Hi there,

Here's an uncomfortable stat: researcher Tasha Eurich studied self-awareness across thousands of people and found that only 10–15% of us are genuinely self-aware. The rest of us are operating with blind spots of patterns other people see, that we can't see at all.

The good news? There's a simple framework for finding them.

Johari Window - Search For Self-Awareness

Developed in the 1950s, the Johari Window splits everything about you into four quadrants, based on who knows what:

1) Open Arena: Known to you and others (your strengths, habits, the obvious stuff)

2) Blind Spot: Known to others, not to you (the thing everyone notices except you)

3) Façad: Known to you, hidden from others (things you keep private)

4) Unknown: Known to neither (untapped potential, undiscovered triggers)

Most personal growth happens by shrinking the Blind Spot quadrant — finding out what others already see.

Example

Say you think of yourself as a great listener (Open Arena — you know it, and it feels true). But three different colleagues, in three different reviews, mention that you tend to jump in with solutions before people finish talking.

That's a Blind Spot. You weren't lying about how you see yourself, you just didn't have the data. Once you hear it from multiple sources, it moves into the Open Arena, and now you can actually work on it.

How to shrink your blind spots

• Ask 2–3 people you trust: "What's something I do that I might not be aware of?"

• Look for patterns across feedback: A single comment might be a one off observation, multiple is a stronger signal.

• Notice your reaction: Comments might sting but be open to feedback. Growth often comes from discomfort.

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One tip

Don't go fishing for blind spots right before a high-stakes moment (a performance review, a big presentation). Ask when you have time to actually sit with the answer — otherwise pressure will cause you to get defensive instead of curious.

Have a great week,

Tobe