If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.

Henry Ford

Do you ever feel that you are so busy getting things done that there is not enough time to think and reflect on how you might do things differently?  In today’s fast-paced world of work, the pressure of tight deadlines, customer demands, a competitive market place, and the need to deliver immediate results can fill our day with a lot of activity.  Top this off with the need for work-life balance and the juggling of family responsibilities, and there seems to be little time available to step back, reflect and ask ourselves: “Is there a better way?”

Why is it important to reflect?

According to Professor Patricia Castelli of Lawrence Technical University (Michigan, USA), leaders who are reflective can bring about improvements in employee well-being, engagement and performance.  Not only are reflective leaders more effective managers, but reflective leadership can result in improved organisational performance. 

Although the focus here is on reflective leadership, reflective practice is not just for leaders.  Reflective practice is for anyone who is learning a new skill, developing a new competency, has a problem to solve, or is looking for a more innovative solution.  It can be a useful and effective approach to learning and problem-solving in any role, and in life in general.

What is reflective practice?

Reflective practice is the deliberate examination and critique of our experiences in order to build new understanding, to learn, and to solve problems.  Reflective practice requires self-observation, critical thinking, the ability to evaluate oneself, and the ability to take others’ perspectives.  It requires an open mind, a non-judgemental stance and a willingness to step back and look at things in new ways.  Leaders who model reflective practice in their relationships and conversations with employees can support them in building insight into their own behaviour and help them to develop new skills and competencies.

The ability to reflect

Professor Castelli has identified three abilities that are necessary for effective reflective practice:

• Self-awareness – focusing on your own behaviour and evaluating it in a candid manner;
• Mindfulness – paying attention to your feelings, actions and thoughts;
• Wisdom – thinking through the available options and the consequences of your decisions.

Six behaviours that make reflective leaders effective

Professor Castelli identified six behaviours that underpin the success of reflective leaders.  To be a reflective leader, you should:

1. Value open communication.  Have an open-door policy; be a good listener; empathise; be constructive in your feedback; and be credible.  Open, honest communication without judgement is essential for people to feel safe to admit and learn from our mistakes.
2. Build self-esteem and confidence.  Build relationships that are encouraging and supportive; provide direction and feedback; be a coach and mentor, and provide positive reinforcement.  Critical feedback should be clear, specific and constructive to enable learning and development.
3. Challenge beliefs and assumptions.  Question your own and others’ assumptions; recognise blind spots; be open to alternatives; show a willingness to change; and share lessons learned.  Our actions are guided by our assumptions about why things are the way they are or why people do what they do.  Challenging our assumptions can lead to different interpretations and different approaches to what we do and how we relate.
4. Create a safe environment that promotes trust.  Be consistent in your behaviour; act as a role model for the behaviours that are desired; value opinions even if they are different from your own; and show integrity. 
5. Help others understand how their work relates to the achievement of organisational goals.  Explain how tasks contribute to organisational goals; and acknowledge others’ contributions. 
6. Respect diversity.  Respect others’ customs/values; promote inclusiveness; and be sensitive about individual differences.

Some useful steps to help you reflect

Gibbs (1988) provides a useful framework for reflection that is simple, yet comprehensive.  He provides a series of questions that you can ask yourself when you practice reflection alone, or that can be used by a trusted manager or peers to support your self-reflection.  Journaling can also be an effective way to reflect on incidents and tasks that you encounter in your work.  Here is Gibbs’ framework for you to try.

Description

Ask yourself what happened.  Describe a scenario in which you were uncomfortable, uncertain or feel that you could have managed differently.  Don’t make judgements yet or try to draw conclusions; simply describe.

Feelings

What were you thinking and feeling at the time?  How did the situation affect you?  Again, don’t move on to analysing these yet.

Evaluation

What was good or bad about the experience?  What went well?  What didn’t go so well?  Now you can start making some value judgements.

Analysis

What sense can you make of the situation?  What assumptions have you made to explain what happened or what you did?  What other interpretations could you make?  Generate as many explanations as you can.

Conclusions

What can be concluded from these experiences and the analyses you have undertaken?  What else could you have done?

Personal action plan

What are you going to do differently in this type of situation next time?  What steps are you going to take on the basis of what you have learnt?

Make reflection a regular part of your self-development as a way of improving your performance, and building competence and confidence.  And if there isn’t sufficient time to make reflection a regular practice, see if you can use it when things are not going as well as you might like or to help you make sense of unsettling situations.