Given this scheme, there are four views of our strengths, as the much-used Johari Window has popularized:

1. First, some of our strengths can be known both to ourselves and to other people. These are publicly recognized strengths; if well-used, they will have been a big part of our success strategy. The human service provider will celebrate these strengths with her client, and also be alert to over-use.

2. Second, we might personally be aware of other strengths we possess; however, other people might not be aware of these strengths. These are our private strengths. We may be aware of them, but they are rarely of much value to us, given that others never see them being used, like the poetry one may be writing in one’s mind. Evoking such private strengths from our clients by listening attentively to their stories of past successes gives us a chance to encourage them to experiment and apply the lessons learned from these past successes to currently challenging situations.

3. The third possibility is one in which we are not fully aware of a distinctive strength we possess, whereas other people are aware. These are obscure strengths. These strengths are also of little value to us until we have become fully acquainted with them and know how to put them to work. When a promotion feels undeserved and/or intimidating to a manager, it is often because he doesn’t see his own strengths as clearly as his colleagues and superiors do.

4. Finally, there are strengths we possess that have never been acknowledged by anyone—including ourselves. These are potential strengths. They represent the farthest edge of our growth and development.