Identifying Bias

The Johari Window Model is a framework for reflecting on our own biases to increase self-awareness and facilitate growth. As an entrepreneur, it is critical to identify and confront your own bias because:

• Entrepreneurs play multiple roles within their businesses; unchecked biases can result in huge gaps or misconceptions.

• Bias is our brain’s way of trying to speed up decision-making; we don’t make the best decisions at speed though! To make sustainable decisions, entrepreneurs must balance the need to move quickly against impact.

• Misconceptions based on individual bias may have major impacts on a small business’ financial viability or reputation.

• To grow a team or a user base, entrepreneurs will benefit from expanding their perspectives to create more inclusive solutions and practices.

• We are not our customers or users, even if we may fit the demographics. Seeing our target user through our perspective becomes an anchoring bias that will limit growth and potential viability.

To adjust the Johari’s Window model for your entrepreneurship journey, reflect on each quadrant in the framework by considering your:

• Feelings and motivations

• limitations

• responses to feedback

• adaptability

• skills and habits

• communication skills.

Then seek out honest perspectives from friends, family members, or former colleagues to identify outside perspectives and where your self-perception diverges from outside opinions.

Through this exercise, the aim is to increase our area within the Open Self quadrant and to reduce quadrants which may be damaging or limiting to our growth personally and professionally.

For instance, let’s look at an example of an Entrepreneur’s Johari Window Model Canvas:

If you’d like to test this out, here’s a free template for you to download and use.

Let me know in the comments how important it is for you to establish bias in your role - and what methods you use!