The Spotlight Effect | QAspire Consulting

Even after years of facilitating people (often senior leaders) across geographies, I still feel a surge of anxiety before entering the room. Thoughts like, “What will they think?” Or “What if I slip up?” race through my mind. That’s when I take a deep breath and remind myself: it’s not about being “interesting” to them but about being “interested” in them – their context, their ideas and their challenges. This shift helps me overcome what is known as “Spotlight Effect” – the tendency to overestimate how much others notice our appearance, actions or outcomes. 

When I turn the needle of conversation towards the others, I relieve myself of the anxiety associated with being under the spotlight. I recently practiced this reframe more consciously in a Leadership Workshop after reading Sahil Bloom’s newsletter that offered useful guidance on overcoming the spotlight effect. 

The newsletter edition offered valuable insights on what is Spotlight effect, how it impacts us and what can we do to dim the spotlight on ourselves. Here’s a sketchnote summary of key ideas.

Updated: Visual Leadership Pack HD Sketchnotes

If you liked the sketchnote summary above, check out the Visual Leadership Pack of HD Sketchnotes – a compilation of high-resolution sketchnotes with 90+ powerful (and timeless) ideas to elevate your leadership and learning game.