I am enjoying leveraging the old and well used Johari Window framework to “show” people what it means to be open and what happens when you are not. To operate in the open space with others then you need to “expose” your thoughts, ideas and feelings with others.
Now for those who have a personality preference for extraversion this is somewhat easier – they prefer to talk through their thoughts and feelings. While for those with a preference for introversion find it very challenging to expose themselves in this way. As people have commented to me before – we feel vulnerable when we expose ourselves in this way.
To operate in the open space you also need to encourage others to “disclose” what they are thinking and feeling and you need to listen with the intent to really understand them. Now this is more suited to those with a personality preference for introversion – they have often become very skilled at asking fantastic questions to encourage others to disclose deeply. While those with a preference for extraversion may find it more challenging to listen and encourage others to talk!
We each have our rods to bear so there is no room for excuses – each of us need to stretch if we want to bring openness to our conversations and relationships.
If we don’t operate in this open space then we may find ourselves operating with blind spots or with a facade – and this does not provide a platform for open, honest, engaging and courageous relationships or conversations.
