How to do the Johari Window on your own

The grid sorts what you know about yourself against what other people know about you. Draw a cross on a page and you have the four boxes.

We like doing it alone with a notebook first. Then we ask one friend the question in the Blind Spot step.

The four squares

1. Open. What you and others both knowTraits, strengths and quirks, in any order. Organised, direct, terrible at small talk. It’s the easiest square to start on.
2. Blind Spot. What others see that you don’tWrite the names of one or two people you trust enough to ask, and the date you’ll ask them.
3. Hidden. What you know and others don’tNobody else sees this list. Mark the things you keep back for a good reason, and the ones that cost you something to keep back.
4. Unknown. What neither of you knows yetWrite two or three things you’ve wondered about and never tried. How you’d get on running a team, say, or living in another country.

How to ask about your blind spot

Ask somebody who has watched you work. Pick one setting and one behaviour, so the question is easy to answer.

Who to ask

A friend from work or an old colleague would both do. A manager is harder to ask, because your next review sits behind their answer.

When two people tell you the same thing separately, move it into the Open square.

What to do with the Unknown square

Pick one thing off your list to try this month, like a class or a weekend somewhere new.