Encouraging Reflection as a Learning Tool

This is one of the most powerful tools in my toolbox for powerful productivity: It's the Friday Reflection Habit from the Agile Results Productivity System. How powerful is it? Powerful enough that I shared it with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella after reflecting on 20+ years of high performance at Microsoft. It's more than productivity--it's also a tool for personal transformation and career growth. The Friday Reflection Habit actually helped me become an innovator at Microsoft. It's a key to what helped me become the head coach for Satya Nadella's innovation team. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗔𝗕𝗜𝗧 The 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁 is a weekly routine where you pause to review your week, extract key lessons, and plan actionable steps for the future. It's designed to inspire your continuous growth and improvement by regularly evaluating your progress and refining your approach. 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 1. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: It helps you learn from your experiences, turning setbacks and successes into insights for growth. 2. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Keeps your actions aligned with your long-term goals, ensuring consistent progress toward your future self. 3. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀: Regular reflection sharpens your focus, making sure you’re working on what truly matters. 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 1. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: Dedicate a specific time each Friday for reflection, typically 15-30 minutes. 2. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸: Ask yourself questions like: What went well? What didn’t? What did I learn? 3. 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Identify patterns or lessons from your week that you can apply moving forward. 4. 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸: Set intentions or goals based on your reflections to make the next week more effective. 𝗕𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗙𝗨𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 To become your Future Self with Friday Reflection, follow these steps: 1. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳: Clearly define who you want to become—your goals, skills, habits, and values. 2. 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: During Friday Reflection, assess how your actions and decisions from the past week align with the vision of your Future Self. Identify progress and gaps. 3. 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀: Review what worked and what didn’t, drawing insights from your experiences that can guide you closer to your future self. 4. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Based on your reflection, set specific, actionable goals for the coming week that will move you toward your Future Self. Adjust habits and strategies accordingly. By consistently reflecting and adjusting your path, you ensure steady progress toward becoming the person you envision. 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦 I wrote Getting Results the Agile Way to share the ultimate productivity system.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 . . . 🔷As a manager and leader, whether you're just starting out or you’ve been in the game for years, you know that the decisions you make every day can have lasting effects. But how often do you stop to reflect on how those decisions are made—especially when they don’t go as planned? 👇Before diving into your next big decision, ask yourself: ❓What past decisions didn’t turn out the way I expected? ❓Am I repeating the same approach, hoping for different results? ❓How can I use past experiences to improve my current decision-making? 💡In our rush for efficiency, we often move quickly, believing that speed will bring results. But true efficiency comes from intentional reflection—slowing down to mine the lessons hidden in past decisions, even when those decisions didn’t work out. 👉Here are some key steps you can take to improve your decision-making by learning from past experiences: 1️⃣ 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. Before jumping to solutions, make sure you're addressing the right issue. Don’t let assumptions or desired outcomes cloud your understanding of what’s actually at stake. 2️⃣ 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. Stress can cloud judgment and reinforce biases. By understanding what’s triggering your stress, you can prevent it from skewing your decision-making process. 3️⃣ 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁. Choose a few decisions that didn’t go as planned. What went wrong? Were there warning signs you ignored? This reflection will help you avoid similar mistakes. 4️⃣ 𝗔𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲. Every decision comes with assumptions. Looking back, what assumptions led to poor outcomes? Did you rely on incomplete information, or overlook key factors? 5️⃣ 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Use what you’ve learned from past mistakes to make adjustments to your current decision. What new approaches can you take to get a better outcome? 6️⃣ 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻. After reflecting on your past and current decision, create a strategy that addresses the lessons learned. Ensure your approach incorporates new insights to avoid repeating mistakes. 🪴Mistakes are not failures—they’re opportunities for growth. By taking the time to reflect on past decisions, you gain the insight needed to make more informed and confident choices in the future. 💫Remember, slowing down and reflecting is not a sign of inefficiency, but a strategy for long-term success. Ask yourself: 𝘈𝘮 𝘐 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵, 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴?

My book Experiments in Reflection was released a few weeks ago by Penguin Random House.  As part of the #LinkedInBookClub, I wanted to share thoughts on why I wrote it and how I think readers can use it to help reach their goals in 2024. When I became an educator, I noticed that many students were not fully engaged. Of all the things I tested to address this, reflection emerged as a crucial catalyst of learning.  I realized that developing a reflection practice helps people lead richer lives, work better with others, and thrive as innovators. While reflection is the what of my book, experiments are the how. Experiments drive learning in our daily lives, so I crafted experiments to help anyone put into practice a range of reflection methods. Experiment One: Tuning into your moods allows you to better navigate your experiences and understand yourself. Step 1: Jot down a recent event that you would like to understand better. Think of moments from that event that stand out for you. For example, perhaps there was an awkward silence after you shared an idea or an opinion with someone. Step 2: From the following two lists, select moods you detected in yourself during those moments. (List one: frustration, anxiety, confusion, skepticism, boredom, resignation, overwhelm, impatience) (List two: ambition, confidence, perplexity, inquiry, trust, resolution, wonder, prudence) Step 3: Consider the moods you detected. How might they help you make sense of the event? Jot down your thoughts. Use the insight-o-meter here, a simple rubric to help you evaluate insights emerging from your reflection. Not every experiment reveals insights, so don’t think you did anything wrong if you didn’t experience an aha moment. The moods from the first list can be characterized as unproductive. Those from the second list –productive moods– predispose you to learn. In your experiment, the balance of productive to unproductive moods may have skewed in one direction or another. Being aware of your moods can expose tendencies that are worth exploring. This is especially true of unproductive moods. My book explains various ways to interpret your results, but being aware of your moods is important in itself. When you go about your day, practice pausing to identify what mood you are in. From this practice, you’ll begin to understand how these moods can affect how you approach your 2024 goals. (Illustrations copyright © 2023 by Gabriela Sánchez) https://lnkd.in/gg4nKbQ4