"Thoughtful reflection on natural experience, in the light of conceptual ideas, is the most powerful tool we have for management learning."
Henry Mintzberg in Managers not MBAs
The idea of reflective learning is coming into focus as individuals, teams, and organizations begin to realize its benefits. In Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking in Your Organization Daniel Patrick Forrester explained that reflection is "where meaning is created, behaviors are regulated, values are refined, assumptions are challenged, intuition is accessed, and where we learn about who we are." It sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
In Taking Another Look: Leading Minds on Reflection Part 1 John Kotter speaks about the need to develop a reflective habit. The reality of it is that most of us don't. But how can we move forward and learn from our experiences if we don't reflect? Simple daily reflection expediates our learning, expertise, and ultimately our growth as an individual that is part of something larger.
Henry Mintzberg in Managers not MBAs
The idea of reflective learning is coming into focus as individuals, teams, and organizations begin to realize its benefits. In Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking in Your Organization Daniel Patrick Forrester explained that reflection is "where meaning is created, behaviors are regulated, values are refined, assumptions are challenged, intuition is accessed, and where we learn about who we are." It sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
In Taking Another Look: Leading Minds on Reflection Part 1 John Kotter speaks about the need to develop a reflective habit. The reality of it is that most of us don't. But how can we move forward and learn from our experiences if we don't reflect? Simple daily reflection expediates our learning, expertise, and ultimately our growth as an individual that is part of something larger.
In Taking Another Look: Leading Minds on Reflection Part 4, Marshall Goldsmith, author of the CoachingOurselves topic FeedFORWARD instead of FeedBACK, argues that reflection is more important today than in the past. He says it is also more challenging in a world of constant stimulus where information is coming at us from all ends. We must find the time to stop and think, even though our lifestyles force us to focus on our ability to act.
When we stop and think, we learn something about ourselves along the way. But what do we do with this new-found information? Jeremy Hunter, also in Taking Another Look: Leading Minds on Reflection Part 4, reminds us that just because we know something about ourselves doesn't mean this new-found knowledge will suddenly change our behaviour. We may know the resulting action, but not necessarily the trigger, or how to control the way we act once we've been pushed over the threshold. The answer is that it's all about reflection in the moment, in our daily lives.
So we've mastered the art of relfection, or at least our understanding of it, but how do we go about doing it? Our intuition often tells us that reflection is something to be done alone, by oneself. But reflection is something that can be done with others. It is not just about an individual, but it is also about other people we interact with and how our actions affect them, their work, and so on. Therefore, it is not only possible but also essential that we are taking the time to reflect on our weekly happenings with our management team, our family, and our friends.
Daniel Patrick Forrester's research, author of Consider, says that we can't afford not to take the time to think and reflect.
With the CoachingOurselves tools, enterprise learning professional design leadership programs that leverage reflective learning and the power of peer group learning. The process of having managers gather in small groups for 90 minutes of reflection and discussion ensures learning from experience, and from one another. It helps create a reflective habit, which is crucial for leaders in today`s complex business environment.
When we stop and think, we learn something about ourselves along the way. But what do we do with this new-found information? Jeremy Hunter, also in Taking Another Look: Leading Minds on Reflection Part 4, reminds us that just because we know something about ourselves doesn't mean this new-found knowledge will suddenly change our behaviour. We may know the resulting action, but not necessarily the trigger, or how to control the way we act once we've been pushed over the threshold. The answer is that it's all about reflection in the moment, in our daily lives.
So we've mastered the art of relfection, or at least our understanding of it, but how do we go about doing it? Our intuition often tells us that reflection is something to be done alone, by oneself. But reflection is something that can be done with others. It is not just about an individual, but it is also about other people we interact with and how our actions affect them, their work, and so on. Therefore, it is not only possible but also essential that we are taking the time to reflect on our weekly happenings with our management team, our family, and our friends.
Daniel Patrick Forrester's research, author of Consider, says that we can't afford not to take the time to think and reflect.
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| CoachingOurselves: Reflective Learning |
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