Boundless Leadership means being able to see how far we’ve come, as well as how far we’d like to go. Reflection is a key part of being able to access continuous growth and improvement.
July 1st is a significant date. It marks the midway point of the year, the beginning of a new financial year, it is Canada Day, Princess Diana’s Birthday, Northern Territory Day, and also my birthday! Each year at this point I take time to take stock of where I’ve been, and to reassess where I am going.
List your leadership highlights
Here are my questions that you can use for your own mid-year reflection:
Reflection is like navigation: start with where you have been to gauge where to go next.
Where have I been?
What did I do these last 6 months? What am I most proud of? What are some significant milestones?
What did I learn these last 6 months? Not all experiences are highlights. All provide an opportunity for growth. What insights can I gain from what went well and what did not?
How do I feel about these last six months? How do I feel right now? What has been the default emotion over this time? Am I happy with that? Why or why not?
How big is my influence footprint? What kind of impact have I had on myself? My family? My team? My organisation? My community? My industry? The world? Am I happy with that or is it something I’d like to expand?
Is my theme word for this year still relevant? What does it mean for me now? How can I integrate it more into my daily decisions?
Where will this leadership journey take you next?
Where am I going?
Write a few paragraphs about what you want to experience by this time next year. Write it in past tense, as if it has already happened. Use sensory rich language to describe all that you anticipate experiencing. What do you see yourself doing? What do you hear yourself saying? What do you hear others saying about you and your life and work? What can you touch in your new experience? What can you taste? How do you feel? (The feelings part is the most important piece - it energizes and charges the picture of what you want).
Here is an example:
It is now 1 July 2019. What an extraordinary year! The travel adventures continued with a fabulous month of skiing in August. The snow was abundant and in great condition. I felt strong and exhilarated and delighted every day we were in the mountains. The air was clean and fresh. Food tastes even more vibrant after a day’s skiing! The Larapinta trip in September with the Leader’s Edge Mastermind was even better than I anticipated! The group got along extremely well and we came away a tightly-knit unit. The scenery was remarkable and inspiring and I spent most of the time in a state of awe, as did the participants. Business is booming and I am in high demand for my speaking and training services. I am fully booked for the next six months. I have been getting rave reviews from audiences and conference organisers about the energy I bring to my talks and the positive impact it is having. Time to raise my prices! My clients are amazing people themselves and I feel deeply privileged to work with such high level thinkers who are striving to have a positive global impact. I feel happy and content and focused about the next stage of my personal and business adventures.
How will I get there?
What skills and habits do I need to stop, start and keep doing?
What initial steps can I take right now to move me towards this end point?
How are my quarterly plans and targets? Do they need adjusting?
And now, be present.
Plans are in motion, action is clear and scheduled. Be here now, focused and delighted in the abundance everywhere. There is much to delight in now. This makes the journey to next so much more enjoyable.
***
Related Articles:
How to Kickstart a Great Culture
Culture Touchpoints: Your Key to Stoking a Fire
How to Get Out of a Life-Numbing Slump
***
About the author, Canberra leadership expert Zoë Routh:
Canberra based leadership expert, Zoë Routh shares mid-year leadership reflection questions.
Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on people stuff - the stuff that gets in our way of producing results, and the stuff that lights us up. She works with the growers, makers, builders to make people stuff fun and practical.
Zoë is the author of four books: Composure - How centered leaders make the biggest impact, Moments - Leadership when it matters most, Loyalty - Stop unwanted staff turnover, boost engagement, and build lifelong advocates, and People Stuff - Beyond Personalities: An advanced handbook for leadership. People Stuff was awarded Book of the Year 2020 by the Smart WFM Australian Business Book Awards.
Zoë is also the producer of The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast.