Blind Spot, Part 2

Consider that your blind spot is where you operate from right now. This is a habitual way of seeing, thinking, acting, talking, sensing, relating, etc. It is invisible to you, hence the name "blind spot". Can you see why? How's your idea of yourself in relation to how other people see you? Can you ever actually truly see yourself? If you're in a car, you can see outside the car...but can you see the outside of the car? You can see other people in their cars. You can see the inside of your car, but how can you actually see yourself inside the car without having some sort of out of body experience? Your blind spot of leadership is the same, though obviously slightly more figurative. You can't see your blind spot cause you're in it. Similar to wearing rose colored glasses that make everything rose colored, your life is colored by your blind spot. Everything that is possible to you is determined by your blind spot. Your options are limited by it and your decisions will be made within the context of your blind spot. Scharmer:

"When we realize that our habitual way of seeing and acting is not getting us anywhere, we have to redirect and bend our beam of our (individual or collective) attention and redirect the edges of perception back upon its source, back upon the one who is performing the activity. When this shift happens, we begin to attend to the situation from a different place. The field structure of attention describes the realm between the visible world (what we see) as it meets the invisible world (the source or place from which we perceive it). When we change the way we attend, a different world is going to come forth." (pg 113)



This is a long video, but watch the first 12-15 minutes...do you recognize any blind spots? What about the blind spot of the woman he talks about offering money to? (around minute 14). If you want to see other videos about Grameen Bank, see this site: http://fora.tv/2008/01/17/Muhammad_Yunus_Creating_a_World_Without_Poverty#chapter_05.

"Whether you are a great leader, educator, artist, athlete, physician, writer, or coach, whether you work alone or belong to a team or organization, you cross the threshold by transforming the structure of your attention...The Indo-European root of the word “lead” and “leadership,” *leith, means “to go forth,” “to cross the threshold,” or “to die.” Sometimes letting go feels like dying. But what we’ve learned about the deeper process of the U is that something has to change—a threshold must be crossed—before something new can come. The journey ahead of us entails uncovering and deciphering the principles and practices of that fundamental process so they can serve as a language that will help to illuminate the invisible leadership realm of the blind spot." (pg 113)

We hope to address part of this journey today in class. Thanks for joining us on this journey!