Reflecting for Growth

Why You Should Make Time for Self-Reflection (Even If You Hate Doing It) by Jennifer Porter
‍Harvard Business Review, January 21, 2017

‍

In this brief article, executive coach Jennifer Porter reveals that the hardest leaders to coach are surprisingly not those who might first come to mind. The hardest leaders to coach, from her experience, are those who do not take the time or make the effort to reflect. Even more challenging are those who will not reflect on themselves. Meaningful reflection, she explains, is much more than simply spending time thinking carefully. Rather, it involves “conscious consideration and analysis of beliefs and actions for the purpose of learning.” Porter makes clear throughout the remainder of her article that the key word in her description is purpose. Successful leaders are those who reflect with the intention of creating meaning. That meaning in turn inspires learning, and that learning ultimately informs effective actions in the future. Porter goes on to describe five reasons that many leaders do not reflect, even though they know it is helpful, as well as six simple steps to stop the excuses. For example: “Identify some important questions” such as “How are you helping your colleagues achieve their goals?” and “How are you not helping or even hindering their progress?”