Reflecting; the art of stepping back and thinking
At CourageousHR we pride ourselves on our practical approach to working with clients and their teams but when asked what our most important piece of advice is to HR professionals (and to any professional for that matter), both Chris and I always give the same response....
Stop.
Stop doing.
Stop whatever you are doing for 30 minutes and simply sit back and listen to your thoughts. No distractions, no interruptions, no urgent requests.
A good cup of tea or coffee also helps.
Chris and I are blessed in many ways. We have had great corporate careers, we are great friends and over the last five years we have learnt to take the time to reflect.
Reflecting allows us to look beyond the urgent to the important. Reflecting stops us being busy on 'stuff' and allows us to look at what we need to do to achieve our goals.
One of the greatest gifts we give delegates on our workshops is the time to reflect on themselves and their own development. Sure, we give them frameworks for articulating their issues and ideas, the permission to express those thoughts and the encouragement to act. But what we often find is that delegates already know the answer or their next step.
Reflecting is not doing. But it is a critical step towards productive action. It is the first step towards courageous action.
So if you're reading this blog I now give you permission (not that you need my permission!) to find time to be by yourself and reflect. Try it. At least 30 minutes (it is really hard the first time).
And if you want to, let us know how you felt.
Guy
