Growth = Awareness × Responsibility | Part 2: Awareness – The Map

Insight beats hindsight. Awareness expands your map so better choices become obvious.

It’s Tuesday. You were sure you were crystal-clear in stand-up. By Thursday, two teams are rowing in opposite directions.

You “know” you’re a saver; until the month tells a different story.

You meant reassurance; they heard retreat.

If this sounds familiar, same here. Throughout 14+ years, leading operations and transformations, coaching senior leaders, and studying at top schools, one pattern keeps showing up: we don’t act on reality; we act on the version of reality we can see. That’s why Part 1 argued for two pillars—Awareness (see clearly) and Responsibility (do deliberately). This chapter widens your Map so the Ladder in Part 3 can climb somewhere worth going.

This is your journey—not a test of perfection. I’ll offer a map and a flashlight; you choose where to point them.

Quick recap from Part 1 (30 seconds)

Growth sits on two pillars: Awareness (Map) × Responsibility (Ladder).
Blind spots live in all of us; growth expands what’s Open and shrinks what’s Hidden, Blind, Unknown.
We moved from idea to action through small Iṣẹ ya micro-actions.

Iṣẹ ya (micro-action): Write this where you’ll see it: “I don’t need to be right faster—I need to see clearer sooner.”

What awareness is (and isn’t)

Awareness isn’t self-criticism or mystical introspection. It’s contact with reality—inside and around you—fast enough to improve your next decision. Think signal quality: fewer blind spots, clearer intent, richer feedback. The outcome: better choices become obvious, and responsibility has firmer ground to stand on.

The Four Stages of Awareness/Competence — and what it looks like in real life

1) Unconscious Incompetence — you don’t see the gap yet.
Feels like: confidence without results; surprises keep ambushing you.
Signals you might be here: work “comes back” for rework; people say “I wasn’t sure what good looked like”; you don’t have a success signal on the dashboard; feedback feels unnecessary because “we’re fine.”
Everyday examples:

You think your brief was clear; two teams deliver different versions.
You “know” you’re disciplined with money; the month says otherwise.
You believe you’re supportive; your direct reports experience silence.

Move from here: get one external data point and one system signal.

Iṣẹ ya: Send this DM to a peer: “What’s one behavior that—if I improved this month—would most increase my impact?” Add a single metric or “yellow-flag” word to catch it next week.

2) Conscious Incompetence — you see it (and it stings).
Feels like: awkward, exposed, a bit overwhelmed.
Signals you might be here: you can name the gap, but your first attempts are clumsy; you collect templates/checklists; you’re tempted to “research more.”
Everyday examples:

You realise your updates lack non-negotiables, so teams guess trade-offs.
You see your perfectionism slowing proposals (they wait to polish before sharing).
You notice you talk too much in 1:1s and leave little space to think.

Move from here: pick one sub-skill, define Done, do 10 deliberate reps.

Iṣẹ ya: Write a two-line Definition of Done (DoD) for the behavior and schedule 10 reps in your calendar (two a day for a week).

3) Conscious Competence — you can do it with focus, checklists and feedback.
Feels like: steady but effortful; repeatable when you slow down.
Signals you might be here: you use a checklist; your error rate drops; others start trusting your process; you still need quiet time to get it right.
Everyday examples:

You run kickoffs with INTO (Intent, Non-negotiables, Trade-offs, Owner) and outcomes improve.
Your budget reviews are accurate when you follow the steps.
Your 1:1s land when you prepare prompts in advance.

Move from here: tighten standards, time-box practice, and close feedback loops faster.

Iṣẹ ya: Set a threshold (e.g., “Briefs scored ≥4/5 by peers three weeks in a row”) and book a 15-min weekly review to tune your DoD.

4) Unconscious Competence — second nature; you can teach it.
Feels like: easy; you skip steps without thinking (risk: others can’t follow).
Signals you might be here: people say “you make it look simple”; outcomes are reliable; your biggest risk is complacency or invisible shortcuts.
Everyday examples:

You “just know” how to structure a deck—but your team can’t replicate it.
You instinctively defuse conflict—yet can’t explain how you chose the words.
You forecast accurately from pattern recognition—others need the model.

Move from here: teach it to lock the skill and expose hidden steps.

Iṣẹ ya: Write a one-page playbook (checklist + examples) and coach one person through it; invite reverse feedback on steps you skipped.

