Do you have business blind spots? Don't ponder too long - we all do. In this article I explain what they are, why we have them and hot to deal with the damage they can cause your business.
When you learned driving they told you right away about the car blind spots and how dangerous and potentially fatal they can be. You also learned ( it's written on most car mirrors as a constant reminder) that the mirror distorts the distance you see.
Long Distance
Business blind spots are similar in nature - they are the problems or solutions you can't see or they are distorted in the way you see them. They can be dangerous to your business, and potentially extending beyond your business to problems in your relationships, health and lifestyle.
I defined two general types of business blind spots: Aware and Unaware. Aware blind spots come in two varieties: Problems and Solutions. The Aware blind spots are less dangerous, because you know the problem exists and can take corrective action.
The Unaware Business blind spots are the most dangerous because you can't see them no matter how hard you look or because our view is distorted. The trickiest part of this business blind spot is that if you don't know you have them or how they distort your vision, you can't exercise needed caution or take corrective action. I identified four types of Unaware blind spots.
Let's look at the different kinds of blind spots closer.
1. Aware Solution Blind Spot
This blind spot is there when you know what the problem is, but don't know the solution. This is the easiest to address, because once you are aware of the problem and if you can't solve it by yourself, you can get the expert who can help you find the solution.
2. Aware Problem Blind Spot
This blind spot is there when you know that there is a problem, but don't know what it is and/or how to find it. This one is a bit harder to resolve, but still very doable. There are experts who specialize in diagnosing the problems for a business like yours. You need to find such an expert and your problem will be identified. You can then solve the problem yourself or get someone else to help you do it.
The Unaware Business Blind Spots
These problems are the most difficult ones to resolve since you don't even realize there is a problem. Why do we have these blind spots and most importantly what can we do about it? I identified four types of Unaware blind spots and different ways we acquire them.
3. Adopted blind spots
You run the business a certain way because you believe it will lead to best results most effectively and efficiently. You wouldn't run it this way if you knew ahead of time it wouldn't work or have problems, would you? By running your business, I mean all aspects of it including but not limited to: lead generation, conversion, service delivery, product development, sales, customer service, management, staff hiring and retention, etc. How did you develop the methods for running your business? With the Adopted blind spots there are several possibilities:
you copied the model of someone who achieved the results you want and/or you were taught by someone to uses the particular strategy, practice, vision.
After you run your business for a certain lengths of time the adoption becomes internalized. You see it as your own, and lose the distance needed to evaluate and respond to problems objectively, impartially and speedily. You also lose the ability to clearly see the difference between your business and the one you copied. I have seen many business owners "duplicating" someones recipe, or formula, or blueprint without the ability to see why it will not work in their business. This inability to see become more severe the more significant is the investment into the adopted model.
4. "Glasses" blind spots
We all have "glasses" through which we see the business and the world in general. These "glasses" change the reality into your perception of reality which can be very different. This is where the blind spots are created. In neurolinguistic language programming (NLP) this effect is called "brain distortion" - the process which allows us to make shifts in how we experience sensory data.
We benefit from this distortion in some ways, but at other times it's a huge limitation. We acquire these "glasses" in our childhood and the distortions accumulate based on the events and emotions in our business and personal life.
Here is the example familiar to many - jury duty. I was recently on the jury where 12 people saw and heard the same testimony and yet everyone had a different idea of what happened. The witnesses saw the same event, yet told different stories about what they saw.
This is not limited to sensory perceptions like site and hearing. In cases of alleged financial misconduct the juries look at the numbers - supposedly the more reliable measure then a person's vision and hearing. Yet still the same phenomenon happens - different people interpret "objective" numbers differently.
In many business audits I did for many major corporations, I found intentional fraud perpetrated by an individual only once. No one else in the company saw it, until I pointed it out. Even then it was not easy for management to accept it as reality. They were looking on the situation through their "glasses" and also were too attached (the blind spot I will talk about next).
