Think about it. What is the last frontier to expanding your own leaderhip? How can you go deeper? Reach wider? Think bigger? Act more intentionally? Wherever you are leading from, be it the top of an organization, the heart of a movement, or your corner of the world, there are ways in which you might expand that leadership and bring it closer to that particular difference you want to create around you. Whether you are a natural leader or you have consistently challenged yourself to step up, there will always be more you can do. That’s the beauty of leadership. That’s the beauty of life!
As all Trekkies out there will know, the show stated that it was set in “Space: the last frontier.” But it’s not space that you need to conquer first. There is still uncharted territory nearer to home. Inner space. Oddly enough, the last frontier lies within yourself. It is for every leader to ponder and every human being to learn, that you must seek for strength, courage, motives, guidance and sheer intention inside yourself. Easier said than done? Great leaders will distinguish themselves from others in the self-mastery they strive for day by day.
There are a number of ways to achieve self-mastery and, as you might know from experience, it is a lifelong journey. One that every leader needs to step into and remember to continue on every day. One starting point is to have a consistent reflective practice. Many of us take the first few moments of a day or the last ones to reflect briefly. Lately, my coaching clients and I have been honing in on a few things to ask ourselves. I would like to share with you a three-question series of reflections for three distinct times of day that might help you on your path. Three simple questions that can spark your imagination, lead you to yourself and give you possibilities to share with others. Maybe you can share what you do and we can learn from eachother.
Ask yourself in the morning:
Where do I want to go today?
What do I want to learn?
What challenges/obstacles might I be willing to tackle?
Ask yourself midday:
Where am I headed today?
What am I about to learn?
How can I better tackle the obstacles/challenges I am facing?
Ask yourself to end the day:
Where did I lead myself today?
What do I choose to learn?
What obstacles/challenges have I left behind, and which shall I continue to face another day?
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Monica,
This is great stuff and you know how close this topic is to my heart!
I think that taking the time to reflect is the one thing missing from most leader’s leadership practices. We are all caught up in the constant need to perform that we forget that reflection helps us figure out where we need to go. But many leaders just don’t know how to get started. You’ve provided a nice easy way to start the reflection process. I love your questions, but more importantly when each of these questions should be asked during the day.
I’d like to add to this conversation by suggesting a post I had previously written on Creating a Reflection Practice: http://reflectionleadership.net/reflection-leadership/creating-a-reflection-practice/
Agree with you Monica that self reflection and what I call ‘Inner Leadership’ is essential for any leadership role. The challenge is to help leaders become aware AND develop the skills. So congratulations on spreading the word through your excellent blog.