Iṣẹ ya – Shortcut self-check (note what’s most true today):

Surprises everywhere → Stage 1
I see the gap and it stings → Stage 2
I can do it when I slow down → Stage 3
I can do it in my sleep (others struggle to copy me) → Stage 4

Selah! – Most of us sit in different stages for different behaviors. A lot more people stall between 2 and 3 as it feels clumsy. Consider small, frequent repetitive steps; a crisp Definition of Done (DoD); weekly feedback pulses. Or just pick one behavior to move 2 → 3 this month—the highest ROI jump.

In Part 1, I introduced the Johari Window. Let’s put it to work. Picture a 2×2 with two axes: what’s known to you × what’s known to others. Creating four quadrants:

Open (known to you / known to others) — shared reality → trust and speed. You might be here if… teammates can name your goal, constraints, and “what good looks like” without you in the room.
Hidden (known to you / unknown to others) — unshared intent; people guess. You might be here if… you’re “clear in your head,” but others debate priorities or trade-offs you never voiced.
Blind (unknown to you / known to others) — they see it; you don’t.
You might be here if… work keeps coming back for rework with the same note, or a colleague says, “I assumed you meant X.”
Unknown (unknown to you / unknown to others) — untapped potential; patterns that appear only in new contexts.
You might be here if… you haven’t tried a move yet (new market, new role), so signals don’t exist—yet.

The aim? Expand Open.

When more is shared and seen, execution gets easier and faster.

Two quick moves that expand Open

Shrink Blind (Ask)

Request one sentence of behavior-level feedback from someone who sees you in the arena.
Listen without defending.
Close the loop in public: “Here’s what I heard; here’s what I’ll try; check me in two weeks.”

Shrink Hidden (Share)

State intent and constraints upfront: “Here’s what I’m optimizing for; here’s what I can’t trade off.”
Make expectations explicit: owner, outcome, standard, date.

Iṣẹ ya (send these two today):

Peer/Manager DM: “Could you share one behavior that—if I improved this month—would most increase my impact on our team? One sentence is perfect.”
To your team: “My intent in X is Y; under pressure I may miss Z. If you see it, say ‘yellow flag’ and I’ll reset. Here’s what good looks like: …”

How This Played Out for Me (A Quick, Real Example)

I was pushing senior leads to bring proposals and take the wheel. Few did. I finally asked one of them: “What could I do that would make it easier for you to bring proposals?”

The answer stung—and freed me: they had seen how much I obsess over polish (emails, dashboards, meetings, proposals) and assumed they had to match that perfection before sharing anything. My intent to grow them was blocked by my signal of perfectionism. Blind → Open in one sentence.

What I changed the same week:

I shared my learning story—I’ve grown most by shipping, not polishing; perfect is the enemy of good.
I introduced INTO at kickoffs: Intent, Non-negotiables, Trade-offs, Owner.
I made proposal reviews two-stage: sketch review (fast feedback, no polish) → final pass.

Within two sprints, proposals surged. I didn’t get “nicer”; I got clearer. The Map widened, the Ladder got climbable.

Iṣẹ ya: For your next project, start with INTO and schedule a sketch review in week one.

Reflection that actually helps (intent ↔ impact)

For years I’ve kept a 5-minute block every Friday to run this check. It’s short, consistent, and it compounds clarity.

The one-minute ritual – I take one minute to consider each of the following

What I meant
What they likely saw (evidence: words, faces, outcomes)
What I’ll do next time (one tiny experiment for the coming week)

Pair it with one external feedback loop each week (a one-sentence check from someone who saw you in action).

Iṣẹ ya: Add a recurring “Intent ≠ Impact — 5-min Friday” to your calendar. In the description, paste the three prompts above and name the person you’ll ask for that one-sentence feedback.

Tools you can use this week

1) 10-Question Blind-Spot Audit

Score yourself from 0 – 2; have one audit done and another by a peer to cross reference.
0 = rarely/never • 1 = sometimes • 2 = consistently

I state intent + non-negotiables before we start.
I ask for one-behavior feedback at least bi-weekly.
My team could name our Definition of Done without me.
I publicly close the loop on feedback I receive.
I surface my assumptions before deciding.
I name my emotional state in high-stakes moments.
I check whether intent = impact with stakeholders.
I run post-decision reviews (what I saw / what I missed).
I assign a rotating devil’s-advocate for key calls.
I can show one behavior I moved from 2 → 3 this month.

