Podcast Summary:

10% Happier with Dan Harris
Episode: How To Read The Room, See What Others Miss, and Be Right More Often | Kirstin Ferguson
Date: December 22, 2025
Guest: Dr. Kirstin Ferguson

Overview

This episode is a deep-dive into the art and science of better decision-making through the lens of "blindspotting"—the practice of seeing what others miss, cultivating intellectual humility, and learning how to read the room. Host Dan Harris interviews leadership expert and author Dr. Kirstin Ferguson, exploring key concepts from her new book, Blindspotting. Together, they unpack why we get stuck in biases, how to dismantle defensiveness, and what practical steps we can take to foster more honest, curious, and flexible mindsets in our lives, work, and relationships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is "Blindspotting"? (06:49)

• Definition:
  Dr. Ferguson introduces "blindspotting" as an actionable approach to addressing our mental blind spots, emphasizing three key mindsets:

  • Honesty: Acknowledging what you do and don’t know.
  • Curiosity: Seeking out more information and perspectives.
  • Flexibility: Willingness to change your mind when confronted with new insights.

• Quote:
  "Blindspotting is this idea of having the mindsets around being honest about what we do and don’t know, being curious to find out more, and then being flexible enough to change our mind." — Kirstin Ferguson (06:55)

• The Foundation:
  It's rooted in intellectual humility, summarized by the phrase:
  "The power of four words, not three: being able to say, 'I don't know yet.'" — Kirstin Ferguson (07:35)

2. Why Practice Intellectual Humility? (09:14)

• Motivation:
  The need for intellectual humility isn't widely craved, but Ferguson frames it as essential to avoiding regrets about poor decisions.

• Relatable Hook:
  “All I need to ask you, Dan, is when’s the last time you made a decision and afterwards you thought, what the fuck was I thinking? That is the hook.” — Kirstin Ferguson (09:14)

• Real-world Relevance:
  Our brains default to what’s worked before, clinging to certainty (even in the face of changing reality), which leads to missed opportunities and entrenched polarization.

3. Seekers vs. Knowers (11:01)

• Types of Thinkers:
  • Seekers: Embrace not knowing, are collaborative, curious, comfortable with ambiguity.
  • Knowers: Enter scenarios believing they have the answers, ask few genuine questions, uncomfortable with uncertainty.
• Balanced Perspective:
  Both mindsets are situationally useful—crises may require knowers; growth favors seekers.

4. Thinking Traps: The Three Pitfalls (12:37)

• Curse of Expertise:
  Experts often misjudge when to question themselves. “We are really poor at questioning ourselves as to when perhaps we should be getting some extra information ... and that’s the curse of expertise.” — Ferguson (12:56)
• Pull of Hubris:
  Past success can breed overconfidence, making it hard to adapt as contexts shift.
• Illusion of Knowledge:
  Accumulated knowledge can be outdated or irrelevant; rigidly relying on experience can blind us to necessary learning.

5. Embracing Uncertainty (16:04, 18:46)

-The Human Aversion:
Certainty is comforting, especially under stress, but Ferguson challenges listeners:
“The world isn’t certain. We can continue to cling to certainty with the world changing around us ... or we can accept the world’s going to keep changing.” — Ferguson (16:32)

• Supple vs. Brittle:
  Dan Harris reframes adaptability as a choice between being "brittle and breakable, or supple and sophisticated." (18:46)

6. The Three Blindspotting Mindsets—How to Apply Them Practically (21:14)

1. Be Honest

   • Accept Intellectual Limits: Recognize knowledge is a spectrum.
   • Disentangle Ego: Avoid equating self-worth with "being right" about your role or expertise.
   • Hunt Biases: Not just social or cultural, but cognitive biases like confirmation bias or hubris.
   • Tactical Question: Ask, “What am I missing? What are you seeing that I’m not seeing?” (24:12)

2. Be Curious

   • Seek Different Perspectives: Expose yourself to varied sources—media, colleagues, even opposing views—to test your biases and assumptions.
   • Question for Insight: Ask questions to learn, not to win. “What would you do differently? What will it look like if we get this wrong?” (42:59)

3. Be Flexible

   • Willingness to Change: If evidence upends your understanding, calibrate your confidence and adjust course.
   • Reading the Room: Sensing not just spoken feedback, but broader context, changing signals, and missing voices. (46:29, 73:33+)

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On feeding your own humility:
  “So many people feel that saying I don’t know yet is like a career killer ... my view is if you’re in an environment where you can't say that, you’ve got way bigger problems.” — Ferguson (24:12)

