A blind spot is an area of knowledge or understanding that a person pays no attention to. He might see or know of it, but he fails, by intent or neglect, to truly understand that particular area. When Vice President Leni Robredo issued her report after her 18-day stint as cochair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), some government officials aired their concerns, which were expectedly aligned with their respective political affiliations and personal beliefs. Robredo reported that, despite the number of Filipinos killed and all the money spent, the shabu supply seized and the drug money recovered did not even breach 1 percent of the alleged total. What I found personally alarming is the fact that Robredo mockingly emphasized the obvious—“That’s just 1 percent. If this were an exam, the score of the government would be 1 over 100.” And, in response, President Duterte called Robredo a “colossal blunder.”
Whenever we convey facts, and all the more, our opinion, it has to be done in a way where the message will be welcome to further enhance communication channels. The Robredo report, based on whatever official data made available to the cochair of the ICAD, was attacked by the drug enforcement chief, saying Robredo “dismissed and ignored all of our government’s accomplishments and efforts for the past three years” in a “mere political attack.” Of the many reactions to the Robredo report, I find Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s reaction most appropriate: “The war against illegal drugs is a continuing fight and, therefore, I would rather say, it has not been successful enough, rather than call it a failure.” Feedback is always desired, especially for leaders. Yet, the best feedback can be acquired through self awareness.
Leaders can make use of several tools to solicit feedback and increase their self awareness in the process. The Johari Window is one example. It is based on two ideas—that trust can be acquired by revealing information about ourselves to others, and learning more about ourselves from the feedback of others. American psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham developed this four-window pane (open, blind spot, hidden and unknown) approach as a feedback/disclosure model of self-awareness. Essentially, information is transferred from one pane to the other as a result of mutual trust, which can be achieved from the feedback of others. In the first window called open arena, everything about the person’s attitudes, behavior, emotions, feelings, skills and views will be known by the person, as well as by others. The larger the open arena becomes, the more effectual and dynamic the relationship will be. The blind spot is reduced by way of feedback from others. Constructive feedback is the best way to enable the other to decrease his own blind spot. The hidden area contains information that one feels reluctant to reveal, including inner fears, past experiences, and secrets, while the unknown area contains information not known to everyone, likely due to traumatic past events, which can be unknown for a lifetime. Information in this area can be reduced through observation of others, as well as open communication. The basic objective in the Johari model is to allow the person to move all information, in an atmosphere of mutual trust and constructive feedback, from these three other windows to the open arena. Of course, the foundation of these transfers of information will be trust.
In the Bible, Proverbs 12:1 tells us, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.” Perhaps, the cause for the refusal to listen to others is the lack of trust or, worse, pride. Historically, military leaders have suffered defeats (Hitler in Stalingrad, Napoleon in Waterloo, Alexander the Great in India, Julius Caesar in the Gallic Wars, among others) either because they did not have or were not given important information. After reading the Robredo report, House Speaker Cayetano suggested a congressional hearing to allow all concerned agencies to lay all cards and share all information to all. Getting all available information through honest feedback will eliminate blind spots and, eventually, help achieve an objective. Our leaders need to know more, listen more, and understand more.
I support the elimination of the drug menace by way of legitimate means. The comments I get from Filipinos in several provinces regarding the drug campaign have been mostly positive as local drug lords have been isolated, if not terminated! Even some friends, lawyers included, have told me that the use of extralegal measures is necessary to get instant impact against these drug syndicates.
Everyone will have blind spots. There is no such thing as a 360-degree perspective.
Feedback should come from different sources for balance, validation and cross reference. Feedback should focus on the actions or the behavior of a person. Name calling and rumor mongering should be taboo in respectable offices.
Unrestricted flow of information is a must for all organizations to minimize blind spots. Although some feedback can be destructive and downright rude, leaders should nonetheless never reject feedback. In fact, they should solicit them by asking action-driven questions like “what should I stop/start doing?” As one writer said, “Feedback is like sex. Everyone does it, but only a few do it well.”
For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.