Daily Practice for Leaders: Reflection
Why This Matters
Reflection at work can be a cornerstone habit that can significantly enhance a leader's effectiveness. This simple yet profound daily routine sets the tone for the day, ensuring that leaders approach their responsibilities with clarity, purpose, and focus.
When facilitating training sessions with leaders, one of the opening questions I routinely ask is about daily routines. Something like this: If you were to theoretically categorize your daily routines into three areas: people focus, task focus, or reflection focus, how much time do you spend in each area? In most instances, leaders indicate they spend most of their time in people and task-focused routines, but little, if any, in intentional reflection.
Most leaders I have coached or trained say their reflection time is on the commute to or from work or at night when they’re nodding off to sleep or during times when they would prefer to be totally present with others at home and feel distracted as they think about work.
In the fast-paced world of leadership, the practice of reflection at work can be a cornerstone habit that can significantly enhance a leader's effectiveness. This simple yet profound daily routine sets the tone for the day, ensuring that leaders approach their responsibilities with clarity, purpose, and focus.
What to Do
Reflection involves a few key steps:
Quiet Reflection: Spend 10-15 minutes in a quiet, uninterrupted space where you are able to reflect on your actions and your personal and professional goals. A best practice may be to do this as your first “work” of the day or as you are concluding your work day. Consider what you intend to reflect on.
Gratitude Practice: Take a moment to note things you are grateful for. This helps in maintaining a positive mindset.
Review Actions: What decisions have you made, interactions have you had, etc., that went well or not so well? What will you continue doing, stop doing, or start doing, and why?
Reviewing Goals: Look over your short-term and long-term goals. Adjust priorities as needed based on current circumstances.
Daily Prioritization: Identify the top three tasks that must be accomplished that day. This creates a clear focus.
Visualization: Mentally visualize how you will handle key tasks and interactions. This boosts confidence and preparedness.
Journaling: Write down your thoughts, plans, and any potential challenges. This process helps in organizing your thoughts and making them tangible.
Why It Matters
Enhances Clarity and Focus: Morning reflection allows leaders to reset for the day and start the day with a focus on their priorities. This clarity helps in focusing on what truly matters, rather than getting sidetracked by less important tasks. Granted, things may change as the day unfolds, but you’ve established your mooring points of what’s important.
Boosts Productivity: By planning and prioritizing tasks, leaders can manage their time more effectively. This reduces the chances of procrastination and ensures that crucial tasks are completed.
Promotes Positivity: Practicing gratitude and reflecting on achievements fosters a positive mindset. This positivity not only improves the leader's own well-being but also sets a positive tone for the entire team.
Builds Resilience: Reflecting on challenges and visualizing successful outcomes helps leaders build mental resilience. They are better prepared to handle setbacks and can approach problems with a solution-oriented mindset.
Improves Decision-Making: Regular reflection and planning enhance a leader's ability to make informed and strategic decisions. This practice ensures that decisions are aligned with both short-term and long-term goals.
Encourages Personal Growth: Journaling and self-reflection lead to greater self-awareness. Leaders can identify areas for improvement and actively work on personal and professional growth.
Incorporating reflection into the daily routine is a powerful practice that can transform a leader's effectiveness. By dedicating time to reflect, plan, and prioritize, leaders set themselves up for success. This practice not only enhances productivity and decision-making but also promotes a positive and resilient mindset. Leaders who start their day with clarity and purpose are better equipped to lead their teams toward achieving collective goals.
References
Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. Free Press.
Hal Elrod, (2012). The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM). Hal Elrod.
Goleman, D. (2013). Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence. Harper.