A Pilots Gaze

Ever stared too long at one spot while you’re moving? Try it. Your side vision just gives up. That’s motion induced blindness. Pilots know this inside out. The first thing they teach you once you’re in the cockpit – don’t lock in on one instrument or target. Scan around. Keep your head moving. Don’t get comfortable.

The funny thing is, this isn’t just for flying planes. It’s everywhere. It’s pretty much how you should approach work, marketing, or anything that pretends to be strategic. Most folks love the comfort of a rigid plan. They stack up the data, build out those gorgeous decks, and just as soon as everything can defend itself on paper, people switch to autopilot. Eyes glued to the “main thing,” no matter what’s happening around them.

But if that’s all you do, you miss everything else. The stuff at the edge. Unplanned surprises. Bad signals. The little indicators that things are shifting. It’s the same for pilots—they have to keep sweeping the horizon to catch what’s creeping in, or they miss danger. Or opportunity.

Here’s what I’ve learned: teams get blindsided not because they’re idiots, but because they stop looking. Maybe the numbers make sense. Maybe the plan is “flawless.” So what? The market doesn’t care about your spreadsheet. People don’t care about your “unique process.” There’s always something moving in the corner of your eye that matters more than what’s in front of you.

So next time you catch yourself obsessing over that one piece of data or losing yourself in another year’s “foolproof” strategy, do yourself a favour. Pause. Look around. Talk to someone random. Ask the weird question. Look for the thing that doesn’t fit. That’s usually where the real story is hiding, just out of view.

Pilots are taught this for a reason. The best marketers, planners, founders, parents, and probably party hosts know it too. Don’t get tunnel vision. The most important stuff isn’t always sitting in the middle.