![]() One participant expressed “shock” that a well-respected, even-keeled colleague blew their stack about a minor issue. Many things surprise us, but in our study, most leaders were moved by moments that greatly derailed their expectations. Other newsletters or opt out at any time by managing your What did it mean to be surprised, frustrated, and fail in this context? Reflections that involved one or more or of these sentiments proved to be the most valuable in helping our leaders learn and grow in their careers. ![]() Three distinct themes arose through our analysis: surprise, frustration, and failure. ![]() As a final step, management professors reviewed the accuracy of that coding. We also asked doctoral students to code the stories according to sentiment. We processed these reflections through the text analysis program NVivo, a powerful software used in fields like sociology and education, to detect sentimental themes among the stories submitted. By and large, their reflections were self-effacing and deeply felt. They revealed embarrassing stories, abject fiascoes, thoughtless gaffes, youthful mistakes, and careless decisions - but also smart decisions, soaring accomplishments, and meaningful interactions. To answer these questions, we asked 442 executives to reflect on which experiences most advanced their professional development and had the greatest impact on making them better leaders. How do you sort which experiences are most significant for your development? Simply put, which of the myriad of things that flew across your life are worthy of scrutiny? What Our Research Says So, what should you reflect upon? At least 1,000 things happen during the course of the week. Generic questions like “What am I grateful for today? What did I learn? What could I have done better?” are often too general to be helpful. To get its full benefits, you must make reflection a habit. Being at the “top of your game” only comes when you extract from your past how to engage the future. It requires sitting with yourself, taking an honest moment to think about what transpired, what worked, what didn’t, what can be done, and what can’t. The practice itself is all about learning, looking back on the day (without bias or regret) to contemplate your behavior and its consequences. We would go so far as to argue that it’s the foundation that all other soft skills grow from. Research shows the habit of reflection can separate extraordinary professionals from mediocre ones. Soft skills, after all, are what make us human, and as far as we know, can’t be performed well by technologies like artificial intelligence.Įven so, one competency that is often less talked about is reflection. Time and again, we even hear that these capabilities are the key to making yourself indispensable - not just now but far into the future. These are all skills you need to thrive in the workplace and become a great leader. See more from Ascend here.Įmpathy, communication, adaptability, emotional intelligence, compassion.
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