Reflect to Create
3. Reflection as a transformational way of being and leading
Reflection has the potential to unlock creativity, innovation and transformation. Leaders cannot command people to be more reflective or creative, but they can create the conditions to liberate fresh thinking and innovation.
Ancient philosophers and thinkers have long understood the power of reflection, but in today's busyness, this powerfully transformative learning methodology has become overlooked. Kolb's stage of reflective observation in the learning cycle is often ignored or short-circuited as shown in Figure 5. But the good news is that human beings are all naturally reflective. Human beings we are natural storytellers and meaning makers.
Figure 5. Kolb's learning cycle.
This section takes the learning from the research and describes the HOW to make reflection come alive in the workplace by exploring:
- What are the qualities and behaviors which leaders need to role model in themselves and for others, which support reflection and reflective learning?
- How do leaders consciously create the conditions for reflection for themselves and for others?
- How can leaders develop their own practices, which enable reflection to become a way of learning, relating and working?
These will be explored through the "Reflect to Create" 7Cs leadership capacities map, the four core conditions which facilitate and support reflective learning and the four core practices which underpin reflective practice.