WHO are YOU? DeMarco Banter

One of the All Time Greatest Rock Songs…EVER!  So…who are you?

“Who Are You“, composed by Pete Townshend, is the title track on The Who‘s 1978 release, Who Are You, the last album released before drummer Keith Moon‘s death in September 1978 (we miss you Keith).  The song became one of the band’s biggest US hits, peaking at number 14.

The lyrics begin with a true incident, courtesy of Pete’s alcoholism. He claims he really did “wake up in a Soho doorway”, and a policeman recognized him and advised him to go home.

But… really… Who Are You?  Do you ever think about it?

Reading a bit from Scott Adams today… yes Dilbert Scott Adams… great concepts:

Have you ever wondered who you are? You’re not your body, because living cells come and go and are generally outside of your control. You’re not your location, because that can change. You aren’t your DNA because that simply defines the boundaries of your playing field. You aren’t your upbringing because siblings routinely go in different directions no matter how similar their start. My best answer to my own question is this:

If all you know is how to be a gang member, that’s what you’ll be, at least until you learn something else. If you become a marine, you’ll learn to control fear. If you go to law school, you’ll see the world as a competition. If you study engineering, you’ll start to see the world as a complicated machine that needs tweaking.

I’m fascinated by the way a person changes at a fundamental level as he or she merges with a particular field of knowledge. People who study economics come out the other side thinking a different way from people who study nursing. And learning becomes a fairly permanent part of a person even as the cells in the body come and go and the circumstances of life change.

You can easily nitpick my definition of self by arguing that you are actually many things, including your DNA, your body, your mind, you environment and more. By that view, you’re more of a soup than a single ingredient. I’ll grant you the validity of that view. But I’ll argue that the most powerful point of view is that you are what you learn.

Martha Beck on CNN.com says…Quick, finish this sentence: “I am a ________.”

What popped into your mind?

Did you immediately think of your job title? Did you identify yourself with a relationship term, like wife, daughter, or Elvis fan?

Maybe you described your body (“I am a svelte size 10”), your personality (“I am an optimist”), or your favorite hobby (“I am a heavy drinker”).

Identity labels like these are useful, even necessary. They shape the way we act and feel (and the way people act and feel toward us) in every situation, from taking the bus to taking a lover. But many labels are misleading, and none can fully describe the multifaceted reality that is a human being.

What about this…the Johari Window.  We can not grasp our own personality or really who we are, but we can be aware of what part of our personality we reveal to the outside world.  The Johari Window (first syllables of the first names of its inventors:  Joseph, Luft, and Harry Ingham) is one of the most interesting…Who Are You models.  The four-paned “window” divides personal awareness into four different types:

A:  Describes characteristics and experiences we are aware of ourselves and that we like to tell others about

B: The “hidden” quadrant describes thing that we know about ourselves but choose not to reveal to others.  It decreases in size the more we build ip a trusting relationship with others.

C: The things we do not know about ourselves but that others can clearly see…things that we thing we are expressing clearly, but which others interpret completely differently.  Feedback can enlighten….but it can also be hurtful.

D:  Aspects of ourselves that are hidden from ourselves as well as others.

So… How do you want to be defined? Who Are You?  I’m still confused… but working on it everyday…

Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?

I woke up in a Soho doorway
A policeman knew my name
He said “You can go sleep at home tonight
If you can get up and walk away”

I staggered back to the underground
And the breeze blew back my hair
I remember throwin’ punches around
And preachin’ from my chair

Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
‘Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)

I took the tube back out of town
Back to the Rollin’ Pin
I felt a little like a dying clown
With a streak of Rin Tin Tin

I stretched back and I hiccoughed
And looked back on my busy day
Eleven hours in the Tin Pan
God, there’s got to be another way

Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Oh, who are you(Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Oh Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Oh Who the %&% are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)

Who are you?
who are who are who are you x11

Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?
Who are you?
Who, who, who, who?

I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
C’mon tell me who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Oh, I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)

I know there’s a place you walked
Where love falls from the trees
My heart is like a broken cup
I only feel right on my knees

I spit out like a sewer hole
Yet still recieve your kiss
How can I measure up to anyone now
After such a love as this?

Well who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
tell me who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
oh, I really wanna know? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
tell, tell me who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)

I used to check my reflection
Jumping with my cheap guitar
I must of lost my direction
‘Cause I ended up a superstar
One night I’s in the board room affected by the human race
You can learn from my mistake but your posing in my glass again

well who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
tell me who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
oh, I really wanna know? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
tell, tell me who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)

C’mon, c’mon who? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Oh, Who the #%$ are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Oh, tell me who are you (Who are you?, ooo?)

I really wanna to know
Oh, I really want to know
C’mon tell me who are you, you, you?
Who are you?

_______________________________

Johari Window diagram courtesy of DeMarco PowerPoint Skills…reimagined from The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking by Roman Tschäppeler (Author), Philip Earnhart (Illustrator), Jenny Piening (Translator)