Are you taking enough time out to think?

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.” – Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne, 1926

When last did you really took the time out to stop and think? We often get lost in the day to day noise of work and life. Taking the time to stop and reflect is a critical leadership practice. Without reflection it’s difficult to keep our life and work in it’s right perspective. Without reflection we forget who we are, why we’re here and what we stand for. Without reflection we forget what matters! Without reflection we fail to learn from our experiences and are doomed to repeat our mistakes. Without reflection we remain helpless, falling victim to life’s circumstances.

Reflection is a powerful tool to help us notice, to make us aware of our thinking and the results of our actions. Reflection is a relatively easy exercise. To reflect stop, and consider a difficult situation you’re facing and take some time to consider the following questions….

• What happened?
• What results are you getting?
• How’s this working for you?
• What could be done differently?
• What assumptions are you making?
• What role are you playing or not playing that brings about these results?
• What 3 things can you do to change the situation?

Schedule regular time every week to reflect….

“‘The world we have created is a product of our way of thinking,’ said Einstein. Nothing will change in the future without fundamentally new ways of thinking. This is the real work of leadership.” – Peter Senge

…..and a change in thinking requires time alone to reconsider ones purpose and goals.

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Tagged as: Reflection, Thinking, Thought Leadership