Having the ability to reflect on your personal leadership development, as well as that of your team, company or organization, is a key component of growth. An effective way to facilitate this self-reflection is by asking yourself challenging questions. These questions can help you uncover new insights and rediscover strengths you may have forgotten about or taken for granted. Working on self-reflection can be a challenge for most leaders, especially in fast-paced environments with constant pressure from stakeholders, peers and direct reports. Self-reflection requires us to pull away from the noise and get in touch with our inner voice. It’s not always easy, but it’s essential if you want to strengthen your performance as a leader and grow personally.
What did you do well?
By definition, personal development is focused on growing, learning and improving. You can’t grow if you don’t acknowledge your strengths — both as a leader and as a person. Take some time to reflect on the aspects of your leadership that you feel most confident about, and why. For example, you may feel proud about having achieved a significant goal for your team or organization. Or you may feel good about how you’ve helped a peer or direct report overcome an obstacle. Collective examples of what you’ve done well can provide an excellent starting point for self-reflection. You should also celebrate your team’s successes. Sharing the wins of your team members can help you identify your own strengths. It can also help you feel more connected to your team, which can be particularly important if you work remotely...Read More
Where did you fail?
In addition to reflecting on what went well, you also need to identify your failures. Take some time to consider situations where you fell short of expectations or failed to meet your own standards. You can do this both at an organizational level, like with a specific project, and at a personal level, like with your productivity. You may also want to take a look at your team’s shortcomings. Have your direct reports fallen short of expectations, or have they failed to meet their own standards? By examining the areas in which you failed, you have the chance to learn from your mistakes and avoid them in the future.
What surprised you?
When you first started your leadership journey, you probably didn’t expect certain aspects of the job. Take some time to reflect on the surprises you’ve encountered. By reflecting on the surprises in your leadership journey, you have a chance to identify recurring themes. These themes can help you discover new insights about yourself and your leadership style. For example, maybe you’ve been surprised by how stressful your job is, or how much time it takes away from your family. These are important insights because they can help you determine the areas where you need to grow and learn. They can also help you understand the areas in which your team members may need assistance or development.
What would you change?
With any aspect of your leadership journey, you’re going to make mistakes. These mistakes — especially early on in your career — may have serious consequences, like losing a client or losing the trust of a direct report. Taking time to reflect on the mistakes you’ve made can help you avoid them in the future. You can also use your mistakes to help others. For example, you may have a friend who is just starting out in their leadership journey. You may be able to help them avoid the mistakes you made by sharing your experiences. This can be a great way to use your mistakes for good and help others avoid costly errors.
Is there something missing?
As you reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, as well as your successes and failures, you may find that there’s something missing from your leadership toolkit. This could be a skill you need to be effective as a leader or an area of knowledge you’d like to explore. For example, you may need to improve your public speaking skills as a way to better engage your team members. Or you may want to learn more about how to manage stress as a way to improve your health and happiness.
Which of your strengths should be forefront?
As you reflect on the different aspects of your leadership journey, you may notice specific strengths popping up frequently. You should try to keep these strengths forefront of your leadership style. For example, if you see that you’re good at communicating with your team members, you should keep this strength forefront of your approach. This may mean making communication with your team members a priority. It may also mean making sure that you’re connecting with them in the right way, like having regular one-on-one meetings.
Which of your weaknesses need addressing?
Now, let’s turn our attention to the weaknesses you’ve identified. What weaknesses have you noticed in your leadership style? What areas do you feel you need to address so that you can become a stronger leader? What is the root cause of your weakness? Why are you being held back? Where have you been unsuccessful? Why is this important? We all have our own unique challenges as managers, leaders and professionals. By identifying those areas where you need to grow, you can take action to address those weaknesses. What are your weaknesses as a leader? How can you address those weaknesses and become a stronger, more effective leader?
Which habits will help grow your strengths and address your weaknesses?
Now that you’ve identified your strengths and weaknesses, you might be wondering, “What do I do now?” A great way to keep yourself accountable and moving in the right direction is to create a list of habits you want to cultivate and adopt. What habits will help grow your strengths? Which habits will help you address your weaknesses? What are the habits you want to cultivate as a leader? How can you put these habits into action? Why is this important? When you put your weaknesses on the table, you’re more likely to feel overwhelmed and defeated. But when you focus on your strengths and adopt the right habits, you can begin to feel empowered and confident in your abilities as a leader. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What habits will you cultivate to help you grow as a leader?
Conclusion
A great leader knows when to step up, when to step back and when to step away. It’s important to know yourself, your strengths and your weaknesses. It’s also important to know when to apply those to your position and when to step away from a situation. By asking yourself these self-reflection questions and getting honest with your answers, you can begin to understand where you succeed and fail, and you can use that knowledge to grow as a leader.