What Does Being Blindsided at Work Mean?

Being blindsided at work refers to situations where an employee is kept completely unaware of vital information or issues that directly impact their responsibilities until it is too late to effectively address the problems. This occurs when colleagues or team members withhold critical details, concerns, or emerging obstacles from the blindsided individual, leaving them unprepared and blindly operating with incomplete or inaccurate information. Despite having a stake in the matter, the blindsided party is the last to find out about looming challenges that could derail projects, jeopardize deadlines, or significantly alter the landscape they are working in. Shockingly, this experience of being utterly blindsided is incredibly widespread across industries and organizational levels. Whether through fear of confrontation, efforts to cover up mistakes, or simple communication breakdowns, colleagues routinely neglect to loop in all stakeholders about pertinent issues. Hence, this Fast Company article emphasizes a few tips to overcome being blindsided at work.

According to the article, being blindsided at work refers to situations where vital information is withheld from you by others who could have provided it. It recounts the author’s personal experience of being blindsided as a leadership trainer, remaining unaware of major operational issues until it was nearly too late to resolve them before an important program. The article suggests this phenomenon stems from people withholding their true thoughts, beliefs, and concerns—the “left-hand column” of unspoken information. It states that this pattern is pervasive yet problematic, as open information flow is critical for organizations to learn, collaborate effectively, and make sound decisions. Drawing from the work of Harvard professor Chris Argyris, the article describes how people fail to share the insights that could be most helpful to others. According to the article, this arises from individuals not being taught how to openly communicate sensitive information or difficult truths.

To overcome being blindsided at work, the article suggests following “The Ask Approach” – a 5-step method for uncovering what those around you actually think and feel. The article suggests mastering these steps, though requiring practice, allows leaders to finally break long-standing unproductive patterns and experience powerful breakthroughs in learning, growth, and mutual understanding. Ultimately, the article emphasizes the profound impact of making people feel safe openly sharing their “left-hand column” thoughts and the necessity of deliberately developing this skill for effective leadership and organizational success.

Disappointingly, being blindsided at work is more the norm than the exception for many professionals. The aforementioned are a few tips to avoid or overcome being the one blindsided at work.