I have always been an iconoclast since my childhood. The older that I grow, the more my belief in my correctness to challenge established orthodoxies grows.
Some of you may be familiar with the terminology of the Johari Window. Contrary to the seeming etymology, it does not allude to a diamond merchant operating in Surat! It refers to a behavioural testing instrument developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham (hence the name). It operates in the context of a professional work environment. The basic premise therein is that there are “appropriate” levels of self disclosure and feedback to others that govern optimal work relations.
The other point of view was expressed by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in his oft quoted epistle to his daughter from Naini Jail, entitled “Work In The Sun And The Light.” His advice to a teenaged daughter was to do everything in the public gaze. The purpose seems to be four-fold. Firstly, if everything is done under public scrutiny, you largely escape calumny. Secondly, to offer yourself upto public opinion, you must be able to ensure that your conduct is beyond reproach. Thirdly, it imparts to others the confidence to be able to give you straight-forward feedback without mincing words. Lastly, based on honest feedback from others, you have the opportunity for course correction and improvement, wherever you deem fit.
I used to espouse the former in my career as a corporate trainer. The more that I experience and experiment with life, trying out established management precepts in the global life sphere, the more I am convinced that the latter point of view achieves a better functionality, both on the professional and personal front. What I cannot say to a person’s face, why should I say it behind his back? Moreover, unless I am culpable for any felony, what do I have to hide? Furthermore, it preempts an exalted sense of self. In the final analysis, the passage of a person through this world is hardly an earth shaking event. ” The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, await alike the inevitable hour; The paths of glory lead but to the grave.” To put it in the Indian context,”Tumhare mahal chaubaare, dhare reh jaayenge saare; Akad kis baat ki pyaare, yeh sar phir bhi jhukana hai…”
A case in point is the changes that I have been able to effect in the blog, including the initial post, primarily in terms of structure, and somewhat in terms of style, based on a honest critique by readers. Would that have been possible without an “inappropriate” level of self-disclosure from my side?
Having made my case (hopefully!), I can only say that the training products that I executed most brilliantly were the ones that I identified with intellectally and emotionally. In other words, concepts that I could validate through my personal life experiences.
Therefore, in my blog, I am only focusing on concepts that I have personally found to be fundamentally sound in my life. If that seems to be over/overt content personalisation, then so be it. A blog is not about theoretical treatises. It is about distilling the best of yourself and expressing it with crystalline clarity in the hope of engaging with people of similar sensibilities (in the real world, the window of opportunity for this seems to be shrinking, hence, the recourse to virtuality).
All that I have mentioned above comes with a caveat. What I divulge about myself is a matter of personal choice. At the same time, I cannot deny other people the right to their personal space. In other words, when there are overlap zones between my life and that of another person, I should not impinge upon the privacy of the other party.
In terms of appropriateness, all that I can suggest is that the thumb-rule seems to be issues that are of any import to the recepient(s). I shall endeavour to bear that in mind in my subsequent posts.
