I’m often asked what young leaders can do to improve their leadership, confidence and teamwork. And for me, I would always recommend a habit that many leaders love to hate! Not many of us, in the fast paced, increasingly noisy, anxiety driven world that we live in can handle sitting quietly for 5, 10 or 15 minutes a day with the aim of thinking about our own thoughts and behaviours. Self reflection is something we all have access to. You can get started with the simplest notepad and pen.
The results of ongoing self reflection are impressive. It’s definitely worth taking note! But do you have the discipline?
Why self reflection is important for leaders
Self reflection gives you time and space to consider your actions and beliefs for the benefit of learning. It’s a way of documenting what’s happening around you and using this understanding to create meaning for the purpose of learning.
It’s a stop. A pause. A breath. Amongst all the busyness, action and noise. To observe yourself and others, to create understanding, plans and meaning for the future.
It’s an opportunity to stand back for a moment and observe yourself. It’s a brilliant quality in successful leaders – their ability to observe their own behaviour – almost as if it was another person. Most people will do it after a meeting, event or interaction. Super-practiced leaders learn to self-observe in each moment.
But it’s simple enough to begin after a meeting, event or an interaction. You can consider questions such as:
“How would other people perceive my actions?”
“How did I participate in that team meeting?”
“How did I show up?”
“How did I react and answer questions from others?”
“Was I open to the ideas and discussion or did I shut the conversation down?”
Self reflection is a skill like anything else, so it does take practice.
Ask good questions
Many people are almost scared to sit in front of a blank piece of paper and wonder what to write about. It is a common barrier to journalling.
A simple way to start is to brainstorm questions to ask yourself. They could to be the same questions that you use every day, week or month to consider. You can also include exploratory questions to get you thinking and being creative.
A great daily question, which was highlighted in the book, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being by Dr Martin Seligman, can be as simple as:
“What went well today and why?”
Other daily questions could be:
“Did I accomplish what I set out to do today?”
“What did I learn from today?”
“What are my priorities?”
Ask questions to inspire possibilities, creativity and insights
In Think Like Da Vinci by Michael Gelb, he shares that Leonardo Da Vinci used notebooks to record everything! From ideas, impressions, observations and thoughts from scholars he admired, jokes and fables, philosophical musings and prophecies, pens for inventions, painting and doodling to personal finance records and letters. Seven thousand pages of Da Vinci’s notebooks existed. Michael Gelb shares that we can develop our sense of curiosity through journalling.
He suggests the 100 questions exercise. Create a list of 100 questions that you could muse on. It could be about anything. How to have more fun? How to love more? What is the meaning of life?
Create this list in one sitting and quickly. When you’ve finished your list, he suggests you review your list for themes and then find the top ten questions that intrigue you and pique the most interest. Use this as the basis of your journalling practice.
Here are the top ten questions Michael Gelb suggests as a catalyst for personal growth and fulfilment:
When am I most naturally myself? What people, places, and activities allow me to feel most fully myself?
What’s one thing I could stop doing, start doing, or do differently, starting today that would most improve the quality of my life?
What is my greatest talent?
How can I get paid for doing what I love?
Who are my most inspiring role models?
How can I best be of service to others?
What is my heart’s deepest desire?
How am I perceived by: my closed friend, my worst enemy, my boss, my children, my co-workers, etc?
What are the blessings of my life?
What legacy would l like to leave?
Many strategies for journalling
Asking questions of yourself is an easy way to start but there are other options too. Many highly productive people have also used a technique from Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way called Morning Pages.
Morning Pages is simply three pages of long hand, stream-of-consciousness writing first thing in the morning. The idea is to pick up the pen and not to put it down until you have done your three pages. You write whatever is in your head, even if you start off with writing…I don’t know what to write!
The purpose of morning pages, Julia says, is “once we get those muddy, maddening, confusing thoughts [nebulous worries, jitters, and preoccupations] on the page, we face our day with clearer eyes.”
Writing online vs writing by hand
A common question when it comes to journalling is:
“Should I hand write it or can I just type away on the computer?”
Some people might find it easier to journal on the computer – Google docs, WordPress, Medium or even Microsoft Word give you easy ways to type away your thoughts and reflections. Not to mention an easy way to store your thoughts and reflections!
But there are potential downsides of digital journalling. It may just too easy to click over to Facebook or your latest email that pops into your inbox. We spend so much time in front of screens these days that any opportunity to take habits offline might be worth considering.
There are also many benefits to writing by hand. Loads of studies that have shown the diverse benefits of handwriting in relation to memory, creativity, learning and expressing ideas.
There is something satisfying about opening up and using a nicely bound journal. It’s personal, it’s therapeutic, and it may make you feel like a writer in the 1920’s in Paris!
I’m going to let you decide which one works for you. I want you to think about which one you will actually do. The journalling practice (whether it’s on a computer or not) is the one you do!! Will typing make it easier for you? Or are you keen to explore the benefits of handwriting?
Making it a Habit
So how do you make it a habit that you stick to? It’s all about the routines you use! Here are a couple of ideas for you to mix and match to find what might work best for you.
Last 10 minutes of your work day
Before you go to bed
Every Sunday night
A day once a quarter
When can you schedule it in? Is there another habit you can pair up with journalling? Self awareness is such a foundational skill for any leader. Self reflection and journalling will help your self awareness soar!
Now over to you: Let me know how you go with it in my Facebook group, Alyceum Leaders – I’d love to hear from you!
