It is fairly typical to find that leaders are not very skilled at reflecting on themselves as practitioners: i.e. climbing onto a metaphorical balcony so they can observe themselves in action.

This can result in: (i) missed opportunities in that we fail to see and appreciate the treasure troves that are our hidden capabilities and experiences, and (ii) habitually rehearsing the same mistakes because we have not take the time to learn.

As suggested by Robert Quinn, tentative steps in becoming a more reflective leader might include the following:

During the past month:

• What was the best thing to happen to you?
• What was the most challenging thing to happen to you?

In the next month:

• What professional situation will be most challenging?
• What personal situation will be most demanding?

Reflecting on one’s answers to these questions (or discussing with a colleague) can be surprisingly beneficial. This has to be useful given that many employees do not perceive their managers as being terribly self-aware.

Tags: reflection, rehearsing

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 at 8:50 am and is filed under Leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.