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THE BENEFITS OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE

It outlines four quadrants:

• The open area, consisting of traits that we acknowledge and
others can see (I know, others know)

• The hidden area, which includes aspects we prefer to keep pri-
vate, often seen as weaknesses (I know, others don’t know)

• The unconscious area, entailing traits we and others are unaware
of (I don’t know, others don’t know)
• The blind spot, where characteristics we don’t recognize in our-
selves are apparent to others (others know, I don’t know)

Key Point: Finding Your Blind Spots

The goal of self-awareness, enhanced by behavioral style and
motivation assessment tools, is to illuminate the four facets of
our being, especially our “blind spots”—the traits others see
that we might be unaware of.

Experts like Dorothee Brockmann and Andrea von Schröder advo-
cate for broadening our open behaviors while shrinking our hidden
aspects and blind spots. This alignment of how we see ourselves and
how others see us paves the way for authentic interactions.

Gaining self-awareness through these tools lays a robust foundation
for personal growth. It arms us with the knowledge to adapt when
we encounter new challenges or when life demands we alter our
comfortable routines or forge new ones.

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