Self-Awareness - The Foundation for Successful Leadership
Be Very Aware
“Humility is not about having a low self-image or poor self-esteem. Humility is about self-awareness.”
— Erwin McManus
So, here’s the situation: Rod Judkins, an artist and lecturer at Central Saint Martins College of Art in London, gets called in to teach a design class because the regular lecturer is away. He decides to give the students a challenge: make a paper airplane from a single sheet of A4 paper that can fly at least 60 feet across the room. Sounds simple enough, right?
The students jump right in, folding all sorts of creative designs and testing different ways to launch their planes. Some go for sleek designs; others try funky folds. But as time ticks by, frustration starts to creep in. No matter what they try, nothing seems to work. One by one, they start to think the challenge is impossible.
Then, something unexpected happens. One student, clearly frustrated, crumples their paper airplane into a ball and chucks it across the room. And guess what? It lands in a bin 60 feet away! Everyone’s stunned when Judkins walks over, picks up the crumpled ball, and declares and congrats the student winner.
The class is completely baffled until Judkins drops this question: “Who said airplanes had to look like airplanes?”
Boom. Just like that, he flips their whole perspective. The challenge wasn’t really about making paper airplanes—it was about breaking free from assumptions and pushing past invisible barriers. Judkins wanted them to realize that they were limiting themselves by sticking to what they thought an airplane should look like. His goal was to show them that if they pushed back against those assumptions, they could achieve what seemed impossible.
The Johari Window: Breaking It Down
This lesson isn’t just for art students—it’s for leaders too. Just like Judkins’ students were stuck thinking airplanes had to look a certain way, leaders often get trapped by invisible boundaries—unexamined beliefs or blind spots that limit their perspective and hold them back. The key to breaking free? Self-awareness.
This is where something called the Johari Window comes in useful. It’s a tool created by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham back in 1955 to help people better understand themselves and their relationships with others. Then in 2000 Charles Handy developed the idea further with a leadership and management tool called The Johari House, which aimed to develop self-awareness
The Johari House divides self-awareness into four “rooms,” each representing a different part of who you are:
Room 1: The Open Self
This is the stuff everyone knows about you—including you! For example, maybe you’re super organized—you know it, your coworkers know it—it’s no secret.Room 2: The Blind Self
This is where things get interesting. This room holds traits or behaviours that others see in you but you’re totally unaware of—your blind spots.Room 3: The Unknown Self
This is the deep stuff—things neither you nor anyone else knows about you. It’s all buried in your subconscious.Room 4: The Hidden Self
This is your private space—the things you know about yourself but keep hidden from others.
Why Blind Spots Matter
For leaders, Room 2—the blind self—is where the magic happens (or doesn’t). Blind spots are those behaviours or traits others notice but you don’t see in yourself. If left unchecked, they can hold you back or create barriers within your team. But if you’re willing to address them, they can unlock massive potential for growth.
Dr. Loretta Malandro, author of Fearless Leadership, highlights some common blind spots that can trip people up: These include:
1. Thinking you're always right: Adopting an "I know" attitude that stifles collaboration and limits new ideas.
2. Being unaware of your impact on others: Failing to recognize how your behaviour influences team morale and dynamics.
3. Avoiding tough conversations: Shying away from difficult discussions because of discomfort, which can allow problems to fester.
4. Preferring independence over collaboration: Choosing to work alone rather than seeking input, which can lead to missed opportunities for innovation.
5. Blaming external factors: Shifting responsibility instead of owning up to mistakes and learning from them.
6. Inconsistent follow-through: Not reliably honouring commitments, which erodes trust and credibility.
7. Engaging in gossip or negativity: Talking about others behind their backs, which damages relationships and team cohesion.
8. Hesitating to take a stand: Avoiding bold decisions on critical issues out of fear or uncertainty.
Sound familiar? Don’t worry—you’re not alone! The good news is that by becoming more self-aware and addressing these tendencies, leaders can unlock their potential and create a more positive, productive environment for their teams
So how do you tackle these blind spots? Here are some practical steps:
Ask for Honest Feedback: Create a supportive environment where people feel comfortable sharing constructive feedback without worrying about hurting your feelings or facing backlash.
Admit Your Own Blind Spots: Show some vulnerability! When you acknowledge your own blind spots openly, it encourages others to reflect on theirs too.
Reflect on Your Behaviour: Take time to think about patterns in your actions—especially during challenging situations—and how they might be affecting others.
Surround Yourself with Different Perspectives: Engage with people who think differently—it’s one of the best ways to challenge your assumptions.
Recognize Your Triggers: Pay attention to situations that provoke strong reactions and ask yourself why they bother you so much.
By addressing these blind spots, leaders shrink Room 2 (the blind self) and expand Room 1 (the open self), improving communication and building stronger relationships within their teams.
When leaders focus on self-awareness and help their teams do the same, amazing things happen:
Communication gets better because people are more open and honest with each other.
Trust grows because vulnerability creates deeper connections.
Teams become more innovative because everyone feels safe sharing ideas.
Individuals grow personally by learning more about themselves and how they interact with others.
It’s not always easy—it takes time and effort—but the results are so worth it.
Less Assumptions is The Key
Rod Judkins’ story about breaking barriers reminds us how easy it is to get stuck in our assumptions—and how freeing it can be to challenge them. For leaders, this means taking a closer look at those invisible boundaries (like blind spots) that might be holding them back.
By using tools like the Johari House and embracing feedback from others, leaders can uncover new insights about themselves and their teams—and create environments where everyone feels empowered to grow and succeed.
At the end of the day, achieving the empathetic edge isn’t just about guiding others—it’s about inspiring them (and yourself!) to push beyond limits and discover what’s truly possible!
The Big Questions
1. What’s one thing you might be missing about yourself, some habit or belief, that could be holding you back without you even realizing it?
2. Who in your life could help you spot a blind spot you haven’t noticed yet?
How could you make it easier for them to give you honest feedback?
3. When was the last time you tried something totally new, just to see if your usual way was really the best way? What happened?
4. If you could challenge your team (or yourself) with a wild, outside-the-box task like the paper airplane challenge, what would it be? How might it help everyone see things differently?