Stop Overplaying Your Strengths: The Power of Knowing Your Blindspots
We’ve all been told to “know your strengths” like it’s the golden rule of modern leadership. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: strengths rarely sink careers—blindspots do. Think back to your last major wobble at work… was it because you forgot to use a strength? Or because something you didn’t see blindsided you?
Most of us can list our strengths on command. But when a project derails or a relationship frays, it’s rarely because a strength went missing. It’s usually a blind spot sneaking up on us.
Ever had that sinking moment of thinking, “I should’ve seen that coming”? This our strengths-based blind spots, causing unforced errors, and likely more costly than the wins they produce.
As people, we tend to focus on our strengths for many personal, social and professional reasons – including because it’s easy. Our brains like to be efficient are trained to prioritise things that bring reward and pleasure.
Being aware of blindspots, and actively taking action to manage these, can make a significant change in workplace and leadership outcomes – and that’s what we focus on in today’s TALY blog!
Curious how TALY gives you actionable insights on knowing and working with your unique blindspots? Our platform lets you explore your bind spots across a range of contexts, such as decision-making, teamwork, and project delivery, giving you pinpointed insights to grow as a colleague.
Want to learn more? Let’s chat about how TALY’s tools can help you navigate the entire employee lifecycle and empower everyone along the journey. Get in touch or book a demo today.
What’s a blind spot?
Blind spots are the habits, assumptions, or reactions we don’t notice in ourselves—like a smudge on our glasses we’ve gotten used to. A quick refresher: strengths help us move forward; blind spots quietly steer us off course. Think of your toolkit at work: strengths are the tools you reach for easily, while blind spots are the ones left buried at the bottom, still shaping outcomes whether you notice them or not. Recognising them isn’t about self-critique; it’s about getting a clearer map of how you show up under pressure, speed, or ambiguity. When we surface blind spots, we create room for choice rather than autopilot.
The Brain Science Behind Blind Spots
Our brains are efficient prediction machines. They love patterns, shortcuts, and anything that feels rewarding. And our strengths feel good: they’re familiar, successful, and neurologically reinforced by dopamine every time they “work.”
That’s why we reach for them automatically, especially under pressure, speed, or ambiguity.
But here’s the catch: when the brain is stressed, it narrows. We don’t choose the best behaviour—we choose the most familiar one. And familiar behaviour, overused, easily becomes counterproductive.
At TALY, we see this pattern across industries, levels, and cultures: blind spots aren’t incompetence—they’re autopilot.
Why blind spots matter
In workplaces, fallouts rarely come from a lack of technical talent; they come from misjudgements, assumptions, or overplaying a preferred move. One unforced error can ripple into reputational strain, customer churn, or team fatigue far faster than a missed opportunity to “play to your strengths.”
Our research shows that teams who actively manage blind spots report fewer conflicts and quicker recovery when things wobble.
Strengths help you keep winning; blind spot awareness helps you avoid unnecessary losses. Both matter—but only one protects you from avoidable damage.
Every trait has a bright side and a shadow:
High confidence fuels decisive calls… until it turns into stubbornness.
Detail-focus keeps quality high until your team gets bogged down chasing perfection rather than getting a draft out to the manager.
The accommodating collaborator becomes too flexible and never pushes back on questionable ideas.
The strategic thinker becomes overly abstract, obsessed with possibilities than identifying the most likely scenarios and working from there.
The decisive leader becomes overly dominant.
Blindspot management is simply learning when your preferred gear helps—and when it quietly hinders. Neither end is inherently better; each shines in different conditions.
Practical moves to improve blind spot awareness
These are small but high-leverage moves we use with leaders in our coaching practice every day, that generate lasting impact on improving blindspot awareness and reducing negative fallout:
Name one recurring moment where you tend to overplay a strength (e.g., jumping in too fast).
Ask a trusted peer, “When do you see me doubling down instead of adjusting?”
Agree with one colleague that they can gently signal you when a known blind spot shows up.
Set a trigger phrase, like “slow the tape”—to interrupt autopilot in key meetings when you identify your triggers for going fast.
Build a pre-mortem habit: imagine the project failed and list what you might have contributed. For example: Notice if you’re rescuing conversations too quickly; instead pause for 5 seconds before responding.
Use micro-checks in real time: “Is this strength still helping me right now?”
Bringing it together in practice
Sam, a senior manager, is admired for her decisiveness.
When a high-stakes client issue lands, she moves fast, sometimes too fast. She jumps to solutions, dismisses quieter voices unintentionally, and the team falls in line.
A preventable error emerges days later. The team admits they saw the risk but didn’t feel they could interrupt her momentum.
Sound familiar? It’s one of the most common blind-spot patterns we observe with our clients – decisive leadership is usually valued, but can be overplayed to cause issues too.
In the next cycle, Sam shifts. She names her tendency upfront and asks for “one challenge per person before I land the call.” She
The pace slows. The thinking sharpens. Risks are accounted for and planned.
This is the same strength, but this time guided with awareness, not left unchecked.
Managing blind spots isn’t about fixing yourself; it’s about protecting momentum, relationships, and outcomes. When we see more of ourselves, we steer with intention rather than accident. What’s one blind spot you’re willing to surface this week?
Check your TALY My Profile to spot where this shows up, then pick one micro-shift to test before your next milestone. If you want tailored prompts, AskTALY can help you turn this into questions for your next 1:1.
Get in touch to find out more… we really do love talking about this stuff. Or Book a Demo today to see how easy it is to start using TALY in your business.
