The Power of Reflection: Looking Inward to Lead Forward

Winter as a Season for Reflection

Winter invites us to pause. Just as nature retreats to renew during this season, teams too can use this time to reflect, recalibrate, and prepare for growth. Reflection is about creating space—much like the stillness of winter—to assess where you are and align on where you’re headed. So, how can your team embrace a winter mindset to reflect together?

*Disclaimer: I have written this article with the assistance of Generative AI.? The process I have gone through is to give a very specific prompt of the metaphor I use of #OrganisationalGardening and the different authors I have been influenced by and a definition of organisational development and the system thinking approach I have adopted.? With this information I asked AI to generate an outline of potential posts to then come up with a draft with its references.? I have checked the referred sources for accuracy and quality.? Finally, I have worked on the final draft and edited myself.? I hope you enjoy it!

Creating Spaces for Reflection

Reflective spaces can start with small, consistent practices. For instance, try adding a five-minute check-in at the start or end of your team meetings. Ask simple questions like, “What’s one thing that’s working well?” or “What’s a challenge we could tackle better?” These moments encourage honesty and allow everyone’s voice to be heard. Retrospectives are another powerful tool. Popular in Agile teams, retrospectives ask three core questions: “What went well?”, “What didn’t go well?”, and “What can we improve?” In our experience at Konsileo , Central Team (team of teams) using agile not only for software development but also for people and commercial related projects, do not skip on the most important meeting of our working sprints: the retrospective.?

The Role of Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is essential for reflection to thrive. Teams need to know it’s okay to share concerns or failures without fear of blame. Google’s research on effective teams highlights this as the most critical factor for team success. Also George Karseras’ researched-based book “Build Better Teams” (which I am reading by suggestion of Vicky Ferrier ) emphasises that in the “Getting Safe” team-building sequence psychological safety contributes to “emotion-based trust” between team members.

From Reflection to Renewal

Reflection is just the beginning—it’s what you do next that matters. Use what you’ve learned to make meaningful changes. This week, invite your team to try one reflective practice, whether it’s a quick check-in or a structured retrospective. Pay attention to the small shifts in understanding, trust, and collaboration.

Like the stillness of winter prepares the earth for spring, your team’s reflective practices today will set the stage for renewal tomorrow. By pausing together, you don’t just respond to challenges—you lead forward, together.