What a stranded teenager and New Coke can teach us about decision-making.

A recent story highlights a risk most business leaders underestimate.

A 16-year-old girl was stranded in Denmark, unable to return to the UK because of a change in passport rules.

The rule itself was not new. The Home Office pointed out that it had been on their website for over a year.

And that is exactly the problem.

Most people do not wake up in the morning thinking, “I should check if passport regulations have changed.”

The information was available. But it was not seen, not understood, and not acted upon.

That is what a blind spot looks like.

This is not just a government issue. It happens in business all the time.

In 1985, The Coca-Cola Company introduced New Coke.

The decision was backed by extensive research. In blind taste tests, people preferred the new formula.

It lasted about 70 days.

Why?

Because Coca-Cola tested taste, not behaviour.

People do not drink Coke in small, controlled sips. They drink it with meals, over ice, in large cups, often quickly, often socially.

The product passed the test. But the test did not reflect reality.

Both examples point to the same underlying issue.

Blind spots occur when we assume people think, behave, or care in the same way that we do.

A few patterns show up repeatedly:

Availability does not equal awareness Just because something exists, a rule, a feature, a message, does not mean people will see it.

Preference does not equal behaviour What people say or choose in isolation is not how they act in the real world.

Logic does not equal reality. An internally logical decision can fail when it meets external behavior.

I see this frequently when working with SME leaders.

“We told customers.” But did they hear?

“The product is better.” But does it fit how it is actually used?

“The process is clear.” But is it intuitive?

These are not failures of strategy. They are failures of perspective.

The risk is an assumption.

Your biggest problems are rarely caused by what you do not know.

They are far more likely to come from what you assume others know, or how you assume they behave.

Before your next decision, ask yourself:

Am I designing for reality, or for my own assumptions?

Because if your strategy depends on people following your logic, you may have a blind spot.

Worth reflecting on: where might your business be assuming too much?