I often encourage people to set aside time for reflection because it is an important component of learning, growing and developing. I coach them specifically to reflect on decisions they’ve made and actions they’ve taken to learn from both their successes and mistakes. While some people may not want to spend time reflecting, especially when it comes to their mistakes, it’s the smart thing to do. One of the early studies around development indicates that people do not learn just through experience; they grow by reflecting on that experience, the lessons learned and how to apply that knowledge in the future.

However, we often don’t take (or have) the time to stop and reflect because the world is moving too quickly. We have to think fast, make decisions with little information and be agile, in order to get in front of problems and respond to constant changes in our industry, market and world. We make one decision and move on to the next, without taking the time to understand why they fail or succeed.

Current events have caused many of us to slow down, pause, stop and think. It’s during these “slow-down moments,” that we can think about how we want to show up as individuals, leaders, colleagues, friends, family and humans. We have the room to think about the legacy we want to leave behind as leaders and people. It’s times like this that we can (and should) take an honest look at our behavior and our decisions and learn from them.

So, if you are struggling with making a behavior change, you feel like you keep making the same mistakes or you haven’t quite reached a goal, it’s time to pause and reflect on what is holding you back from getting the results you want. That requires a little soul-searching and brutal honesty with yourself. I recommend setting aside some time to answer these questions, preferably in writing, so you can revisit them later:

• For your last three important decisions, what was the outcome, both positive and negative? Do you feel you made the right decision? If no, what did you learn from the mistake? If yes, why was it the right choice?
• How are you developing as a leader? What specific steps are you taking to become stronger as both a leader and employee?
• When was the last time you received feedback from employees or coworkers? What did you do with the feedback? How have you changed since receiving it?
• When was the last time you experienced a conflict with an employee or coworker? What was the situation? What role did you play?
• If you were your own employee, how would you rate your performance? Why? What about if you were your own boss?
• When are you at your very best at work? What activities are you doing? Who are you with?
• What situations at work make you feel terrible? And what do those situations have in common?
• When are you the best version of yourself? The worst? And why do you think that is?
• What are your top three strengths? Your top three weakness?
• What are three actions you can start taking today to become a stronger employee or leader?

The goal for this exercise is to prompt you to think about where you currently stand as a leader and where you need to go from here. Right now is the perfect time to pause and plan how you will rise to the challenges facing us all. If you need support during the process, we can help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.