THE JOHARI WINDOW: SEEING YOUR BLIND SPOTS

 

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” 

2 Corinthians 13:5

 

"I commune with my own heart: and my spirit diligently explores her own hidden world."

Psalm 77:6

 

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

Jeremiah 17:9

 

Before we can pursue our unique purpose, let alone enter into meaningful relationships with others, we have to understand who we are, whom we were created to be, and what we truly believe.

 

It’s no surprise then that the qualities most critical for success in today’s world– things like emotional intelligence, empathy, influence, persuasion, communication, and collaboration– all stem from SELF-AWARENESS.

Therefore, self-awareness has become THE meta-skill of the twenty-first century.

 

And while researching self-awareness, two categories have emerged; we will examine both:

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Internal Self-Awareness – how clearly, we see our interior selves and know ourselves (self-perception).
External Self-Awareness – understanding how other people view us (perception of others).

 

Despite the critical role self-awareness plays in our success and happiness, self-awareness is a remarkably rare quality. For most people, it’s easier to choose SELF-DELUSION– the antithesis of self-awareness– over the cold, hard truth.

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In fact, studies show that we tend to be terrible judges of our own performance and abilities. And the scariest part? The least competent people are usually the most confident in their abilities.

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Ever since Plato instructed us to “know thyself,” philosophers and scientists alike have extolled the virtues of self-awareness. And the scriptures have instructed us concerning self-awareness for millennia. “Know thyself” therefore, is about developing a reference point.

 

The Johari Window is a model and tool that helps us do this— see and understand ourselves. The name “Johari" is taken from the names of its creators – Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham (1955). It is a model for self-awareness, personal development, group development, and understanding relationships.

 

This LAB will, therefore, dig deeper into the idea of self-awareness, utilizing the four “windows” or perspectives within the Johari model:

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• The OPEN window: What is known by the person about him/herself and is also known by others.

• The BLIND window: What is unknown by the person about him/herself, but which others know – “blind spot.”

• The HIDDEN window: What the person knows about him/herself that others do not know - the avoided self or “façade.”

• The UNKNOWN window: What is unknown by the person about him/herself and is also unknown by others.
   

Learn:

How you see yourself and communicate with others.

How you present yourself to others.

How others perceive you.

How to understand your actions vs. your motivations.

What others know about you, but you don’t.

What others don’t know about you, but you do-- your secrets.

What others don’t know about you and you don’t either.

How to help team members better understand and trust one another.

To understand the role of sharing information and receiving feedback in building deeper relationships. 

To build trust intentionally in relationships and within the work/ministry environment.

How to clearly see your interior self (self-talk).