The Importance of Reflection
I read a lot. I guess I also think a lot and write a lot. I have found that time to be important to me and to the both the businesses I have worked for and those I supported as a consultant.
I am surprised sometimes when I talk with colleagues who spend almost no time in reflection, reading books or articles, and scoff at the idea of social networking sites like LinkedIn , FaceBook, or others and God forbid they would either write a blog or contribute to one. They bustle about "running the business". In many cases these are the same people who can't find time to coach and mentor their staff.
I read a couple of interesting articles this morning. One was on three leaders- Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, and Joe Paterno and how each made a commitment to reflection. Lincoln read Shakespeare and other classics, Gates scheduled a bi-annual trip to a cabin to read and think, and Paterno often coaches from the press box in order to get above the field and see things from a different perspective.
I read another article on leadership failures. It talked about some of the main reasons that leaders, especially new leaders fail. Some of the most consistent reasons were micro-management, and wanting to be the key decision maker in the majority if not all cases. They didn't trust their staff to make the "right" decision, they end up training staff not to make decisions at all.
My friend and colleague, Boom Daniel talked about the concept of a "bucket" as a fighter pilot and managing all the competing elements in your bucket. I think one way is to manage what you put in it.
How many of us spend thirty hours a week running from one meeting to another? In many of those meetings we don't even contribute directly. We are there as a function of CYA or "supporting the team". Is that always a good use of our time? I wonder sometimes.
I also feel that our society has come to really prize activity and the "hero" syndrome. The person who dashes about "solving" problems is the person we value and idolize. What about the person who thinks through the issue and doesn't let it become a crisis? Or the person who develops a team capable of making good decisions so they don't need to constantly step in with the "right" answer.
The first question I like to ask is "Why"? Why are we doing this? Why are we doing it this way? Do we have the right people involved? Does this decision need to be made at this level?
I don't know. Maybe I have too much time to "reflect", but I think that if we looked at the how and what of situations and the motivation we created maybe we would be more inclined to make better decisions.
What do you think?
I am surprised sometimes when I talk with colleagues who spend almost no time in reflection, reading books or articles, and scoff at the idea of social networking sites like LinkedIn , FaceBook, or others and God forbid they would either write a blog or contribute to one. They bustle about "running the business". In many cases these are the same people who can't find time to coach and mentor their staff.
I read a couple of interesting articles this morning. One was on three leaders- Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, and Joe Paterno and how each made a commitment to reflection. Lincoln read Shakespeare and other classics, Gates scheduled a bi-annual trip to a cabin to read and think, and Paterno often coaches from the press box in order to get above the field and see things from a different perspective.
I read another article on leadership failures. It talked about some of the main reasons that leaders, especially new leaders fail. Some of the most consistent reasons were micro-management, and wanting to be the key decision maker in the majority if not all cases. They didn't trust their staff to make the "right" decision, they end up training staff not to make decisions at all.
My friend and colleague, Boom Daniel talked about the concept of a "bucket" as a fighter pilot and managing all the competing elements in your bucket. I think one way is to manage what you put in it.
How many of us spend thirty hours a week running from one meeting to another? In many of those meetings we don't even contribute directly. We are there as a function of CYA or "supporting the team". Is that always a good use of our time? I wonder sometimes.
I also feel that our society has come to really prize activity and the "hero" syndrome. The person who dashes about "solving" problems is the person we value and idolize. What about the person who thinks through the issue and doesn't let it become a crisis? Or the person who develops a team capable of making good decisions so they don't need to constantly step in with the "right" answer.
The first question I like to ask is "Why"? Why are we doing this? Why are we doing it this way? Do we have the right people involved? Does this decision need to be made at this level?
I don't know. Maybe I have too much time to "reflect", but I think that if we looked at the how and what of situations and the motivation we created maybe we would be more inclined to make better decisions.
What do you think?
Labels: decision making, heroes, Leadership, meetings, reflection, teamwork
posted by Mark at New Paradigms LLC at
11:30 AM
4 Comments:
People don't want to stop and ponder because they might realize that they don't totally love themselves absolutely unconditionally. We fill our time up "doing" instead of "being".
thanks for this one, Mark!
Elizabeth
In my work as a business consultant and medium-sized business owner I find there to be many contributing factors in addition to those that you've highlighted.
1. A lack of qualified leaders.
2. A confidence shortage. Allowing staff to hire beneath them as a way to control their own destiny. Also, tolerance of compliance over commitment.
3. An utter and complete fear of failure; so much so that decisions fail to be made ie corporate paralysis.
4. An unwillingness to make bold moves because "it's a lot of hard work."
Brian
Two critical elements of learning are collaboration (learning in conversation), and reflection. The race to do stuff is why many people and organizations do not build sustainable futures. We as humans must be in conversation to transform this world and must reflect.
Reflection is a vital part of living. Taking the time to have a few quiet moments during the day connects a person to what's important in life, to their dreams, inner longings, and what's most crucial to them. It also allows clarity and balance in thinking. As a quote I recently read says: "When the mind quiets, the way becomes clear." Also, the lack of reflection or some form of spirituality can condemn a person to making the same mistakes over and over because they are not stopping to think about the larger picture. On the other hand, reflection can completely disturb a person's life temporarily because when someone stops to think about their life, they may realize there is much that they want to change. When change is not immediately possible or feasible, it can become frustrating. Although in the long-term reflection will almost always lead to the right decisions, in the short-term the outcome can be a lot of inner turmoil before eventually reaching some peace. In the context of organizations, and particularly for strategic decision-making, reflection is vital because it allows a leader to see the big picture and maintain calm and clarity in the midst of continuous change. Reflection is a key component of the journey that is life!
Thanks for the reminder Mark!
Reham
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