The reflective process is complex, as both feelings and cognition are connected and interactive. The richness of this process for leadership lies in the pairing of experiences with theory-driven reflection, to produce the facilitation of outcomes. Reflection must be inclusive for all to encourage cognitive processing and affective responses toward experiences to promote learning and understanding of social structures. Additionally, reflective practice must challenge and encourage participates to engage and question. Growth is crucial to success in any profession. To achieve this growth, it is essential to take a step back and analyze behaviors, thoughts, and experiences. Reflection can provide a deeper understanding of strengths and weaknesses, leading to improved performance, increased productivity, organizational awareness, and a greater understanding transformational learning. This blog will delve into the importance of reflection as tools for growth, drawing on themes, theories, and practices presented in The Reflective Administrator: A Leader-Centered Focus.

Reflection-In-Action, Reflection-On-Action, and Reflection-For-Action are the cornerstones of reflective practice. By developing understanding, knowledge, and skill sets within each sector of reflective practice, our ability to use our experiences, actions, thoughts, and feelings are heightened as we identify patterns that could hinder growth and development of self, a team, division, or organization. It enables us to identify areas for improvement and work proactively. Communication is an essentially important element within reflective practice. Without it, one is unable to build and navigate interpersonal relationships and self-awareness.  Without communication, we cannot recognize obstacles that get in the way of personal and professional growth. Through reflective practice, we become conscious of aspects such as our values, beliefs, goals, and biases, which, in turn, help us identify our triggers, strengths, and weaknesses.

Reflective practice and its theoretical elements help with the understanding of how concepts within our real-world environment. The practice of reflection helps one develop a framework of ethics as a foundation for the inclusion of broader perspectives. Transformational learning is another important element within reflective practice. It involves more than obtaining knowledge from experiences; it includes critical reflection on questions, inquiry into values, assumptions, decisions, and choices. Higher order thinking evolves during each stage of the reflective process promoting skills like communication, leadership, and strategic thinking.

Reflective practice provides strategies for new and enhanced learning. Organizations (public, private, and non-profit) can engage reflective practice as a means to link technical and intuitive knowledge that can provide opportunities to examine operational constraints within the organizational structure. Reflection can aid the examination of multiple roles that are important to promoting interaction with internal and external stakeholders. It promotes team building, continuous quality improvement, and engagement across all levels, leading the organization toward data-informed decisions. Through reflective practice, organizational leaders can increase productivity, improve communication, and create a positive work culture.

Practioners of reflective practice (both individuals and organizations) are encouraged to consider their actions, thoughts, beliefs, and values that contribute to assumptions. The outcomes generated by a reflective process can include metacognitive shifts that guide future responses that are based on assessments of the immediate situation, as apposed to rote adherence to a learned response. In the end, we can become better leaders through ongoing reflective practice, and our organizations can improve.