An Impact podcast with Sarah Morris, created for the Impact leadership playbook.
What do we mean by reflection?
At Impact, reflection is a core part of both our approach to experiential learning, and our approach to leadership.
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In this mini podcast (19 mins) created exclusively for the Impact leadership playbook, Dan chats to Sarah Morris about reflection. Based in Connecticut, Sarah is a Senior Consultant for Impact Americas. Sarah is a seasoned leader and practitioner who spent 14 years at UBS, most recently as Global Head of Leadership Development. Now one of our most trusted lead consultants, she combines strategic vision with meticulous execution to deliver standout client partnerships. Known for her calm under pressure, thoughtfulness, and depth of expertise, Sarah drives some of Impact’s most acclaimed leadership programmes.
Taking the time to intentionally reflect empowers us to grow, build our self-awareness, and learn from our experiences. It's a crucial capability in the leadership toolkit. But what do we actually mean by reflection? Why is it so important? And how can leaders develop their ability to reflect?
What role does reflection have in the leadership toolkit?
"Reflection is the foundation for many other skills, and it's really all about learning. When we stop and spend some time on self-reflection, it helps us make sense of things around us and allows us to understand what's important, what we need to focus on, what we need to do differently. Many times it involves asking questions of yourself, and in day-to-day life it can almost be a debrief on something.
It really is important, because as a leader, it really helps with self-awareness. You have to have a little courage, to take an honest look and say 'Let me think about how I just handled that situation… What did I do well? What could I do differently? What's my mindset coming out of this? It think it also helps with decision making, just spending a little time assessing a situation or analysing decisions or how things have been handled in the past helps you to adapt to a new situation, take a new perspective or a new mindset."
What skills should leaders develop in order to grow their ability to reflect?
"Two things come to mind. The first is the power of a pause. We actually speak to that a lot in our programmes. There is such power in a pause, and that could mean big or little things. So sometimes in the middle of an experiential activity, we literally call a timeout. In your day, maybe you get an email and it frustrates you, maybe you're struggling with a problem, or maybe you're having trouble dealing with some different situations... just pausing for a second, stepping back and taking a moment, thinking about what you're doing, why you're doing it, how it's being received… Pausing like this helps you take the time to reflect and then the outcome is usually positive, whether it's a decision, a realignment, a refocus, or a refresh.
The second thing is asking good questions. Great questions are the foundation of a great leader's toolkit. Question are powerful when you're trying to coach someone, when you're trying to sell something to someone, when you're trying to handle a difficult conversation… and it's no different with reflection. Take a second and say, 'What am I noticing about my leadership? Is this helping me progress towards my goals? What surprised me?"
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This mini podcast was created for our leadership playbook, an interactive resource capturing 45 years of learning about leadership.