Reflect to Create

This text examines the habits of leaders and how they use the process of reflection to create conditions that foster growth in people and the collective well-being of the organization.

2. What the research said and what it means for leaders

2.5. Reflections' poor image

When leaders described their own experiences of the benefits of reflection they said:

"that is was alive, fluid and full of movement";
"I love finding the ‘aha’ moment – it is a bit like a dopamine hit";
"I love to find the link between things";

or

"I really value having the personal space to think to carry be forward into the next phase".

However, they were also aware that reflection was still more commonly seen as almost "a dirty word" and "counter culture" in business. It was often seen as "something woolly" and "off‐putting"; that it was "dull and static"; and that it was their "guilty secret" and a "guilty luxury, something I do in private away from the office". Or as something which is associated with blame or failure when things do wrong. One leader said that the bosses of the organization had put "comfy sofas around the building but people were scared to use them for fear of being seen as having lots of space time or not being seen as busy enough".