The Johari Window

I have always thought that as leaders and catalysts of change, Black Belts and other similar change professionals need to themselves constantly work to maintain an open stance towards self-development and feedback.

One of the key concepts is the Johari window.

A Johari window is a cognitive tool created by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955, and is used to help people better understand their interpersonal communication and relationships.

You are given a list of 56 specific adjectives and pick five or six that they feel describe their own personality. Your peers are given the same list of adjectives and also each pick five or six adjectives that best describe you. These adjectives are then mapped onto a grid.

Charles Handy calls this the Johari House with four rooms. Room 1 is the part of ourselves that we see and others see. Room 2 is the aspects that others see but we are not aware of. Room 3 is the most mysterious room in that the unconscious or subconscious part of us is seen by neither ourselves nor others. Room 4 is our private space, which we know but keep from others.

The concept is also related to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

If you want to perform this assessment for yourself, you can go to the website below, where you can create a free profile, select your own set of 5 or 6 words, and then send a link to people who are willing to act as peers for your Johari house.

http://kevan.org/johari.cgi