How can you use the Johari window model to increase feedback receptivity in executive coaching?

I learned the "Johari Window" in action during a 3-day leadership development workshop I led for ~200 leaders. To illustrate the power of the Johari Window and its insight about expanding the "open area" of things known to yourself and others to build trust through sharing, I explained to the workshop I was an extreme introvert and found the multiday workshop exhausting with its social intensity. That night, a group from the workshop saw me at a restaurant. They invited me to join them. But they also said: "we understand you might need time alone to recharge." I thanked them, and declined because I needed that time. If I had not shared about myself, they likely would have misunderstood why I declined. Instead the exchange built trust.

Johari window has a 4 quadrant matrix : Open Area (things you know about yourself) the Blind Area (things you don't know about yourself, but others do) the Hidden Area (things you know about yourself, but keep hidden) Unknown Area (things that are unknown to you and to others) Self-awareness being a key component here and the blind are being the blind spot that we don't see and others see about us is critical in shaping the relationship with self and others. Once this is developed and open to be reviewed lot of perspectives open up about Self and how we deal with others.

There is method of administering any psychometric instrument. After introducing the Johari window to the coachee, let them go through it. Once they have responded to the questions, but have not scored yet, explain to them the concept of the instrument. Tell them about the four quadrants and what different combinations of scores denote. Only then ask them to score themselves and draw the quadrants. Since the concept has already been explained, they can themselves have an accurate perception of what their scores mean. Lead them through the debriefing of their scores. Once again, this is done best through asking open ended questions so that the coachee becomes aware of their receptivity towards feedback.

The Johari Window should be the main model used for personal development and personal disruption. Essentially the 4 quadrants comprise of: - Things I know - Things I don’t know - Things others know - Things others don’t know Which consequently leads to: - Arena: Known to Others and Self - Blind Spot: Known to Others but not known to Self - Fa?ade: Known to Self but not known to Others - Unknown: Not known to Self and Others It’s a very useful “map” that helps us organize, prioritize and focus our attention towards the areas for improvement. It’s also useful to note, the model has the tendency of humbling a person if we use it wisely, no one person can know everything and what we know is perceived differently by others.

Utilize the Johari Window model in executive coaching to enhance feedback receptivity. Explain its four quadrants, prompting self-reflection. Encourage clients to recognize blind spots and hidden areas, fostering openness to feedback. Regularly revisit the model to track progress and deepen understanding.

The Johari Window is an excellent tool that brings many benefits. Some of the best usages are Self-Awareness, Trust building and level 3 behavioral assessment. 1) Use the Johari Window as an onboarding tool for a new client. Invite the client to share what’s known to him but not to others and what’s known by everyone. You’ll know if your coaching is working if the client feels comfortable sharing intimate information about themselves. - this session can set the tone for future sessions, it’s a foundation that can be compared to at mid point and end point of the journey. 2) As the journey progress, the executive coach can now add to the quadrant, acting as a mirror to share how the client has progressed.

The Johari window speaks directly to self-awareness - it is an effective way for coachees to "map" their level of awareness and make decisions about areas they can prioritize in their development. It is an amazing stepping stone tool!

One thing that adds more value is to use sociometric techniques along with the Johari window and sometimes one can add/ change a few adjectives from the list and use one that applies to the group

In my own executive coaching practice, regularly assessing myself, gives me insight to any biases I am be experiencing or areas of improvement that I may not notice. Also, the model can benefit my coaching practice because it creates a buy-in from key stakeholders. Integrating the Johari Window model into a multi-rater assessment can lead the executive to a greater level of self-awareness and also potential possibilities.

Exploring shadows or blind spots can bring a level of acceptance in the executive for parts of themselves that they don’t see or have critical view of. This inner critic can cause them to keep part of themselves locked up and thus unable to expand their potential. Effective coaching through Johari window can be very powerful experience for the executive. Monitoring progress with the executive is a great way to see if the executive has been able to work on the areas. At the end of the day it is important to remember for the coach that, the executive exists in a system and the system also has a responsibility to create a space for the executive to be able to trust the exploration of their various ways of being in the four quadrants.

I have found that using the Johari Window model to explain, particularly multi-rater assessments, is a great way to diminish the possible negative impact of the assessment itself. You can explain to the executive that the blind area and the hidden area are opportunities to share and to grow. The blind area is filled with unknown possibilities that we can explore together. It is a great tool for the client to become more self-aware and also more aware of the perception of others.

In the Johari window model, help executives to embrace openness and self-awareness in the 'open area'. Encourage them to seek and accept feedback on their 'blind area', gaining insights from others. In the 'hidden area', foster a trusting environment for sharing personal thoughts and feelings. Lastly, guide them to explore the 'unknown area', discovering untapped potential and unconscious aspects. This mindful approach transforms feedback into a powerful tool for growth in executive coaching.

One thing I come across fairly often, I coach my Leadership clients is to 'allow themselves to be known beyond their job title' so I explain the Johari's window to them and ask them to populate the hidden area by asking the question, "what could you share with others to allow yourself to be known?" They soon realise that there is so much that makes them unique that they haven't shared, and much of it is easy to share, i.e. not too personal. They just need to plan the 'how to'.

Awareness of the different facets of oneself using Johari window widens the client’s knowledge of self. Explain to the client that he/she can improve areas that brought to his/her attention.

Explorar las áreas conocidas y desconocidas: Inicie la sesión de coaching explorando con el cliente lo que sabe sobre sí mismo (área abierta) y lo que desconoce (área oculta y desconocida). Esto puede hacerse a través de preguntas reflexivas y técnicas de autoevaluación.

The quality of feedback is very important for Johari Window. It’s useful to plan and identity the right stakeholders for the information you want to collect. Often times, we practice Situational Leadership; we may behave differently in different scenarios, you at home may be very different than you leading an NGO. We can in fact, collect Johari Windows from different stakeholders from different backgrounds and setups: church, NGO, sports group, associations, work. Each can be treated as a jigsaw puzzle that ultimately reveals the deeper you. Collect Johari Windows over a long period of time so that you can see the changes in your traits. - I’ve benefited tremendously from doing this exercise Have fun, Alex

I have found Johari's window to be an especially useful tool when working with individuals who are somewhat guarded or who are resistant to receiving feedback. This simple but clear model illustrates the power of building trusting relationships and developing rapport.

The Coach can Encourage the executive to increase their comfort and confidence in self-disclosure by sharing more about themselves with others. This can help creating an environment with more trust. The executive will need to introspect and bring more authenticity in their interactions and to demonstrate empathy and understanding towards others in the team.

Desarrollar la autorreflexión: Animar al coachee a reflexionar regularmente sobre su propio crecimiento y desarrollo personal, así como a identificar nuevas oportunidades de aprendizaje y mejora continua.