Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.
Peter Drucker
When did you last give yourself the gift of Reflection? Reflection: a time to mull over what has happened; to make meaning; to find different ways of understanding; to learn about the instance and generalise for future application? Have you heard a question that has flipped your perspective or inspired an Aha moment? Who do you seek out to help you reframe?
Here are the #Leadership #Coaching #Questions I asked on Twitter in October. I share this work in progress in the spirit of working out loud. Thank you to the clients, friends, authors and serendipity that inspired the questions. Notice which questions are productive for you and tell me where they take you. You can read more as I post them here. Enjoy the journey.
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius
Is kindness on the agenda?
When you say, ‘it’s a no-brainer’ what do you expect your audience will think?
Who can surprise you?
What does Micromanagement feel like?
How do you vary your leadership style when you move cultures?
What are the benefits of a walk in the woods?
Why did they hire you?
Which book did you read this month?
Are you pushing hard enough?
Do your staff feel empowered?
Year-end evaluation - who is Trick-or-treating whom?
How do you apologize?
Is it time to find a reverse mentor?
Can you live an unoffended life?
Is there any time when you are not selling?
Have you learnt to live with your shadow?
Failure or Success - which gets more of your attention?
Is it just a matter of time for you to adjust to any situation?
Are you ready to work on yourself?
How has Mindfulness changed the way you work?
What behaviours may you be absorbing from the colleague you sit next to?
Are some mega-trends too mega to take advantage of?
Do you know your boundaries?
Who takes responsibility for the unintended?
How has working overseas changed you?
What’s the cost of conformity?
Would you do your job if you were not paid to?
How does your behaviour discourage challenges to your authority?
Are you what you earn?
Who can see your unconscious bias?
Who will you be in the next meeting? Is it an easy choice?
Is your Team leaking Impact?
At what point can you say you have learned something?
Who did you exclude this week?
Can you empathise with everyone?
Do you achieve more when you have a Frenemy at work?
Are you listening to yourself?
Do you inhibit or inhabit yourself at work?
How do you respond to uncertainty?
Who is guarding the values?
Do you write more emails when you are not in the office?
Can you look at the problem in reverse?
What are the benefits of being late to a meeting?
Do you remember any of what you read while you were on the beach?
Will you be vulnerable today?
Can you see the chain of cause and effect?
What do you do when you receive tepid interest?
Are you a better boss with more sleep?
What does an interruption achieve?
Do you put a value on your employees' networks?
Good stress or bad stress -can you choose?
Did you have fun last week?
Do you trust your people?
Is this fight worth fighting, or will it fight itself out?
Which weaknesses increase your chances of success?
What will you explore today that you usually avoid?
What is the value of your network?
Can you control your emotions?
Rewarded & rewarding?
How do you plan for uncertainty?
How much courage do you need to speak first?
How would a more Mindful decision be different?
How do you treat your colleagues?
Are you driving change or dealing with it?
How Mindful are you?
Must you make your team feel more or less safe for them to take the risks you want?
Which generation speaks your language?
What makes your head spin?
Are you the same person in & out of the office?
Now you're a leader, can you still manage?
How are you developing your front-line leaders?
Is that an illusion of security?
Do you have an adaptive space?
Can you explain yourself... to yourself?
Is that really a limitation?
Before you bite, do you learn how to chew?
How many leaders have you created?
Do you have the measure of your insecurities & self-doubt?
When you cut costs what benefits do you see?
Do know diversity when you see it?
Are you better at noticing friendliness or frostiness?
How do you build lasting business relationships?
What does it take to be a good enough Mentor?
How do you build Trust online?
What have you done to develop your self-awareness this week?
Is there good in the gossip?
If you feel bored in a meeting today, what will you do with your boredom?
When do you… hesitate?
What makes a good estimate?
Who was your modesty pleasing?
Does more collaboration lead to more sustainability?
How do you evaluate the cognitive flexibility of your colleagues?
Who has made it a difficult conversation
How do you know when you are deceiving yourself?
If you were 100% ready for your next role, could anyone but you tell the difference?
Are you learning from the past or living in it?
How often do your rewrite an email?
Does shame drive your business?
What gifts will you give to your staff today?
When will you go against your gut?
Are you interested in the people you meet?
What does it mean to be rich?
When is the last time you invested in your values?
Do you need a superhero to change your world or can you do it yourself?
Who leaves the meeting room first?
Do you prefer a pay rise or a promotion?
Even though they do not respond, will they miss not hearing from you?
How do you ensure that Millennials get the experience they need?
How well do you know your individuality?
Would you do it all over again?
When did you last notice you were exercising your empathy?
Which of your C-level colleagues don't you trust?
How can you put your self-interest at the service of others?
When will you allow your inner child out to play this week?
Could they be addicted to the problems you are struggling to rid them of?
What will you get out of the way of next?
When is creativity your enemy?
Have your found your first Impressions helpful?
Which hat will they expect you to wear this week?
Have you identified the activities that lead to your organisation's success?
How did you apply your empathy this week at work?
Did you meet a potential Mentor this week?
If you ignore it, will it go away?
When is the hypocrisy justified?
Are you getting ahead of your bad stress?
Are you ready to coach your staff?
Do you ask permission before inviting another person to reveal themselves?
Do you see a team or a collection of individuals?
What makes a conversation a useful conversation?
Maybe it really is ‘just you’?
What do you do if you did not start the project out right?
What shades of followership do you see?
Is delegation an admission of failure or your route to Leadership impact
How much of all your effort today will convert into value for the firm?
How do you learn something new & what happens to you after you have learnt it?
What can you give your competitors?
When does the hedonist in you appear?
What happens when your strengths interact with others’ strengths?
How do you make an impact in the room when you present?
Are you a victim, a persecutor or a rescuing hero?
Are you still serving your feedback in a sandwich?
Do you spend less time on who you are than who you are not?
What do you do when you feel the urge to play?
Who is revenge hurting?
Anything else?
How do you coach your staff?
Does your competence cloud your learning?
Are you still bored?
Do you think more about motivation or hygiene factors?
What can you gamify?
Can you stand in the field of not knowing this week?
Andrew Jones is an Executive Coach and Career Counselor. Please contact Andrew directly to learn more about this topic or subscribe below to hear more from Andrew in the future.