The Blind Spot

Edward L. Flom once said "One of the hardest tasks of leadership is understanding you are not what you are, but what you're perceived to be by others." Over the past few days of our stay here in Sweden I have been told that I do a few things that I did not really notice. My roommates have pointed out my compulsion to keep things nice and tidy as well as other have pointed out that I can be very thought-provoking when I speak. I was also told that I tend to show a lot of facial expression. Though I have heard a few of these things before from others, I have not really paid much attention to it. I do things as if it second nature to me. Since discussing the Leadership theory of Johari's Window, I have placed these thing into my "Blind" Quadrant in hopes of becoming more aware and cautious of things that I do and say and how those things are perceived by others. I was also told by one of my roommates Beth Wissink, that I was a bit intimidating when she first saw me. Her reasoning behind it was the way that I presented and carried myself in such a way that she could tell I was much more mature than the rest of the students. She received the vibe that I was more of a "Stuck-up" girl, however that perception vastly changed the minute we began to engage in dialect. From the conversations we would have she found me to be very "down to earth" and intellectual. I really appreciate hearing Beth's perception of me, mainly because if will help me to grow as an individual and be cognitive of how I present myself to others. With practice I hope to move these things out of my blind spot and into known quadrant.