Blind Spots
Breakthrough innovation happens when two contrarians come together. If your network looks like you, thinks like you, builds like you, you're definitely missing out.
I was at a startup event last month.
Room full of brilliant founders. All building incredible things. All sharing insights, making connections, learning from each other.
But something struck me as I listened to the conversations. Everyone was talking about the same things. Same challenges. Same solutions. Same playbooks.
And yet. The biggest breakthroughs I've seen? They come from the intersections. The moments when someone from outside your world shows you something you couldn't see.
Your network's blind spots are costing you more than you realize.
When everyone in your circle thinks similarly, you miss the obvious. You miss the simple solution that someone from a different industry would spot immediately. You miss the customer segment that's right in front of you but invisible to your tribe.
Ask any founder about their biggest "aha" moment. More often than not, it came from talking to someone completely outside their usual circle. The customer who used their product in a way they never imagined. The advisor from a different industry who asked the question that changed everything.
But we default to our comfort zones. We network with people who look like us, think like us, build like us. We create echo chambers and call them communities.
The magic happens at the edges. Where your world intersects with worlds you don't usually visit.
Here's to those brave enough to step outside their bubble. Smart enough to know that their next breakthrough might come from the person who knows nothing about their space.
Expand your circle!
This post was first published on my Substack publication. If you liked this post, consider subscribing to get more such posts in your inbox.