Behaviour Feedback Loop

You have to care a lot to tell people the truth. Providing feedback is often the only way someone becomes aware of their behaviour. Don’t assume people know what they are doing.

I have the privilege of working with my best friend, Colin, who is also my husband. He will never shy away from giving me the feedback I need to become my best. We both want me to be the most effective speaker and coach. He is the not-so-secret reason for my success.

Most things we do are by habit. It’s an automatic response. Do you ask people for feedback on your behaviour? If you can take suggestions from others, you will undoubtedly learn kinder ways to give feedback.

The Johari Window is a helpful model for improving workplace relationships. It consists of four areas:

• Open Area: This represents what is known to you and your colleagues. It includes your behaviour, attitudes, skills, and feelings that you openly share. It's important to communicate openly and honestly to expand this area.
• Blind Area: This represents things about yourself that others can see but you may be unaware of. It includes mannerisms, habits, or behaviours that you might overlook. Seek and be open to feedback from others to discover your blind spots and learn from them.
• Hidden Area: This represents aspects of yourself that you know but choose not to share with others. It includes private thoughts, fears, or personal information. Building trust with colleagues and selectively disclosing information can deepen relationships and increase understanding.
• Unknown Area: This represents aspects of yourself that are unknown to you and others. It's the realm of untapped potential and unexplored personality traits. Embrace growth and self-exploration to uncover hidden talents and expand your capabilities.

Get into the habit of giving people continual positive feedback so they realise that you pay attention to their behaviour and notice what they do well. This also earns you the right to give input on conduct that isn’t profiting anybody. You have to care a lot to give people feedback that helps them.

To benefit workplace relationships using the Johari Window:

• Foster open communication: Be transparent and willing to share information about yourself, fostering trust and openness.
• Seek and provide feedback: Encourage feedback from colleagues and provide constructive feedback. This helps uncover blind spots and increases self-awareness.
• Build trust: Gradually share appropriate information from your hidden area with trusted colleagues, deepening your relationships and enhancing understanding.
• Embrace growth: Continuously strive for personal and professional development, exploring the unknown area and unlocking your potential.

Applying the Johari Window in the workplace can create a more open and supportive environment, enhance communication, build trust, and promote personal and professional growth among team members.

Remember to check yourself in every conversation and interaction:

• Maintain eye contact when you are talking.
• Intentionally look for things to compliment.
• Keep on smiling.
• Speak with a calm, kind tone of voice.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the last four weeks of diving into habits that attract favour in the workplace!

Next week I have more practical input to help you grow your thinking to experience peak performance in more areas of your life.

Quotes About Habits

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.” — Brene Brown

“Habits are powerful, but delicate. They can emerge outside our consciousness or can be deliberately designed. They often occur without our permission, but can be reshaped by fiddling with their parts. They shape our lives far more than we realise. They are so strong, in fact, that they cause our brains to cling to them at the exclusion of all else, including common sense.” — Charles Duhigg 

“To know yourself, you must sacrifice the illusion that you already do.” — Vironika Tugaleva

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” — Carl Jung