I trust you enjoy my blog so far, and surely you have noticed increasing tech and data science related posts. I believe they are beneficial for those interested in artificial intelligence theory, analytics practitioners, and experts. However, I would also love to share my observations and findings related to 'softer' skills. For those who are entrepreneurs at heart like me, the below topic could be of significant importance.
Why leadership?
My interest in the leadership philosophy grew gradually because of reading, analyzing celebrity role models, and pure curiosity. I couldn't miss the fact that there are different types of leaders, and various backgrounds had formed them. The majority of them are looking into the bright future, keeping their eyes high in the sky. But some are concentrating more on the short-term goals and hold their feet firm on the ground. I had started asking myself a question "What leader I would not like to be?" before I began to create a shape of what kind of leader I want to become.
After I started my professional career, I began noticing differences between managers and leaders. The discrepancies were not apparent to me, and that triggered another wave of questions. To be completely clear, of course, a manager can be a great leader, but it is not always the case. Whereas a leader, in my opinion, is a manager by default. A leadership role comes with a certain prestige and other types of recognition. But there is a flipside to this coin that makes the work hard and exhaustive. Once you are accountable for the performance of others, things become more complicated. Some surveys suggest that 29-38% of managers and executives are engaged at work. People like Susan and James are often emotionally drained and depleted coping with their followers' stress. Fortunately, there are known practices of how to handle these intricacies and help them stay healthy and happy about their jobs.
I never stop learning and have just stepped into the leadership shoes. That's why I decided to share some of the practices I found extremely helpful in developing these skills. They are widely used by many executives and those in leading roles.
The essence of reflection
You probably do reflect daily. Things happen to you at work or university. You think not only about what happened, but also about what it meant, what you learned from it, and how it made you feel, what would you do differently based on this experience? Reflection is undoubtedly a skill that we all need to practice.
Reflection in education or the workplace is structured. It must be deliberate, and it requires effort. It is seen as a tool of learning, as a means of slowing ourselves down to consider our behavior, the actions of others, our feelings, and how we might act in the future.
Why reflection?
People are often asked to reflect as it is a great independent nature of a self-study. It aids with problem-solving, active and passive learning, as well as improving memory and concentration. Reflection surely helps with keeping yourself stay organized as you get a more definite sense of what happens to you on a day-to-day basis. We learn where we spend time well or where we waste our time. It helps to feel well by increasing the ability to deal with the negative experience. Last but not least, it boosts writing skills as it requires writing down your thoughts and feelings. It would be best if you expressed yourself more clearly, which can be very uncomfortable when you practice it.
You probably do this already in your way, and it should not be formal, of course. However, you might want to start your learning diary and write down 1-2 pages per week to keep yourself on track with the on-going matters. Very soon, you will see patterns, some of which may need adjusting. In the diary, you can write about memorable things that happened, something that didn't go to plan, and how you dealt with it. Or simply a couple of sentences about your recent reaction to what others said and what you could do differently next time this occurs. Try to keep it informal but regular as you proceed. Squeeze it into your weekly routine and enjoy the benefits it brings - the invested time will pay off.
Models of reflection
There are models of reflective thinking that can help you do this kind of work. One of the most popular is Kolb's experiential learning cycle. It breaks down into four essential stages.
Concrete experience. Life is chock-full of experiences we can learn from. Whether at home, at work, there are countless opportunities for us to begin the learning cycle.
Reflective observation. Reflection entails thinking about what we have done and encountered. Some people are generally good at this. Others train themselves to be more thoughtful about reviewing their experiences and documenting them.
Abstract conceptualization. When we move from thinking about our experiences to explaining them, we enter into the realm of what Kolb termed 'conceptualization'. To conceptualize is to create a hypothesis about the meaning of our experiences.
Active experimentation. In the active experimentation phase of the learning cycle, we effectively 'test' the hypotheses we have assumed. Our new experiences will either strengthen or confront these hypotheses. Learning from our experiences involves a critical element of reflection.
Summing up
I hope you decide to at least give it a try and see how you specifically can benefit from the practice. Reflection is a reasonably long-term journey, so do not let discourage yourself if there no instant results. The above approach is the one I found appealing to me. Feel free to look for more reflective models that suit you better.
I am positive this will help you to find your learning path and, most importantly, lead yourself and others efficiently. Do not hesitate to reach out to me to share your experience, thoughts about this topic, or methods you discovered to be game-changing.
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