Its funny what eventually comes back to you in time.
I was talking to a good friend last night and she reminded me about the conversations we had regarding communication & relationships. The topic was the Johari Window
From wikipedia: “A johari window a metaphorical tool intended to help people better understand their interpersonal communication and relationships. It is used primarily in self-help groups and corporate settings as a heuristic exercise.”
The core message of this tool is to communicate the complicated nature of identity and how we interact with the world. For example… I have things I know about myself as well as things I don’t know. When I don’t know things about myself, but others can see them, they are referred to as a blind spot. Companies and individuals each have blindspots. These areas of ignorance are problematic because we take actions that we shouldn’t… And often fail to take actions we should because we cannot see them.
On the flip side, I have things that I know about myself that I like to show others, and I have things that I like to hide. When I try hide those things about myself that I don’t want others to see, I use up energy that could be applied to getting things done. Also, a less than desirable state. They refer to this as the Facade.
The final case is where I’m blind to areas about myself… And so is everyone else. I’ve always thought about this as where real potential lives.
The philosophy here is to get everything out in the open because we can have healthier happier lives when we’re not harmed by our own ignorance or wasting entries trying to hide things we’re ashamed of.
So many people in so many companies know that their customers are unhappy but convince themselves otherwise. These facades lead to depressed sales and customer attrition. Admit you have a problem and start dealing with it. The person on the other end of the complaint is a person too.
More companies, however, are completely unaware how their customer’s feel. This is true of the satisfied customers as well as the dissatisfied. When was the last time you sat down with the people who contribute to your salary? Do you know the number one reason that any single customer does business with you? How about any reason they do business with your company?
When you don’t know this… You’re suffering from a blind spot.
Imagine if you could close that blind spot.
