First, discover your visual blind spot by clicking here. As you already know (if you have read the book), each of our eyes has a region in which there are no visual receptors. When you adjust the distance between your eyes and an image, you also adjust your field of vision and consequently, the place on your eye where the image hits. When that image is positioned where receptors can't perceive it, the image disappears (even though the image is still in your field of vision)!

Believe it or not, this is happening to you continuously, day in and day out.

What's particularly interesting is in daily life we don't even notice we have blind spots. In our experiment, when the circle disappeared from your field of vision you didn't notice a gaping hole, a black void or a big question mark. What you saw instead was a continuous white field. This is a lie that the brain is actually creating, since the eye isn't actually telling the brain anything at all about that particular part of your field of vision. The brain simply "filled in" the most probable stimulus (in this case, a white area) where there is none.

Everyone has "blind spots" in areas of their lives beyond the visual. It could be around your leadership style, your perception of what is "true" about yourself, or your sense of how you come across to others. These particular blind spots can be just as tricky to perceive as the visual one you uncovered in the experiment. The point is, they exist. They effect your life on a daily basis and you probably aren't aware of them. In fact, your brain may be frantically working to cover for them!

At Corporate Jester, we believe that true Jesters are committed to illuminating and working on blind spots in their own lives.

That being said, the second part of your challenge is to actually catch a glimpse of one of your own blind spots. As you probably have gathered, it is very difficult to discern one's own blind spots without the insights of others. The heart of your challenge is to set up a meeting with your supervisor to discover one.

If you think your supervisor would be open to jestership, explain the concept (or better yet, give them a copy of the book) and ask them for their thoughts about blind spots that might exist for you. If you doubt your supervisor would buy into the idea of jestership, just context the meeting as one in which you are looking for general feedback.

Either way, approach the dialog and the feedback differently than you ever have before. Think of it as a detective game; a search for buried treasure. Listen, don't talk, and try to take in what the person says as insight into blind spots you may not be aware you have. Remember, your brain may try to cover for them so don't try to fall into the trap of being defensive or explaining away the feedback.

Leave your meeting and take some time to think about what was said. Focus on the comments that surprised you most; they might be pointing directly to blind spots.

Finally take at least one of the comments . . . maybe the one that most challenged your self-image, and identify at least one way to mine more information about the perspective. Casually ask others about the particular insight, send out an email or formally add a question to a 360 review. No matter your method, commit to getting more feedback from others about that specific issue/topic in the next 30 days.

Remember that your quest is for the truth. You might be shocked by what you hear . . . it probably will contradict your own perspectives. Resist the urge to disregard and follow the threads no matter where they lead. Embrace the insights that follow and decide how to apply what you have learned as you move forward in your own development as a jester.

As usual, we would love to hear your reactions after completing this Jester Challenge. Would you send us an email with your thoughts?

If you drop us an email, we would be happy to email you the original editions with the web links still active. Alternatively you can view text-only versions by clicking here. Enjoy!

Remember that Corporate Jester is able to negotiate a discount with our publisher on bulk orders. If you are interested in purchasing multiple copies as a giveaway or want to incorporate the book into an upcoming event or meeting, please contact us.

Finally, think about combining a speaking appearance and a book giveaway at an upcoming conference. There is nothing quite like hearing Dave speak and then walking away with a copy of his book in hand!

In the opening talk of the first "Web 2.0" conference in 2004 some basic principles were outlined. It was understood that anything "Web 2.0" generally has data as the driving force, has a strong architecture of participation; leverages the power of The Long Tail, and is designed to be easy to pick up by early adopters.

If these terms and references are making your head swim, you can view a great primer on the nature of "Web 2.0" on YouTube by clicking here. At that link you will find a well done, short video that gives a basic intro into Web 2.0. It also does a great job highlighting the way in which the information world is shifting underneath our feet at this very moment.

One of the most often used examples of the shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 is the public's shift from websites like Britannica Online to Wikipedia as their primary source of information. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world. With rare exceptions, its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet.

A CNET News.com article entitled "Wikipedia and the Nature of Truth" noted a side effect of this kind of group activity - the potential loss of distinction between fact and opinion. The author states "On your ride home today, try pondering a future where Wikipedia's model of competing versions of the truth becomes the norm".

As we move closer to a reality where the line between truth and opinion blurs, the need for individuals committed to, and skillful in, perceiving and pointing out truth increases. This is doubly true for those organizations who exist, and wish to thrive, in the new Web 2.0 world.

For more information about the need for Jesters in a Web 2.0 world contact us!

In addition, if you personally liked reading the book, would you consider writing a positive customer review on our amazon.com page? It will only take a few minutes and we would appreciate it. To submit one, click here to be taken to the appropriate page on amazon.com.

You can view, download, forward or print our official press release by clicking here. If you need the information in another form, we would be happy to help; just click the "ask Dave" button above to let us know what you need.

As frequent travelers, we love gadgets designed to save time, create efficiency and make those long flights bearable. One of our favorite sites, Gizmodo, hosts reviews and commentary about all kinds of new technology. Check out the site by clicking here.

A ongoing discussion group (with more than 6000 members), focused on sharing training and coaching ideas, is hosted on Yahoo Groups. You can find out more, or join for free, by clicking here.

If you have a personal website recommendation let us know and we might pass it on in a future newsletter! Just contact us with the information.

Thanks for being a part of Corporate Jester. We look forward to your comments and your continued involvement!

Sincerely,