The reasons financial and business audits are done is to assure investors, lenders, management that there is no wrongdoing intentional or otherwise. It is done often done by internal auditors, and also by the outside auditors because they see the problem(s), without the glasses of the business owners, employees, and managers.
5. Attachment Blind Spots
When building and growing your business the vision, the process, the strategies, are extremely important and give you the basis and the energy to pursue it. The downside id that too often business owners get too attached to them and can't see that this is where the problem may be.
Here is an example most parents (me included) can relate to - not acknowledging issues with their kids for a long time and some never, because of the attachment. We tell ourselves that it's the age, that it will pass, that other kids have the same issues, while we delay dealing with the issues.
Many coaches and consultants start their businesses because they love what they do. They are attached to the idea of doing this work and invest a lot of money into the infrastructure, such as training, web-site, coaches, etc. This attachment is one of the reasons they can't see if theirs is a viable business or if they are using the right business strategies, even if other coaches and consultants are supposedly "successful".
6. Subconscious Mind Blind Spots
These blind spots are the most difficult because they operate bellow the level of our consciousness. Our subconscious mind operates based on the evolutionary principals designed to protect us at the time the human species developed, which may in business environment do not serve their purpose.
For example, our subconscious mind is is designed to automatically respond to dangers, such as encountering a tiger or an enemy tribe by giving us the ability to fight or flee. Unless you work in the zoo, your business is probably far removed from tigers and warring tribes. Yet your brain reacts in a similar fashion when it perceives what it considers dangerous and will act to prevent you from doing it.
Making decisions to do something different in your business takes you out of the comfort zone and familiar to the subconscious and your subconscious mind will try to bring you back to what is familiar, which in reality may not be in your best interest. It will bring into your consciousness all the reasons why you should not make the change.
Your subconscious mind also has the ability to selectively delete information. It can be useful in certain circumstances, for example to allow you to cope or to not get overwhelmed. In other situations it's very limiting.
For example, you may be deleting portions of your experience in business, for example in sales conversations, or in marketing, or customer service. Without this knowledge you are not in a position to construct the best way to deal with these areas of your business.
5. Unaware Blind Spots Solution Plan
The cost of the blind spots is measured in time, energy, money and even health. All can be huge. Building your business with the blind spots is a huge waste. The car crashes caused by the blind spot can be avoided by practicing safe driving. But there is no such thing as the safe business. How do you avoid the potential business crash caused by the business blind spots? Fortunately, business blind spots are not fatal and can be dealt with. Here is the 7 step plan:
Understand that blind spots are normal and do not make you a "bad" business woman. Have a regular "business physical" by a qualified outside party, just like you would have an annual physical for yourself. The purpose is to review all aspects of your business and determine it's health or otherwise uncover the blind spot problems. independent party just like you would yourself. Develop solutions to remove the blind spots. Once the problem is identified you are have the first step to taking the steps to correct it. You may need to gather more information to come up with a solution, or you may engage an expert to help you. Review the solution you came up with with an independent expert to make sure the blind spots effects are not influencing your solution. Implement - take decisive actions to put the solutions into practice. Test the results and adjust course if necessary.
To receive more tips and strategies from the problem solver to the Fortune 500, get your complimentary must read e-book Solve 7 Business Success Myths
How to Deal With Invisible Problems Sabotaging Your Business
Faina Sechzer is the internationally known expert in solving business problems and helping women entrepreneurs grow their businesses to support their life dreams. She helped Fortune 500.. Imagine what she can do for your business.
Faina is the go-to-person for women entrepreneurs who want the "truth and nothing but the truth" solutions for building their business so they can live their best life.
As the consultant, coach, mentor, speaker, author, and workshop leader Faina's mission is to teach women entrepreneurs how to build businesses that create (rather then sacrifice) financial, physical, and emotional freedom.
Faina offers complimentary services to help your business resolve problems and grow.
Check it out here http://www.BigVisionSuccess.com
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