The most valuable player in an American football team? – well most would respond the Quarterback. The second most valuable? Well rather surprising it is the Left Tackle. In his book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Michael Lewis argues that the pivotal role is played by the Left Tackle. The Left Tackle is part of the offensive linesmen who are there to give the Quarterback time to get the ball away. As most Quarterbacks throw right handed the Left Tackle is the person who protects the back of the Quarterback. The book also details the remarkable story of Michael Oher which has recently been made into the Sandra Bullock film The Blind Side
Donald Rumsfeld became a figure of fun with his unknown unknowns speech but the guy had a point. There are things we don’t know we don’t know (see the Rumsfeld Clarification) Rumsfeld's quote is actually a paraphrasing of a Confucius saying "To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge."
Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham became immortalised in 1955 when they called their two by two psychological matrix the Johari window (Joe and Harry – geddit?). They stated that a person had a number of different sides to them. Aspects are known to themselves or not known to themselves, aspects are known to others or not known to others. The Blind spot is the area aspect that others see but which we are not aware.
Joe, Harry, Don and Sandy all connected to the concept of the Blind spot.
Every organisation has blind spots. Every organisation needs to realise that if it doesn’t have an effective Left Tackle a competitor may well “sack” the company. Every organisation needs to search for true knowledge. Every organisation needs to know what it’s customers, staff and suppliers think about it. Every organisation needs to know how it compares to its competitors.
To become World Class serious effort has to be put into gaining a true and accurate 360 degree view of itself. Without self knowledge, World Class is just a pipe dream