01
Notice
Something happens.
The Blindspot Model
How stories form, gaps appear and evidence helps us see clearly
We don’t respond only to what happens. We respond to the meaning we create around it. The Blindspot Model provides a practical way to question that meaning before it becomes an untested fact.
From what happened to what happens next
01Notice
02Story
GAPThe Gap
03Evidence
04Act
The model at a glance
You can’t solve what you can’t see.
Every decision begins with a story. Something happens, we create meaning around it, and that meaning shapes what we do next.
Sometimes the story matches the evidence. Sometimes it doesn’t.
The distance between what we believe is happening and what the evidence reveals is The Blindspot Gap.
02
Story
We create an explanation to make sense of it.
GAP
The Gap
Assumptions can begin to hide problems, strengths or opportunities.
03
Evidence
We test the story and look at what is actually happening.
04
Act
We make a more informed decision about what deserves attention.
Closing the gap isn’t about proving someone wrong. It’s about seeing the situation clearly enough to act with confidence.
Follow the story
The event is real. It is also only the beginning.
01 · Notice
Something happens
A customer doesn’t return. A team member misses a deadline. Sales slow down. A leader avoids a conversation. A process takes longer than expected.
02 · Story
We create meaning
Humans are meaning making machines. Before we’ve gathered all the facts, our brain jumps in and does what it has evolved so well to do—it fills in the gaps by searching for patterns and drawing on past experience to create a story.
But the meaning we create doesn’t always match the evidence.
A story forms
“The customer thought we were too expensive.”
“The team member isn’t committed.”
“Sales are down because the market is quiet.”
“The leader is avoiding responsibility.”
“The process is slow because we need another system.”
Any of these stories may be true. The difficulty begins when a plausible story is treated as a proven fact.
Once we feel certain, we tend to stop looking.
The Gap
The Blindspot Gap
The Blindspot Gap is the space between what we believe is happening and what the available evidence reveals.
When the story and evidence align, we have a stronger basis for action.
When they don’t, problems can remain hidden, effort can be aimed at the wrong target and useful opportunities can be missed.
A gap doesn’t mean someone has failed. It means there is more to learn.
03 · Evidence
Seek the evidence
Evidence can take many forms
- what people consistently do, not only what they say
- customer or visitor experiences across the whole journey
- patterns in conversations, complaints, enquiries or follow-up
- workplace observations
- systems, processes and performance information
- different perspectives from people who experience the situation differently
- what happens under pressure, between shifts or when the usual leader is absent
Evidence isn’t gathered to prove a person wrong. It’s gathered to test whether the story is complete.
See more clearly
The goal is rarely absolute certainty.
It is a clearer picture—one that acknowledges what is known, what is assumed and what still needs to be tested.
Sometimes the evidence confirms the original story. That is useful.
Sometimes it changes the question entirely. That is useful too.
04 · Act
Make a better-informed decision
Once the gap becomes visible, action becomes more focused.
Instead of changing everything, you can choose a specific conversation, observation, experiment or process adjustment. You can decide what information is missing and how to obtain it. You can protect what is already working and address the influence most likely to be creating friction.
Better evidence doesn’t guarantee an outcome. It improves the basis on which the next decision is made.
See the shift
A simple example
The original event hasn’t changed. The understanding of it has.
01
Situation
Imagine that customers aren’t returning as often as expected.
02
First story
The first story may be that they are price-sensitive or disloyal.
03
Closer look
A closer look may reveal that the core service is strong, but the follow-up is inconsistent. Perhaps customers don’t know what happens next. Perhaps one team member explains it clearly while another doesn’t. Perhaps the business has no deliberate return pathway.
04
Different options
That change in understanding creates different options for action.
Use the model
Five questions to use
When something feels stuck, ask
01
What did we actually observe?
02
What story have we added to the observation?
03
What evidence supports that story?
04
What challenges it, and what else could be true?
05
What is the smallest useful step we can take to learn more?
Curiosity keeps the story open long enough for evidence to improve it.
Turn insight into action
Sometimes the biggest opportunity is seeing more.
Blindspots don’t only hide problems. They can hide strengths, possibilities and better questions.
Bring one live situation to a Clarity Session and apply the model with an experienced outside perspective.
