What do you showcase? What do you hide? What is hidden from you? In a quest for purpose or finding the journey for a reason, your experiences, relationships and biases can affect how you get there. They affect how you see and view things and the world. They can also highlight or render your strengths and weaknesses and how visible they are. And then there are lenses, frames and a window?
Johari window is a model that explores self-awareness, conscious and unconscious bias, and interpersonal relationships with others - especially in group dynamics, depending on how it is used.
Four boxes are inside a window pane: Open, blind, hidden and closed/unknown.
Open side is what is known by yourself and what is known by others. These will likely be the strengths and weaknesses you are aware of and are confident in. For example, being known as being funny or a good listener, host or being the clumsy one. To an extent, this may even be part of your personal brand.
Blind side is what others know about you, but you aren’t aware of. These can be natural abilities or aptitudes you don’t necessarily realise you possess, but when witnessed, other people can see how good or bad you are at it. This could be being known as a bad listener or giving good advice, but you aren’t (yet) aware of it.
Hidden side is what you know, but others don’t know. These are likely things uncomfortable to share with others. These might be strengths or weaknesses that you are too shy or concerned about how people may receive/ view them and are often kept or buried somewhere. I am directing this to those of you who know how to sing but only want to sing in the shower or in the confinement of your room!
The Closed side is the talents left unknown yet to be discovered. This is why it is also known as the unknown side. That can be an ability that has been heavily undermined, a natural ability to do something that has never yet been seen due to lack of experience or exposure, fear or aversion to something, repressed feelings or behaviour; or something left undiagnosed … the list can go on.
These boxes are not fixed and are forever changing. They can change size by asking questions and telling. We can expand our open side by asking people for feedback to learn more about us and tell people about our abilities and success so they know what we are capable of. In short, be inquisitive and celebrate your success and ability. However, the diagram below helps demonstrate how these areas can be expanded in more detail:
Now, the aim that people have for Joahri window would be naturally to get more skill talents and abilities known! This is by removing the amount of the unknown. The direct approach would be to reduce the closed gap by increasing the space in the open. However, this is not always the most preferred method, especially as you will learn strengths and weaknesses along the way and may not always be comfortable sharing. Nevertheless, we all have them. Some are even yet to be explored. Some gifts will multiply, whilst some will remain unknown. So, when thinking about finding these talents and gifts, strengths and weaknesses, there were two things I needed to learn as well:
1) Service - my gifts are not for me alone
1st Peter 4:10 : Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
2) I don't need to be strong in everything to be able to do anything. My weakness can become my strength, too
2 Corinthian 12:7-10 (but quoting from verse 9) And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Maybe it is just my curiosity, but I am starting to look through my Johari windows and understand what is there and what needs to be improved. I am hoping that understanding my window can also help me understand my frame as well. Sometimes, I try to stare into other people’s too, even if I can only see through one or two panels. Maybe I am genuinely staring into people’s souls! 😂 Jokes aside, continue to explore your strengths and weaknesses, your gifting and don’t let them be buried with you.
Shine Bright,
Stephen