Reflect to Grow

A reflection is a powerful process of awareness.

When we reflect about a situation, it provides us understanding, direction and insightful learning opportunities to work and act on.

American sociologist and psychologist, Professor Graham Gibbs, developed in 1988 one of the most famous models of reflection and published it in his book Leaning by Doing.

This powerful reflective cycle tool has the following 6 stages that guides us to pick up the learning highlights from any situation:

• Describe the situation

Ask yourself: “who? (Was involved), what? (happen), when? Why? (You were there)”

• Explore your feelings

Ask yourself: “What did you feel before, during and after the situation?”

• Evaluate what was good and was not so good in the situation

Ask yourself: “What was positive and what was negative in the situation?”

• Analyze your evaluation

Ask yourself: “Why was x negative and why was y positive?”

• Make conclusions about what happened

Ask yourself: “What did I learn? How could this situation have been a more positive one for all people involved?”

• Action plan

This is the moment you plan how you can do instead differently in coming situations to get a better outcome.

Ask yourself: “How can I develop x skill? How can I make sure to act according to what I learned today?”

A reflection strengthen self-awareness, which is the essence of self-leadership. Through this exciting reflective process we are able to discover those unnoticed victories called efforts and the courage behind these when we dare to try.

#self-leadership #self-awareness #reflection #personal mastery #development