Read: 0–10 = easy wins; pick two and sprint for 2 weeks • 11–15 = tighten your ask/share loops • 16–20 = teach someone else.

Iṣẹ ya: Send the audit to one trusted peer; compare scores Friday.

2) Two feedback request scripts

Peer/Manager: “Could you share one behavior that—if I improved this month—would most increase my impact with you/our team? One sentence is perfect. I’ll share back what I try.”
Direct report (psych-safety forward): “I’m working on [behavior]. If you see me miss it, say ‘yellow flag’ and I’ll reset. I’ll review what I heard and what I’m changing at month-end.”
Follow-up: “Here’s what I heard (3 bullets). Here’s what I tried. Here’s the impact. I’ll check back in 2 weeks.”

3) Johari Mini-Workshop (30 minutes)

Time to Prep (5mins): Share the Johari Window grid.
Time to Run (20 mins). Wrap up & Reflect (5 mins).
Goal – to expand ‘Open’.

Running Workshop

Pair share (5mins): Each person makes one Hidden intent explicit for this sprint.
Blind round (10mins): Each requests one-sentence feedback; only listen.
Commit (5mins): Each writes a 2-week experiment + a signal they’ll watch.
Capture (5mins): Add commitments to the team cadence (who/what/when).

4) Journaling prompts (weekly)

What surprised me this week?
Where did intent ≠ impact?
Which quadrant moved (Hidden, Blind, Unknown → Open)? How?
Which behavior am I taking 2 → 3 next week?

5) Reflection Matrix (choose one behavior; run a 2-week experiment)

A (Low/Low): ask for the one-sentence behavior; book a 30-min experiment.
B (Low Aware/High Resp): share intent; set a success signal.
C (High Aware/Low Resp): schedule the first rep and a deadline.
D (High/High): teach it; write the checklist.

7-Day Awareness Sprint

Day 1 (Mon): Send the one-behavior ask to a peer.
Day 2 (Tue): Share intent + non-negotiables for one live workstream.
Day 3 (Wed): Run the Johari pair (15–30 min).
Day 4 (Thu): Add one system signal (dashboard metric or “yellow flag” word).
Day 5 (Fri): Do a pre-mortem on a decision (what could we be blind to?).
Day 6 (Sat): Share one intention at home or with a friend.
Day 7 (Sun): 20-min review: which quadrant moved? which rung climbed?

Important Reminder: Clarity compounds when feedback has a calendar.

What’s next ?

We’ve widened the Map. Next, we climb the Ladder (in Part 3 & the final piece of the series): going from Stage 2 → 3, fixing the 5Cs blockers.

#Leadership #Growth #AwarenessxResponsibility #GrowthMindset #Strategy #OperationsExcellence #LearningAndDevelopment #ChangeManagement #CareerDevelopment #TheKayodeKOLADE

About the author

Kayode Kolade helps organisations connect strategy to delivery—with clarity, structure and heart. A strategy & transformation executive and career & executive coach, he designs operating systems, governance rhythms and enablement that scale sustainably across regions. Over 14+ years he has led cross-country programmes, complex turnarounds and people-centred change in high-growth contexts across Africa and globally.

Kayode writes and speaks across strategy, systems & scale, people, culture & performance, transformation & operations, organisational design & operating models, career clarity & executive coaching, and leading with purpose—from Africa to the world. His work blends rigour with humanity, often closing with Iṣẹ ya micro-actions leaders can apply immediately.

He holds an Executive MBA (Rotterdam School of Management), executive education from Cambridge Judge and MIT Sloan, is a PMP® credential holder, a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership & Management (UK), and an ICF coach. Away from work he enjoys photography, mentoring and writing.

Endnotes

[1] Luft, J., & Ingham, H. (1955). The Johari Window.
[2] Simons, D. J., & Chabris, C. F. (1999). Inattentional blindness. Perception, 28(9), 1059–1074.
[3] Kruger, J., & Dunning, D. (1999). Unskilled and unaware of it. JPSP, 77(6), 1121–1134.
[4] Lerner, J. S., et al. (2015). Emotion and decision-making. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 799–823.