Intentional Reflection
Leaders rarely make time for reflection.
Photo by Sage Friedman on Unsplash
Leaders rarely make time for intentional reflection. It feels like an impossibility to reflect as a leader. Busyness takes over, or at least that’s what we tell ourselves! Completing tasks and work agendas gets in the way of alone time to reflect.
Reflection is an essential skill for intentional improvement as a leader. If we don’t take time to reflect, we set goals without intention, or we do not set goals at all. Leaders end up playing whack-a-mole as problems arise in their daily work. If we set goals without intention and reflection, they are less likely to be effective and meaningful goals. Much of the essential work is in the reflection before the goal setting. Slotting the time into your calendar is one of the first steps. This is a habit that takes time and practice and needs cultivation and attention.
Find the type of reflection that works for you.
Some people like to reflect alone, others like to have a trusted coach or partner to think with, and others like to write their thoughts down. Trying a few methods and figuring out what works for your learning and processing style is important. You might even try some combination of a few types of reflection. The important thing is to stick with it and keep trying until you find the method/s that work for you. Build that habit.
Finding the right time and place can be important. Do you have a place to be alone, or where you find you do your best thinking? How often will you practice, daily, weekly? Is there a time of day that you feel rested and calm? If not, how do you create these conditions you need for yourself? It does not have to be perfect! Decide what you need and try to create it, even if for a short time.
Start with a Question. Start with Your Strengths.
When reflecting, I like to start broad with big questions and then see what thoughts push through. Here are two questions that seem to work well: What surprised me? What didn’t surprise me? These are broad questions, and they make you think. Decide how you will keep track of your thinking (writing, journaling, recording).
Reflecting on how your strengths show up in your workplace is another way to look back to look ahead. Here are some questions that work for strengths. How do I leverage my strengths? How do my strengths show up at work? What strength do I want to leverage next, and how?
Reflection takes practice.
In “Don’t Underestimate the Power of Self-Reflection,” James R. Bailey and Scheherazade Rehman discuss the importance of self-reflection, its connection to growth, and the importance of developing a practice.
The practice itself is all about learning, looking back on the day (without bias or regret) to contemplate your behavior and its consequences. It requires sitting with yourself, taking an honest moment to think about what transpired, what worked, what didn’t, what can be done, and what can’t. Reflection requires courage. It’s thoughtful and deliberate.
–Don’t Underestimate the Power of Self-Reflection
The key to this intentional reflection work is practice. It may not feel like a natural process at first. Make the time. Build the habit. Try a variety of reflection practices. Keep your strengths in mind. Take notice of the smallest bits of progress. Remember PRI: practice, reflect, and improve.
