Midweek Motivate - Daily Practice One - Reflecting

Welcome to midweek motivate, where our goal is to build your leadership and give you something practical to try with your team.

 

For the next six weeks we’re going to be exploring the Six Daily Practices of Outstanding Leaders. These practices are based on research I’ve conducted over the past three years across thousands of leaders to identify what outstanding leaders actually do that makes a difference when engaging their people and producing results. The first daily practice is Reflecting.

 

One of the key leadership challenges for 2020 and beyond is what I call reflection deficit. We’re just not taking enough time as leaders to reflect on why we’re doing what we’re doing. And, on an even deeper level, whether we’re doing the right work in the first place. As a result our teams can be diligently and efficiently working away on precisely the wrong things. I’m sure we’re working hard, we might even be working smart, but are we doing the right work?

 

There are four activities that I see as central to reflecting. You might need to dial up one or more of these activities.

 

Reflecting leaders:

Scan for opportunities and threats. They explore beyond their department, organisation, industry, and geography. They take a look at broader trends. Craft a purpose.  They develop and share a clear sense of purpose in the work that’s undertaken. They can explain why we do what we do, and why it matters. Establish goals. They stretch teams to aim higher. They are extraordinarily clear about what’s expected and they help the team to strive. Formulate a plan. The purpose and goals are clear, so they determine a path to get there.

 

Perhaps this list has prompted something you could do this week. One thing you could try is simply setting aside more time to reflect. Put it in your calendar on a daily basis. You might be surprised at the benefits.