your team? Are they helping or hindering overall performance?
If you need to refresh your team grid with new team members, reach out and we can arrange this for you.
