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Being v Doing, how do we need to "be" as leaders right now. Consider where you put your attention, how you show up and the impact you have in work & life. Reflect on what "being" better looks like as a leader. Bite size reflections to enable you to hone how you want to be as a leader, increase your impact and improve the relationships, teams and systems around you. Hosted by leadership team coach Annabel Graham, with or without others. Find out more at www.successfultraining.co.uk
when do you just stand and stare?
Our lives are busy, frenetic and always on and we humans aren’t necessarily built to withstand that constant onslaught of information, technology and communication. Reflection; time when we can contemplate and think deeply about things is something that many of us don’t do.
However, it’s crucial to all of us to take that time out; step back and think about our actions, our impact and what matters.
In this episode we look at how reflection helps us, gives us balance and I share towards the end a way of setting up a reflective practice diary.
What’s your reflective practice?
When do you reflect? When do allow your brain that quiet time to just switch off and be?
If the answer is, "I don’t think I do"; for the good of your brain, consider how you can build that time into your life. Could you…
- Exercise: go for a walk, run, cycle, swim?
- Meditate – either through mindfulness, yoga or a similar practice or an app like Calm or Headspace?
- Take time out at the end of each day and journal, practice a hobby?
That practice of concentration helps focus the brain, calm it, slow it down, and allow us to be stiller and calmer.
When we reflect we notice things about ourselves, we become truly present and comfortable with how we are being. We notice who we interact with and the world around us.
When we reflect we learn, and in that learning, we can make a change. In that reflection and learning we can adapt and flourish in our current Brave New World.
Logging your thoughts: Reflective practice
For some people, an old-fashioned note book works well, for others a phone or tablet will suffice. Either way, choose how you’ll log these so you can come back to them.
When you do log them, make a note by day/date then review below.
Daily: take 2 mins and ask yourself the following questions, noting your answers:
– What went well today? – What could I have done differently? – What will I do differently tomorrow?
Weekly: take 5-10 mins and review your daily notes; look for patterns and themes and celebrate success
– What has gone well this week? – What patterns do I see? – What impact have these had? What will I change next week?
Monthly: take 15 mins and review your weekly reflections, asking yourself the same questions. Note any patterns, successes, goals you wish to set
Quarterly: Take 30 mins and review the last quarter, looking afresh at your reflections and making a note of 1-3 things you will focus on for the next quarter. No more – remember 1 small change that you embed is better than 15 you planned to do but never achieved.
Making a reflective practice a habit will enable you to see patterns, keep your focus and enable change or adaption that you may want, your life will be all the richer for it!