A Window of Opportunity!

A couple of months back, our office had gone to Bangalore for an Outbound Training & Team building program. The time they announced this program, my mind wanted to do cartwheels and also sulk in a corner at the same time.

Well, you see, I literally jump at things that provide me insights on, "How to become a better you?", "How to tap your inner strength?", "How to find work-life balance?" type of programs. So there was a side of me who was excited and hopping like a little girl. The other side, which is the over apprehensive adult inside me, was troubled with some questions bobbing in my mind. "Do we need another training or team building program?", "If yes, why?", "Are we failing as a team?", "Did we as a team require external intervention to be better at what we do?”. I just packed these and many similar questions, in a little nook at the back of my mind, hoping that I would not have to retrieve this baggage.

I must tell you that before the visit, we were told that the trainers (organizers) were the best in the business, with many years of experience and had catered to the who's who in the corporate world. I had also read on their website a few glowing testimonials and appreciation from top notch brands.

This was all good. But the only worrying factor amongst all of us colleagues though, was the Spartan environment we were expected to stay in during the training program. Accommodation in tents with no attached bathrooms (eew!), getting up in the wee hours of morning (yawn), fixed schedule for meals, fixed slots for free time (sigh!). Also, no usage of cell phones (really!),  no Internet access (oh no!) and no non-vegetarian meals too. At this, I did hear a collection of long sighs from my carnivorous colleagues. Come to think of it, there were definitely going to be some tough days ahead of us, soon.

A boot-camp to boot!...Bring it on, I said, rather tepidly.

Finally the date arrived and we embarked on this journey full of apprehension and concerns. Concerns because we were dreading to know how the group was going to survive without our urban trappings, without our gadgets and gizmos. Most importantly, without Internet – synonymous in today’s times as the air that we breathe!

And then just like that, the much anticipated four days too went by rather hurriedly. Unexpectedly for us, we survived (like all previous inhabitants) the training and also the discomfort of being cut away from ‘civilization’. Some of us did not just scrape through but we even immersed ourselves uninhibitedly in this program. We welcomed with open embrace, the quietude and the stillness; waking up to the coos of nature, and quietly attempting to understand our true self; reflecting on our past actions and contemplating on present moments; every day of the four days.

This program which was expected to be a rigorous outing turned out to be a delightful inward journey. And all this was executed through a series of team exercises, role plays, creative activities and even a arduous hike thrown in, to a nearby hill. Many new concepts were introduced and a few old concepts were revisited. In a nutshell, the various activities we went through, assessed our mental strength, challenged our physical prowess, tested the depth of our emotional pool, and gauged the intensity of our interpersonal relationships.

Amongst all these however, there was one concept which has stayed with me even after two months. It is the ‘Johari Window’. Luft and Ingham called their Johari Window model 'Johari' after combining their first names, Joe and Harry. Some of us have either learned it in college or read about it as a piece of general knowledge. As for me, though I was exposed to it in college,  I just ‘understood’ the concept only for a brief period. After the exams, it met the same fate like all other theories, tools and concepts. Out of the window!

Now it occurs to me that this simple tool and model is even more relevant than ever before. Given the importance of 'soft' skills, empathy, and interpersonal development, it helps in improving self-awareness, communications and mutual understanding between individuals within a group. This tool can be applied to Employee-Employer relationship, between members of the same team and according to me even Husband-Wife relationship.

Johari window four regions

1. what is known by the person about him/herself and is also known by others - open area, open self, free area, free self, or 'the arena'
2. what is unknown by the person about him/herself but which others know - blind area, blind self, or 'blindspot'
3. what the person knows about him/herself that others do not know - hidden area, hidden self, avoided area, avoided self or 'facade'
4. what is unknown by the person about him/herself and is also unknown by others - unknown area or unknown self

Each of these areas were brought out by the trainer through examples which made our learning even more insightful and memorable.

The tool tries to tell us is that bigger the open area we have, we are at our most effective and productive. The open free area, or 'the arena', can be seen as the space where good communications and cooperation occur, free from distractions, mistrust, confusion, conflict and misunderstanding.

In case, the Open area is not big, we can through a process of self-discovery ( for e.g. taking actions/risks we have been avoiding to take), soliciting feedback (provided we are open to receiving it) and process of self-disclosure (for e.g. by telling others how we feel) reduce the Unknown area, Blind spot area and Hidden area respectively.

Revisiting this concept not only opened my eyes to an old concept but I was now looking at my colleagues with a new and healthy perspective. A lot of baggage that I carried for a long time was thrown away thus reducing the hidden area. A lot of objective feedback was provided to my colleagues and also received by me thus reducing the area of blind spots. And lastly, thanks to the unique activities like role-plays we had done, led to a process of self discovery for me.

In a nutshell, this is one ‘window of opportunity’ which needs to be opened wide by each and every one of us. It is not just a theory or concept but something which one can practice in everyday life. It not just helps in improving self awareness but also creating better interpersonal relationships.

For more details on Johari Window, do click here http://www.businessballs.com/johariwindowmodel.htm