The Power of Reflection

Reflection is one of the most underappreciated aspects of performance.

We often think that achieving requires doing…

Only doing.

“To achieve more we must do more.”

This is what we tell ourselves.

But without reflection, we risk repeating actions that are inefficient or ineffective.

Reflection is a requirement to improve performance, and it must be a part of your regular systems.

In this article, I am going to teach you a simple system for quick and effective reflection.

By learning this system, you can enhance your personal performance.

Fail to reflect and you may be doomed to repeat the same ineffective actions.

Let’s roll.

Why to Reflect

We all know the power of feedback.

To grow, develop, and improve, feedback is a requirement.

Leaders must give feedback to the team. The team must give feedback to the leader. Both improve.

But let’s clarify terms.

Feedback is simply a reflection verbalized.

Viewed in a similar light, “reflections” are when we seek self-feedback about our own experiences.

Consider that…

Feedback = External (reflections + vocalization)

Reflections = Internal (perceptions + reactions)

Please don’t take the math literally but instead notice the frame. Feedback comes from external sources. Reflection comes from internal perceptions.

We seek feedback from others to improve our interactions, skills, etc.

We must seek self-reflections to improve our own processes, self-efficacy, and personal development.

When to Reflect

Just like feedback, the effectiveness of reflection is influenced by its temporal proximity to the behavior.

(Big words, yeah… but it was the first thing that came to mind. Let me quickly reflect and notice that I may lose you as the reader using ridiculous jargon. Maybe a different definition would be better.)

Just like feedback, reflection is most effective when you get it right after an action.

Research knows that getting feedback at the right time is key to improvement.

You can’t train a dog to sit if you give him a treat a month after he successfully follows your command.

But give a dog a treat immediately after he sits, and you are on your way to teaching a new skill.

From a human standpoint, shooting free throws in basketball is a great example.

You step to the line. You shoot the ball. You see if you miss or make it. Instant feedback.

Imagine if you shot 10 shots and then learned how many you made. It would take much longer to learn.

Researchers call this “knowledge of results.” The sooner you can get feedback after an action, the faster you will learn a skill.

The same goes for reflection.

The sooner you can reflect and look internally, the faster you will learn.

But there is a requirement:

When you reflect, you must be of clear mind.

If you get fired up in an argument and try to reflect too soon, your emotional brain will be fired up and full of bias and illogical arguments.

In any situation, there is an ideal window of reflection time:

• After your emotions are calm
• Before your memory of the event fades

If you are practicing skills, then the sooner the reflection the better.

If you are evaluating your systems, and you are measuring successes and failures, then you may rely less on memory and more on data.

In these cases, you can push out your reflection a little longer (as memory is less of an issue).

What to Reflect Upon

In the absence of external feedback (from others), what on earth do you reflect on?

First, you have to know what success looks like. If you don’t, then how will you know your proximity to the goal?

When building skills or working to a goal, it helps if you have a measurable goal… either process or outcome goal.

When you reflect, consider thinking about the following areas:

• Goal success rate
• Wins and losses
• Efficacy (output vs time invested)
• Effectiveness (quality of output vs time invested)
• Impact on others
• Impact on other tasks

There are many things you can reflect upon.

Generally, given you are looking to improve, look for wins, losses, frustrations, and impact on your time. Let’s put this into a system below.

How to Reflect

Reflection can come in two flavors: acute and planned.

Acute reflection comes when you experience something unplanned, and then you must personally debrief on it. Imagine if your boss calls you in and you have a tough conversation. You may need an acute reflection on that conversation.

then there is the planned reflection. This is what you do as part of your weekly or monthly planning routine.

Here is how you can reflect on each:

Acute Reflection

Take some breaths and make sure you are emotionally calm. Then try these questions:

• What happened?
  • Be factual here. Ditch all judgmental words and assumptions. What words were said? What actions were taken? What decisions made?
• What did you do or say?
  • Did you show up as the highest and best version of yourself? If not, think about this. What were you feeling? How did you react?
• What was the outcome?
  • What was the outcome you wanted or would want next time?
• How would you show up differently next time?
• What do you need to do to show up as your ideal self?

Planned Reflection

This should be part of your performance planning process.

• What did you achieve?
  • List out your wins.
• Where did you fall short?
  • List out your losses.
• What did you try that worked? What did you try that didn’t work?
• What do you need to do differently?
• What do you need to give up in order to do that new thing listed above?

The Wrap Up

Feedback is necessary for improvement and success.

Feedback comes from others.

Reflection is from ourselves. It is a way of providing feedback to ourselves.

Make time for regular reflection. This can be acute reflection after a surprise event, or this can be planned reflection as part of your performance planning process.

Reflection does not have to take long.

But you must look back and assess your effectiveness. If you don’t, you risk taking the same inefficient and ineffective actions over and over.

High performers reflect.

You’ve got this.

Go crush it.

Clark