• On Defensiveness and Feedback:
  “If I can feel I’m becoming defensive, if I catch it ... my ego has been triggered. Something I’m either feeling shame, embarrassment, something is being activated in me ...” — Ferguson (33:06)

• Dan's Reflection on Defensiveness:
  “Knowing that defensiveness is going to show up as a certain set of sensations ... it’s a great alarm bell, like, oh, okay, I’m getting triggered here.” — Dan Harris (35:03)

• On Curiosity and Confirmation Bias:
  “If we don’t read widely and if we don’t listen to others with different perspectives, you get caught out like I did, being literally shocked that most of my fellow citizens had a very different view.” — Ferguson on missing the Australian referendum (27:05)

• On Psychological Safety:
  “It creates an atmosphere where people are comfortable speaking their mind, even if they’re way lower on you in whatever hierarchy ... this is the secret sauce behind successful organizations.” — Dan Harris (44:19)

• On Flexibility:
  “I have had to calibrate my confidence that I was right ... what being flexible about then is reading the room ... embracing ambiguity.” — Ferguson (46:29)

• Joseph Goldstein's wisdom:
  “Certainty is not an indication of truth.” — as quoted by Dan Harris (52:07)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 06:49 – Introduction to Blindspotting
• 09:14 – Why Intellectual Humility Matters
• 11:01 – Seekers vs. Knowers
• 12:37–20:43 – Three Thinking Traps: Curse of Expertise, Pull of Hubris, Illusion of Knowledge
• 21:14 – The Blindspotting Mindsets and Applied Practices
• 24:12 – Hunting for Your Biases (Practical Advice)
• 32:01 – Disentangling Ego and Handling Defensiveness
• 38:32 – The Role of Curiosity
• 44:08–46:14 – Creating Psychological Safety
• 46:29 – Flexibility and Reading the Room
• 53:41 – The Value of Uncertainty and Variety
• 57:12–59:41 – Building a Culture of Seekers and Modeling "Not Knowing"
• 60:14 – Hiring and Social Curation for Psychological Safety
• 62:24 – Thinking Like a Journalist
• 65:16 – Calibrating Confidence: Values vs. Opinions
• 69:02 – Imposter Syndrome & the Word-to-Wisdom Ratio
• 71:04 – Advice to Young Professionals
• 72:18 – “Reading the Room” Skills
• 73:33 – Practical Strategies for “Reading the Room”

Additional Practical Strategies & Reflections

• Build a culture where “I don’t know” is safe.
  Model this at the top (whether in corporations or families). Thank people who admit knowledge gaps and collaborate to fill them.
• Role of Leaders:
  Sometimes, being a “knower” is necessary (e.g., in crises); know when to read the room and flex between mindsets. (59:57)
• Recruiting Seekers:
  Test for flexibility by challenging candidates’ expertise during interviews. Observe reactions to disagreement. (60:14)
• Read the Room, Broadly:
  Not just interpersonal mood—but industry trends, global atmospherics, and whose voices are missing. (73:33, 75:58)

Memorable Moments & Humor

• Ferguson’s very Australian, candid tone on making mistakes:
  “What the fuck was I thinking?” (09:14)

• Ferguson on feedback triggers:
  “I know I have three triggers ... first, I’m thinking you’re wrong ... second, you’re an idiot ... third, my ego’s been triggered.” (36:39)

• On working from home:
  “I got that a little bit wrong. I do tend to get overly excited about things anyway and then sort of ratchet it back.” — Ferguson (46:29)

• “We’re all just trying to find our fellow crazies.” — Ferguson (62:22)

Actionable Takeaways

• Regularly ask yourself and your teams:
  "What are we missing? What am I missing?"
• Broaden your information sources to include perspectives you disagree with, for both bias-checking and calibration.
• Name and notice your defensiveness when triggered—pause, breathe, re-engage from reflection rather than reactivity.
• Model intellectual humility in your circles by openly admitting what you don't know and encouraging others to do so.
• Hire for and build friendships with seekers—those open to new ideas and feedback.
• Practice reading the room—train yourself to "scan" for missing voices, shifting trends, and context, not just emotional tone in the moment.

Further Resources

• Kirstin Ferguson's new book: Blindspotting: How to See What Others Miss
• Free blindspotting mindset survey: blindspotting.com.au
• Previous book: Head and Heart (on the art of reading the room and balancing empathy/logic in leadership)

Summary produced for listeners seeking the essential lessons, mindset shifts, humor, and stories from this engaging conversation. This episode encourages courage to admit fallibility, curiosity to explore, and flexibility to adapt—cornerstones for wiser, happier decision-making in work and life.