The importance of self-reflection for career success

Pausing and reflecting.

It’s something that not a lot of us do regularly enough. We get swept up in day to day busy-ness. Instead of pausing to reflect on our actions, thoughts and feelings we bulldoze on focusing on the here and now.

If there’s a lesson we should learn from history, it’s that learning about the past can fuel our future. That’s what self-reflection is. It’s taking time to analyse our behaviour and actions so we can learn from ourselves and propel ourselves forward.

For those individuals who are serious about building a long lasting, successful career, self-reflection is the tool no one talks about but? can be a game changer.

What is self-reflection?

The definition of self-reflection is “serious thought about one’s character and actions”. That sounds quite intense. To reframe it, self-reflection means looking below the surface and thinking about how we’re showing up for ourselves, and others, why we think the way we do and why we act like we do.

We often think the route to progress is looking ahead and planning for the future. That’s something that we absolutely need to do, but it’s also important to stop and reflect on what’s happened and why it’s happened.

It’s only by taking time to examine our thoughts, feelings and actions that we can learn and move forward.

Harnessing the power of reflection

I’ve talked about the importance of soft skills in leadership, and self-reflection falls into that category.

When we’re aware of how our actions affect others and when we understand the emotions and thoughts behind our actions, we become much more impactful leaders.

Leaders without self-reflection can sometimes be perceived as overconfident, maybe even arrogant. They can operate without any notion of connection to those around them, almost as though they’re in their own world.

Those leaders who are able to reflect on themselves critically and honestly have a level of self-awareness that makes them far more intuitive and authentic leaders.

Self-reflection can also be a way to benchmark how you're feeling.

When it comes to our careers it’s tempting to focus on what we’re achieving, if we’re on track, when the next promotion will be. It’s easy to lose sight of yourself in that process sometimes.

As part of self-reflection you can take time to consider your work/life balance, your physical and mental health and your happiness.

In that process you can spot burnout before you crash and burn. Often, people make the mistake of staying on the hamster wheel because they feel that’s what they should do. Self-reflection allows you to see the bigger picture and make the right decisions for all aspects of your health and life.

As leaders the way we operate impacts everyone around us - friends, family, colleagues, ourselves. Self-reflection is a powerful tool to have in your arsenal. Helping you to make an impact in your current role but also move your career forward.

How to practice self-reflection

There are a number of ways that you can practice self-reflection, the important thing is to find a way that works for you.

Taking time to reflect on your goals, identify where you want to go and put plans in place to get there can help you stay focused on the bigger picture, instead of getting caught up in what’s happening right now.

Questions to ask yourself

Before we think about the method, let’s focus on what we should be asking ourselves:

●??Start with identifying what your core values are.

What are the things that drive you, that you care about, that matter to you above all else?

Once you’ve pinpointed those you can look at how much they show up in your life, your actions and your career. Is there anything you can do to align your work more closely with your values?

●??Do you know what your overarching career goal is?

Are you on the right track? Have you moved closer or further away from your goal? What steps can you take to edge that bit closer to your end goal.

●??How are you feeling?

Physically, emotionally, mentally can you give yourself a score out of 10. What’s lacking in your life at the moment? What brings you joy? How can you improve those scores? Are there any tangible steps you can take to improve your overall health and happiness.

●??What’s gone well / what’s not gone well?

Taking time to acknowledge our successes and failures is a powerful way to learn from ourselves and to replicate that in the future. This might be work projects, or interactions with colleagues, or perhaps it’s something in your personal life. We can learn from everything we do.

You have to find the method of self-reflection that works for you. For some that’s doing it in private, for others they need the support and feedback from those around them.

There’s no right or wrong way to do it, what’s important is that you’re taking time to reflect.

Journaling

The practice of journaling has had a resurgence recently. It involves regular written updates, almost like short diary entries. They can take whatever form you’d like them to. Maybe it’s just three things that have gone well that day, or identifying one area you could do better in.

It doesn’t even have to be that structured, some people use a journal as a download of the day. Popping down thoughts, feelings and observations when the mood takes them.

It’s the act of taking time to stop and process what’s going on that makes this tool powerful, along with the ability to refer back to something you’ve written previously.

Annual check-ins

Much like the majority of us have to do some form of annual performance review at work, we can diarise our self-reflection. Pop an annual or 6-monthly reminder in your diary and block out half an hour to think over the previous time period.

Ask yourself the questions above, record the information somewhere and set actions for the months ahead. Then at your next appointed reflection period compare notes and see the progress you’ve made.

Mentoring

This can be a really powerful way to embed self-reflection into your personal development. Mentors can draw on their own personal experiences to help you navigate your current situation. You can also bounce ideas around or ask for an outsider’s view on what you could have done differently.

When you hear successful individuals speak, they often credit mentors with helping them progress in their lives and there’s a reason for that. Being held accountable to someone and carving out space for reflection is what mentoring is all about.

Being successful isn’t about always doing. Sometimes it’s about taking time to stop, to pause and to reflect. To reflect on where you’re at, where you want to go, and how you’re feeling. Regularly checking in on those three aspects will help keep you on track, but also stop you from burning out or straying too far from your core values.

Self-reflection isn’t indulgent, it’s a soft skill that can increase your self-awareness, make you a more intuitive and authentic leader, but can also increase your satisfaction with your career…and maybe even your life.