Unsubscribe from Action without Reflection
You know me. You know, I like to get stuff done. I’m wired for it. I can do discipline and follow through like nobody’s business. And I have to say, I also really value it. Sometimes we need to stop talking about stuff and just roll up our sleeves and get to the business of doing it. Imperfectly. It’s experiential learning. The best kind.
But here’s what I’m becoming more and more convinced of the longer I’m in the world of leadership development. Action without reflection is a missed opportunity. It’s a recipe for keeping really busy without making real progress, evolving our practice, adapting to the ongoing changes and demands for new ways of thinking, being and doing. Sure, you get the stuff done, that’s worth something. But when we don’t have reflection, we don’t get learning.
The practice of leadership, the real stuff, not just the job titles, is a practice that requires reflection. We are responsible for people – the diversity and complexity of human beings alone requires our presence, attention, ability to see, hear, learn and adapt. Add in being responsible for results, culture, sustainability, risk management. It’s a lot. It requires us to be constantly learning.
The only leaders I know who are really thriving and embracing the full opportunities and challenges of leadership are the ones who have some kind of reflective practice. A way of continuously and intentionally learning from their experiences every day.
The bonus? Those leaders also tend to be more engaged, more human, more interested (and interesting!). They are having a rich experience because reflection allows us to understand, have meaning, make choices, take the risk to try new things. The time it takes to reflect pays off big time.
I know this in my own practice too. I allow myself to take the time it takes each morning to write and reflect. It makes me a better leader and a better person. We spend time in our meetings doing real check-ins. It builds stronger relationships, trust and a culture I truly value and am proud of. Don’t get me wrong – the stuff needs to get done, and there is great satisfaction in that. But action without reflection? A missed opportunity.
Warmly,
Belinda & the WLI Team
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