How can you use reflective learning to enhance leadership development training?

Defining the learning objectives might be considered the most important step in the process. By defining clear and focused leadership learning objectives, organizations can provide targeted and effective development opportunities that align with their specific goals and the needs of their leaders.

Start with the end in mind. Once the specific business goals one needs to achieve is mapped with the skills/knowledge/behaviors being addressed in the session, use the Generation method (from AGES Model), followed by providing time and space for reflections on the same lines as it helps with organic integration and retention.

Some of the reflective models to choose from which give a structured approach to self-reflection, allowing leaders to gain insights, refine their skills, and make informed decisions contributing to effective leadership development Gibbs' Reflective Cycle: This six-stage model guides leaders through describing, evaluating, and planning actions based on experiences, fostering deeper understanding. Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle: Emphasizing learning from experience, reflection, and experimentation, it promotes continuous leadership development. The Reflective Leader's Framework: Offering a customizable approach, it integrates various models, enabling leaders to personalize their learning journey for effective leadership development.

I like to start my clients on creating what I call, "The Book of You." Every few days or at least once I week, I encourage them to note down their highs and lows. What were their wins? What felt like losses? What were the learnings? How would they like to grow? I also have my clients complete my 360, which is combination of a self-assessment and an evaluation in 36 leadership competencies from their peers. This helps them spot any blind spots so they can recalibrate their awareness more accurately.

Before our meeting, I like to give the client a topic of discussion and ask them to share their thoughts and feelings about it. This helps them to engage more with the conversation and by connecting the topics to their own experiences, it supports the principle of experiential learning as part of adult learning theory.

Most people fall prey to what I call the "dumb answer" where they say, ok I'll change. But what, and how, exactly? Failing to answer this question is why most people never change. It's important that when clients do this sort of analysis that they move beyond just a recounting of what happened and into understanding why they made the choices they did in each moment. What thoughts were going through their mind? What assumptions or stories were they taking as truth? What emotions were they feeling? And how did all of the above impact their choices? If they didn't like the outcome, what in the above section needs to change? Filling in this sentence makes the change more tangible: "When I see ____, then I will ______."

By this stage in your learning cycle you will have experienced the benefits of reflection as a part of learning and development. Now, take a moment to build it in to your day or week. Put in your calendar a 5- or 10- minute reflection moment, including a couple of the prompts related to the learning you are committed to adopting. Your calendar is a powerful learning tool that you already use multiple times each day.

Creo que la reflexión es una herramienta poderosa que puede ayudar a los líderes a aprender de sus experiencias, mejorar su desempeño y alcanzar sus objetivos. En particular, creo que la reflexión es importante para los líderes porque: Les ayuda a comprender mejor su propio comportamiento y las implicaciones de sus acciones. Les permite identificar sus fortalezas y debilidades, y desarrollar estrategias para mejorar. Les ayuda a ser más adaptables y receptivos al cambio. Les permite inspirar y motivar a otros.