I like to think of myself as "considered" rather than stubborn (although my husband might tell you it’s the same thing). Give me a new idea, and I’ll mull it over before I’m ready to change my mind.
Two years ago, our business coach asked me a question that made me squirm:
“What does it cost the business – in time, money, and energy – when you onboard a practice that turns out not to be a good fit?”
Without missing a beat, I explained (defended) our process and all the reasons it worked exactly as it was. He listened. Nodded. Asked a different question. Then another.
Over the next few conversations, I realised what he’d known all along: our "solid process" had a gaping hole in it.
A blind spot. One I never would have spotted myself.
That’s the thing about blind spots: you can’t fix what you can’t see. And when you’re in the thick of running a business, you’re often too close to see the inefficiencies, wasted effort, or missed opportunities staring you right in the face.
The quickest way to uncover them? Ask better questions.
The three questions that will uncover blind spots in your business
If you’re leading a financial advice practice – or any business, really – these three questions can reveal problems and opportunities you’ve been driving past for months without noticing.
1: “Where in our process do you see wasted time or effort?”
Most leaders think they know where the inefficiencies are – until they ask this question of their team and discover the real friction points aren’t where they assumed.
Unexpected benefit: This question often uncovers “double-handling” or outdated steps that have quietly survived years of process changes. Even more surprising, it can surface ways to add value – for example, by replacing wasted process time with a client touchpoint that builds loyalty.
Pro tip: Ask it of the people doing the work, not just those overseeing it. (And the best intel usually comes from the person who’s been quietly grumbling about the system for years.)
2: “If you were me, what would you do differently?”
This flips the perspective completely. It takes people out of their role and invites them to think like the leader. We ask this question to our team at least once a year via an internal survey.
Unexpected benefit: People often reveal priorities you didn’t realise mattered to them – like culture, recognition or career growth – which can be the key to retention.
It’s also a subtle way to identify emerging leaders in your team; the ones who give thoughtful, big-picture answers are usually the ones ready for more responsibility.
Pro tip: Ask this early when working with new team members or external partners. Their fresh perspective is gold, but you’ll only get it once before they adapt to “how things are done around here.”
3: “What would happen if we stopped doing this?”
Tradition is a terrible reason to keep doing something. This question creates space to challenge the “that’s how we’ve always done it” mindset.
Unexpected benefit: Sometimes the answer isn’t just “nothing bad would happen” – it’s that something great would happen. Stopping one low-value task can free up capacity for innovation, training or revenue-producing client work.
Pro tip: Use it in a “stop, start, continue” session each quarter to keep your team focused on work that actually matters.
The power of perspective
When my coach asked me those uncomfortable questions, it wasn’t that I couldn’t solve problems; problem-solving is one of my strengths. But even the strongest problem-solvers can’t see every angle from the inside. He could see what I couldn’t, and he knew how to guide me towards it without telling me outright.
That’s the real value of perspective.
It’s not someone swooping in with a ready-made solution. It’s having someone ask the right questions so you uncover the answers yourself – the answers that stick because you discovered them.
It’s also exactly what we do in our Zestt work with advice practices. We’re not there to lecture or hand over a one-size-fits-all playbook. We’re there to hold up a mirror, ask the uncomfortable questions and help you see what’s hiding in plain sight.
Your move, leader
The best leaders don’t have all the answers. They just know how to uncover them.
Start asking these three questions in your business. Listen without rushing to defend. And if something feels uncomfortably close to the bone, that’s your cue to dig deeper.
If I can admit my "perfectly fine" process had a gaping hole in it, you can survive a little ego bruise too.
Advisely Partner
