reflection

Taking time to reflect helps give perspective and make greater sense of events and experiences.  The reflective process inquires, poses questions, gets insights, sees things anew and it builds.  It helps us get to know ourselves and others in a deeper way and is  a healthy and necessary activity for executives and non-executives alike.  As a business leader, if  you are too entrenched in the detail, it is likely that you are not making time for reflection and therefore missing out on the bigger picture of your business and life.

Taking a reflective stance in your leadership can include questions like: 

• What is really going on here or what just happened?
• What are we trying to create or build here?
• What are the outcomes we are after?
• What is going well?
•  What can we do differently?
• What is the best way of proceeding given our vision?
• How am I really feeling about what just happened?
• What is the unspoken here?
• How can I deal with this differently next time?

Reflection is also a key part in the learning process.  We learn more when we reflect on what we have just experienced.  It deepens our understanding and wisdom and it helps inform the future.

In relationships be it our loved ones or work peers and or direct reports, it’s easy to miss out vital cues of what the other person maybe communicating when we become too immersed in the transactional “doing” mode only.

The process of reflection helps calibrate our experiences as it separates the chaff from the wheat.

It helps give space, perspective and directional clarity.

The upcoming holiday period is a perfect time for reflection as our normal routines are broken.   You may naturally find yourself reflecting while gardening or enjoying the beach.  However you do it, don’t leave the precious nuggets of your life ignored and untapped.  Reflective activity is your potent gift. Utilize it to be an even wiser person, leader and family member. 

 Happy holidays!

Jasbindar Singh is a leadership coach and business psychologist helping leaders sharpen their edge – www.sqconsulting.co.nz.