Learning comes in many forms and one of the ways is through active listening. About 70 years ago, Luft and Ingham came up with a tool to aid in understanding interpersonal communication and self awareness, known as the Johari Window.

Now, my people are famous for coming up with names e.g. Mbukinya (Mburu and Kinyanjui) the once famous bus company, Muthokinju, Petanns and the list goes on. Looks like these two guys are from the same area code since Johari (Joseph and Harrington)…you see what i mean?

This window has four parts and today i would like to focus on the unknown by self but known by others. There are areas of our lives that we are clueless about, but those around us are able to see them very clearly.

Back to my initial statement on learning, how willing are we to listen to what others know about us that is hidden from us? Are we quick to justify or brush things off, or do we take the time to listen, introspect and try to understand the information provided?

How often am I quick to listen (actively) and slow to speak? Am I response-driven or reaction-driven?