Knowing who you are is vital to how others interact with you and how you interact with them. Years ago a self-assessment tool was developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingram called the Johari window. An excerpt of this tool was found in my business management daily reading at crosswalk.com. I am not one to fully engage and believe in the thousands of self help books on the market but this one hit home so I thought I would share it.
The reading stated that “the Johari Window helps us realize where we are in our ability to know who we are and for others to know who we are. Real transparency in communication takes place when those we associate with us know who we are after we discover who we really are.”
See if you can identify what category you might fall among these four:
Transparent Life The transparent life is the life we should desire. I know who I am and others know me. There is nothing hidden. I have come to know who I am as an individual and basically people get what they see in me.
Bull-In-The-China Shop This person is blinded to the things that others recognize about him. The solution to becoming a transparent person is to get feedback from those around us about the blind spots in our personality. We must ask for the feedback and be willing to respond to their input.
Aloof/Hidden Secrets This person lives in a secret world. They don’t allow others to know about themselves. They know themselves but are fearful of letting others know. Those around them do not know them either. What do others really know about you? Have you allowed yourself to get close enough to others to share who you really are inside?
Hidden Potential This is a combination of Bull-In-A-China Shop and Aloof/Hidden Secrets. It is the saddest of all conditions. These people don’t know themselves and others don’t know them either. This means both parties have to invest the energy to communicate and get feedback from one another.
I fall in the aloof/hidden secrets category but I am moving to the transparent life. I often don’t want others to see my flaws so I hide them and often put on a mask of perfection now and again when I feel transparent. I know this, recognize this and know I desire the transparent life with those closest to me– amazing girlfriend, parents, friends and co-workers.
How about you? Why not take a step to find out who you really are in the eyes of others. And in your own eyes. It could change your life.
