The Blind Side

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Sort current team knowledge and unexamined assumptions regarding a specific project or topic.

Use it when: Use during project kickoffs, milestone reviews, or cross-functional planning when teams need to clarify what they know, what they lack, and what risks remain unexplored.

Skip it when: Skip when the team needs personal feedback or performance evaluations. Keep the exercise focused strictly on operational, technical, or project work.

Group arrangement: Whole group working in parallel at a shared wall or board, with brief individual reflection moments.

Timing: Source suggests 30 to 45 minutes; UWT specifies a 35-minute run plan.

Materials and tools

• 1 large poster board or butcher paper sheet with a drawn human profile and 4 labeled arrows
• 1 pad of 3x3 sticky notes per participant
• 1 medium-point marker per participant
• Wall-safe tape for mounting the chart

Before participants arrive

1. Draw a large-scale profile silhouette of a human head on butcher paper or a whiteboard.
2. Draw four distinct arrows extending from the top of the head.
3. Label the four arrows: 'Know/Know (We know we know)', 'Know/Don't Know (We know we do not know)', 'Don't Know/Know (We do not know we know)', and 'Don't Know/Don't Know (We do not know we do not know)'.
4. Post the diagram where all participants have physical room to step up and post notes.

Say this to open

Today we are mapping our collective awareness about our project topic. Every team has blind spots. We will categorize our information into four zones: things we know we know, things we know we lack, skills or resources we have forgotten we possess, and areas where we might be blind to risks. Please stick strictly to project and operational facts, not personal evaluations of teammates.

How to run it

1. Introduce diagram and map known facts 6 minutes

   State the chosen project topic. Direct participants to write facts, verified data, and proven capabilities on sticky notes (one idea per note). Have everyone post their notes around the 'Know/Know' arrow. Limit reading aloud to a brief visual scan.

2. Map recognized knowledge gaps 7 minutes

   Direct the group to identify things the team knows it lacks: unanswered questions, missing data, or unbuilt tools. Participants write one item per note and cluster them by the 'Know/Don't Know' arrow.

3. Uncover dormant resources 7 minutes

   Prompt participants to identify dormant skills, past organizational experience, or unused vendor access that the team has not tapped. Participants post these by the 'Don't Know/Know' arrow.

4. Probe the unknown unknowns 8 minutes

   Point to 'Don't Know/Don't Know'. Ask the room: 'What external changes, untested assumptions, or team blind spots could catch us off guard? How could an outside observer spot what we miss?' Group members discuss verbally and write discovered inquiries or investigation needs on notes around this arrow.

5. Identify action steps and debrief 7 minutes

   Review the full board. Ask the group to select two concrete actions to investigate the biggest unknowns or activate dormant skills. Record the owners for those actions, then complete the brief debrief.

Debrief questions

• Which category was easiest to fill, and which felt most uncomfortable?
• What dormant skill or asset on the board could help us solve an identified gap immediately?
• What proactive habit can help this team catch blind spots before they turn into project blockers?

Finished output: A four-quadrant knowledge map on butcher paper displaying posted notes, with at least two assigned investigative actions for critical unknowns.

Remote

Set up an online whiteboard with a human profile illustration and the four labeled arrows. Participants write on digital sticky notes in silence during each phase, dragging their notes to the appropriate arrow. Run the verbal discussion in Step 4 through an open mic or queue.

Hybrid

Maintain a single digital whiteboard as the primary canvas. Have in-person participants post physical sticky notes to the room chart while an assigned scribe mirrors them to the digital board, or require all participants to post directly onto the digital canvas via personal laptops.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may contribute notes silently without reading them aloud.
• Writing or posting notes is optional; participants may choose to observe, read the board, or comment verbally during the debrief.
• Clear printed category definitions should be posted beside the arrows for participants who benefit from written instructions.

If the session gets stuck

Participants get stuck trying to identify 'Don't Know/Don't Know' because, by definition, they cannot see what they do not know.

Reframe the prompt around outside perspectives: 'What would an auditor, an end-user, or a competitor notice about our project that we take for granted?'

Comments drift into personal critique or feedback on teammates' performance.

Intervene immediately and remind the group: 'Keep all sticky notes focused strictly on project processes, data, tools, and technical resources.'

Terms used here

• Johari Window: A cognitive framework created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham dividing knowledge into open, blind, hidden, and unknown quadrants.
• Unknown Unknowns: Risks, facts, or assumptions that a team is entirely unaware of until uncovered through outside inquiry.