The Rest of The Window

You are here:

Johari Window …that is.

If you have a confused look on your face, go back to one the most recent blog posts. This is where I explain what the Johari Window is and what is important about Quadrant #1 (a.k.a. “the arena” or open area) and #2 (a.k.a. the blind area).

[if you don’t recall, please go back to that blog post … we’ll wait here]

Now that you know what the Johari Window is and what it’s used for, it will be helpful to have an explanation of the 3rd and 4th Quadrant.

The 3rd Quadrant is the area where the person knows things about himself that others do not know. This is also considered the hidden area and is where the leader needs to become more vulnerable. Doing so will allow his team to get to know him better. That area will get smaller when your leader and team gets to know each other better. Once they do, a lot of the barriers to being more productive and efficient will come down. Not that the leader is intentionally hiding things, but just not comfortable enough to be that candid.

However, there is instances where the leader may be putting up a facade. This is definitely something that will limit his teams ability to grow.

The 4th Quadrant of the Johari Window.

This is the Blind Area and is not where anyone would want to be. This is where very new teams formed by newer employees with new leaders usually reside. It’s not that any of them are hiding different personality traits, skills or aptitudes. They just haven’t been fully formed and some of those traits are yet to be discovered by anyone.

What can we do about it?

As stated, the Johari Window is a tool to create self-awareness among individuals and groups/teams. Once that self-awareness has been created you can start to implement different tactics. Of course, these tactics will be designed to increase Quadrant #1. When this area increase your odds of having a more productive team increases.