Leadership · 4 min read · 22 October 2026 · By Bhargab Das

The Johari Window Explained (2026): 4 Quadrants, Examples and a 30-Minute Team Exercise

Everyone has blind spots. The best leaders just find theirs sooner.

The Johari Window is a self-awareness model with four quadrants: Open (known to you and others), Blind (known to others, not you), Hidden (known to you, not others) and Unknown (known to no one). Leaders grow the Open area in two ways: asking for feedback shrinks the Blind spot, and sharing appropriately about yourself shrinks the Hidden area. Trust and teamwork improve as the Open area grows.

How I put this guide together. The model comes from psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham, who created it in 1955 and named it by combining their first names. The workplace examples and the team exercise are illustrative, based on how the model is commonly used in leadership training.

The Johari Window at a glance

Do you need the Johari Window?

It helps most when:

• You've just become a manager, or joined a new team.
• Your team works together but doesn't really trust each other yet.
• Feedback surprises you ("Why didn't anyone tell me?").
• You're preparing for a leadership role and want to know how you come across.
• Two people keep misreading each other.

What you don't know about yourself is often what others talk about most.

The Blind spot is the most valuable quadrant for leaders. The more senior you become, the less people tell you directly. A manager who never asks for feedback slowly ends up leading with a picture of themselves that only they believe.

1. The Open area

What you and others both know about you: your role, visible skills, working style and opinions you've shared.

• A large Open area means less guesswork and faster collaboration.
• New teams start with small Open areas, which is why the first months feel slow.

Good to know: the Open area grows in two directions, down (as you share) and sideways (as you receive feedback).

Best for: building trust in new teams.

2. The Blind spot

What others see in you that you don't: habits, tone, the effect of your behaviour.

A sales head thinks of himself as "direct and efficient". His team experiences him as "dismissive in reviews". Until someone says so, he can't change it.

• Shrink it by asking for specific feedback, regularly, and thanking people for it.
• Use SBI feedback to make the feedback specific.

Good to know: how you react to the first piece of uncomfortable feedback decides whether you get a second.

Best for: managers who want to know how they really come across.

3. The Hidden area

What you know about yourself but keep from others: doubts, mistakes, personal pressures, ideas you haven't voiced.

• Some privacy is healthy. The aim is appropriate sharing, not oversharing.
• Leaders who admit "I don't know yet" or "I got that wrong" make it safe for others to do the same.

Good to know: sharing the reasoning behind a decision is one of the easiest ways to shrink the Hidden area at work.

Best for: leaders whose teams find them hard to read.

4. The Unknown area

What nobody knows yet: untested strengths, reactions to situations you haven't faced, potential.

Good to know: stretch assignments, new roles and coaching often reveal what's in this quadrant. Many people discover leadership ability only once they're given a team.

Best for: career growth conversations.

How to run a 30-minute Johari Window team exercise

1. Share the adjective list below with everyone.
2. Pick five or six words that describe yourself (5 minutes).
3. Pick five or six words for each teammate (10 minutes). Keep it positive or neutral the first time.
4. Sort the words for each person into the window: words chosen by both go to Open, only by others to Blind, only by self to Hidden.
5. Discuss in pairs (10 minutes): what surprised you? What would you like others to know?
6. Agree one action each, such as asking for feedback after meetings or sharing more about your priorities.

Adjective list: able, accepting, adaptable, bold, calm, caring, cheerful, clever, confident, dependable, energetic, friendly, helpful, independent, kind, logical, mature, modest, observant, organised, patient, practical, proud, quiet, reflective, relaxed, responsive, searching, self-assertive, sensible, sentimental, shy, spontaneous, sympathetic, tense, trustworthy, warm, wise, witty.

Our verdict: is the Johari Window worth using?

It's one of the simplest, most useful self-awareness tools for managers and teams. Use it for conversation and development, not for judging people.

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Written byBhargab Das Marketing strategist for startups and growing brands

Bhargab has led marketing and growth for technology and consumer businesses, and helps professionals present their experience clearly. More about Bhargab · Editorial policy

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