One thing I’ve learned over the years is that smart people still have blind spots.
In fact, the more experienced someone becomes, the easier it is to fall into familiar patterns. You begin to see problems through the same lens, use the same playbook, and rely on the same assumptions that have worked in the past.
That’s not a flaw. It’s human nature.
Running a business is immersive. Owners and executives are inside the system every day—managing people, solving problems, making decisions, and moving quickly from one issue to the next.
But that immersion comes with a cost.
Perspective.
When you are deep inside the day-to-day operations, it becomes harder to step back and see the whole field.
I remember this lesson vividly while training for the Lake Placid Ironman.
My training plan included one long swim each week, usually around two miles. I was following the schedule and pushing hard. On paper everything looked right.
But during those long swims, something kept happening. Every once in a while I would feel a sense of panic creeping in— claustrophobia in the open water. My breathing would tighten and the swim would suddenly become a struggle. An experienced friend swimming with me noticed it immediately.
From the outside he could see something I couldn’t. My stroke and breathing pattern were tightening up as the distance wore on. Instead of pushing harder, he had me focus on relaxing and controlling my breathing. We worked on a few simple mental cues to stay calm and settle into the rhythm of the freestyle stroke.
Such a simple change to make, but it completely changed my swimming.
By the time race day arrived, I felt calm in the water. If you’ve ever seen the start of a triathlon, you know it’s not exactly a peaceful environment. At Lake Placid, (before the rolling start), nearly two thousand athletes charge into the water at the same time. It’s loud, chaotic, and very intimidating.
But I remembered the coach’s advice, relaxed into my breathing, and settled into the 2.4 mile swim.
That outside perspective made all the difference.
The same principle shows up in business all the time.
In almost every high-performance environment, there is someone standing outside the action.
Athletes have coaches. Professional golfers travel with swing coaches who analyze every movement. Elite performers review film, metrics, and outside feedback constantly.
Business leaders are no different. The best CEOs surround themselves with advisors, board members, mentors, and consultants who provide a second set of eyes.
Why?
Because when you’re in the middle of the work, you often cannot see what is obvious to someone standing ten feet away.
Over the years working with companies—from small privately owned businesses to much larger organizations—I’ve noticed a pattern.
Most problems inside a company are not mysteries.
They show up in the numbers. They show up in repeated decisions. They show up in inefficient processes that everyone has quietly learned to live with.
And interestingly, the front-line employees often see these issues long before leadership does. They know which reports are wrong. They know which systems are clunky. They know which processes waste time.
But when you’re running the company, it can be difficult to slow down long enough to see those patterns clearly.
Sometimes all it takes is someone from the outside asking a simple question:
“Why are we doing it this way?”
That question alone can shift the conversation.
Not because leadership isn’t capable. Quite the opposite. Often the process simply evolved over time, and no one had stepped back to challenge it.
This is where outside perspective becomes powerful.
An outside advisor doesn’t run the business. That’s not the role. Instead, they bring something different to the table. Perspective. Pattern recognition from seeing similar issues across multiple companies. The ability to challenge assumptions that have become routine. Accountability around execution.
And often, a faster path to the right decision.
Over time I’ve noticed something else as well. The strongest leaders—the ones who consistently build durable companies—almost always have some form of outside perspective built into their decision-making process.
They don’t try to solve everything alone. They build a small circle around them. Coaches. Advisors. Consultants. Sometimes fractional executives who bring deep experience without the need for a full-time role. Not because they have to – because they understand the leverage.
Leadership can be isolating. The higher you move in an organization, the fewer people there are who will challenge your thinking directly.
That’s exactly why outside perspective becomes so valuable. It restores objectivity.
At the end of the day, one of the most powerful advantages in business is simply seeing clearly.
Sometimes clarity comes from the data. Sometimes it comes from the people closest to the work.
And sometimes it comes from someone outside the system who can connect the dots. The best leaders make sure they have access to all three.
If you’re ever looking for a clearer view of the numbers behind your business—or simply another perspective on how things are running—I always enjoy those conversations. Contact me to set up a call!
