The Case for Self Reflection – Part 2

In the The Case for Self Reflection – Part 1 we introduced the concept of conscious and deliberate reflection as a tool to develop and accelerate our leadership abilities.  In this article we look at how to go about that in real and actionable ideas.

There are three elements to Real World Results approach to Reflection.

1. Take 30 seconds after each significant interaction during the day to summarise

For example after each meeting:

• 30 seconds What were the key themes?
• How did I contribute to the meeting?
• What would I do differently next time?

2. Take time to reflect each time you are moving between the various roles we have in our lives.

For example as you transition between work and home:

• How do you want to ‘show up’ and bring your best self to each phase and role of that day?
• Utilise your self awareness to tune into what and how you are feeling and ‘reset’ ready for the next interaction – adapted from Dr Adam Fraser, The Third Space book and video

3. Invest 30 Minutes each week to have a meeting with yourself about your leadership behaviours – this can be a reflection of the past week as well as realignment for the coming week.

• What are my areas of focus – self awareness?, self regulation?, empathy? being more assertive?
• What are the key behaviours that I am working on that will accelerate my own leadership development?

These three things can be adopted individually, but together they become powerful and high performance routines and habits that really accelerate your development journey.

Are you willing to invest in being the best leader you can be?  30 minutes a week – well spent and when done consistently can bring about transformative change for you.