During my initial training in heavy
manufacturing management, it was stressed to keep all things personal to myself
and share nothing. In fact, I still have
an “unlisted” number (for the Gen X and Y’s – that is a land line that is not
listed in the phone book (again for the Gen X and Y’s – a phone book was a
place where everyone’s names, address and phone number was published annually).
It did not take long to learn that the
world of leadership was changing and people expected more from their leaders
than short term direction. It was around
then that I read an article about the Johari Window. It was enlightening then and at 60 years old,
it still applies. The concept splits the
world of knowledge about one’s self into four quadrants dividing what you know
about yourself from what people know about you.
Good mentors and coaches can help you seek out what is in each quadrant
so you can understand and improve. For a
detailed explanation of the 4 quadrants click here.
In looking this over, something occurred
to me. What if we replaced the word “known”
with “care?” So the window would compare
what you care about to what others care about.
Understanding these quadrants for yourself and others would make you a
much more thoughtful leader.
Have you seen the original Johari Window? Have you deployed it? What do you think of this added perspective?
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