How did you show up for yourself and others this week?
Every Friday morning I get the kids off to school, pour an extra large cup of coffee and head into my LEAD.Well Circle community to host our weekly Leader Review.
It’s a 25-minute check-in for the leaders in our community to reflect on the past week and prepare for the week ahead. It’s such a simple and short activity, that it can be easy to skip in the throws of a busy week.
And yet, I hear again and again from the women who attend just how valuable it is to pause for a hot moment and consider how they showed up over the past seven days.
Many keep notes, and after a few Leader Reviews, can identify patterns and gaps that are causing friction. Naturally, they can then make adjustments for the week ahead.
The practice of self-reflection is often overlooked and undervalued in our fast-paced, ‘what’s here, what’s next’ culture. We’re on to the next thing before the ink is dry on the first.
And we’re always asking, “Can I check another box off the list today?”
But it’s through that self-reflection that our creative insights and opportunities for growth can move out of hiding and get incorporated into our daily practices.
It’s when we are able to zoom up for a minute and ask ourselves the questions nobody else will ever ask us (e.g. How did I use my values this week?) that we can see the slow, steady drumbeat of progress — or the flags cautioning us of ways we’re compromising or being compromised.
I saw this image on LinkedIn today. It’s from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. On it, is a an Going Home Checklist that reads:
Going home checklist
🌟 Take a moment to think about today
🌟 Acknowledge one thing that was difficult and let it go
🌟 Be proud of the care you gave today
🌟 Think of 3 things that went well
🌟 Check on your colleagues before you leave – are they okay?
🌟 Are you okay?
🌟 Switch off before going home. Time to rest and recharge
While I’m sure this doesn’t solve every struggle or address every challenge inside the hospital, the checklist offers its care workers a moment to pause, reflect and recalibrate before they leave work and head home to family, friends and their communities.
If you don’t yet have a practice for self-reflection, may I suggest you consider incorporating one into your daily or weekly workflow.
The questions you ask yourself don’t need to be complicated or time-consuming — you can wrap this up in 15 minutes or less. But I can all but gurantee that the benefits will far surpass the time you alocate toward it.
Here are the questions we ask every Friday morning inside LEAD.Well:
✅ What went well this week? Where did I see progress?
✅ What didn’t go well this week? Where did I struggle?
✅ What did I learn this week?
✅ How did I use my values this week? (or where did I ignore my values?)
✅ How did I practice everyday leadership this week?
✅ What would like I like to improve or practice next week?
✅ What matters most next week? What are my top 1-3 focus areas?
It’s worth noting that this practice is just that…a practice. And it works best when we practice it regularly, not just when we’re pleased with our answers. 😉 We learn and grow through the struggles as much as we do the wins.
If you’d like to join an inspiring group of women every week as we ask these questions, stay tuned: the doors to LEAD.Well are opening very soon.
Otherwise, I encourage you to find your own process for capturing your reflections. It makes all the difference.
Steph (she/her)
p.s. are we connected on LinkedIn? I’m spending a lot more time there these days and I’d love to connect.
p.p.s. have you missed past Leadership Letters? Here are a few of my faves:
➡️ The hard is what makes it great
