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JIMINY SELF-HELP HANDBOOK 15
Self-awareness is a fundamental tool for self-control.
Some of the benefits of being self-aware are:
It strengthens work and personal relationships by managing emotions.
It can make us better at our jobs, better communicators in the workplace and enhance our self-
confidence and job-related wellbeing
It helps us become a happier and more productive employee and leader, and can help us align our
current life with our passions.
It leads to better decision-making and it allows us to see things from the perspective of others,
work creatively and productively, and experience pride in ourselves and our work as well as general
self-esteem
Johari Window and How to Use It
The Johari Window model is a simple and useful tool for illustrating and improving self-awareness, and
mutual understanding between individuals within a group. It was created by Joseph Luft and Harry
Ingham in 1955 and it was named after combining their first names, Joe and Harry.
The model shows a four-paned window. Looking at the four panes in terms of columns and rows, the
two columns represent the self; the first contains “things I know about myself,” and the second
contains “things I do not know about myself.” The rows represent the group one is in or others, the
first row being “things they know about me,” and the second being “things they do not know about
me.”
Things I know Things I don’t know
Things others Open/ free area Blind area
know
Information about you that Information about you that
both you & others know you don’t know, but others
do know
Things others Hidden area Unknown area
don’t know
Information about you that Information about you that
you know, but others don’t neither you nor others know
know
The premise behind the window is that we are often unaware of how others perceive us, how we
present ourselves to others, and even how well we know ourselves. Luft and Ingham created this
model because they believed that what happens in our life depends upon our own self-awareness, and
the awareness others have of us.
From a practical point of view in implementing the Johari window we need to look at two steps:
