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Introduction

Reflection is essential for effective leadership. To be reflective is to be curious and to ask how others view the issues we are confronting. It is about seeing the bigger picture, focusing on the longer term, and always bringing a wider perspective to bear. Prioritizing time for reflection is not a selfish indulgence. It is about ensuring the most demanding issues are addressed and that problems are not ignored.

Reflection is about legitimizing thinking time. Rapid pace of change, pressure from the media for instant comments, the risk of emotional overreaction and the loss of organizational experience and wisdom are all reasons why in the contemporary world leaders need more time to reflect, not less.

Each of us reflects in different ways. For some, wide reading is an essential element or the intentional creation of periods of silence. Some imagine what it is to stand in someone else’s shoes, consciously allowing time for in-depth discussion, or working in a reflective way with a coach.

The importance of reflection

The title of this book is deliberately ambiguous. We chose The Reflective Leader because, at its most basic level, leadership is not just about the things we do or the techniques we use. The most fundamental factor that affects our leadership is who we are: our values, our character, our attitudes and our personality. In this book we argue that who we are as leaders is just as important as what we do. Character is as essential as skills.

The book title also suggests that one of the crucial habits that leaders need to develop is reflection − about ourselves, about others and about the context in which we are operating. Without systematic reflection individuals and organizations can quickly lose sight of what they are doing and its impact. For the physical and mental well-being of those who work in the organization, as well as its long-term flourishing, time for reflection is crucial.

The West Wing is a fast-moving television series about the President of the United States of America and the team that works around him. It portrays a president who makes decisions in seconds, often about matters which have worldwide repercussions. He is constantly on the move. Many of the decisions seem to be made as he walks in the corridors between meetings while having rapid conversations with his assistants. He is a man of action. He knows what needs to be done and makes snap decisions on the hoof. It makes gripping drama, but it underplays a vital part of leadership: the time and discipline required for reflection.

Good leaders have a sound grasp of the factors that impact on their organization. They are shrewd judges of character and make well-considered appointments. They understand the wide range of issues that might influence what they are trying to achieve. They are able to read what is going on in the wider society or in their market. They spot emerging trends and opportunities. Some do it instinctively, while others do it because they are widely read, they are in touch with other people working in the same area and they are able to draw relevant information together to make considered decisions. They are leaders who have learnt how to reflect.

This book looks at how leaders, in the midst of their busy working lives, can develop the habit of reflection and how this capacity to reflect can make a tangible difference to the flourishing of an organization.

The writer H. G. Wells reportedly said most individuals only think once or twice in a lifetime. In contrast, he claimed that he had made an international reputation by thinking once or twice a year. Getting into the habit of reflecting is not straightforward. It is easier to go along with the myths that my group has about itself and not face up to hard truths about the organization we are leading or are part of.

Honest reflection is time consuming, costly and challenging. The opportunity for reflection is essential for everyone within an organization. But it is especially important for those responsible for its overall direction and its culture. A vital part of a leader’s responsibility is to create an organization that values and practises the habit of reflection so that everyone can contribute to its flourishing.

The cost of short-termism

According to Craig Mundie, Microsoft chief research and strategy officer, ‘A great many companies have a fairly short lifespan. Even many big, great companies only last thirty years or so.’ Who would have thought that Woolworths, which was such a familiar sight on every high street in the United Kingdom, would have collapsed so suddenly?

It is significant that most business leaders are in post for just a few years. Boards of large organizations are impatient and are always looking for the one great leader who can help them grow and outperform their competitors. Many leaders are unceremoniously replaced the moment the organization goes through a bad patch. This is a phenomenon that is all too familiar to managers of professional football teams.

Why do so few organizations survive for long periods and why do many leaders stay in post for a short time? Part of the answer is that leaders are under such pressure to ‘do’ that they do not have enough time and space to reflect. Do they have time to look to previous experience and to understand some of the age-old insights about human nature, and how people can work together successfully?

In his book The Defence of the Realm (Penguin, 2010), Christopher Andrews, professor of modern and contemporary history at Cambridge University, describes a phenomenon called, ‘Historical Attention Span Deficit Syndrome’ (HASDS). ‘Short-termism’, he says, ‘has been the distinguishing intellectual vice of our age. For the first time in recorded history, there has been a widespread assumption that the experience of all previous generations is irrelevant to present policy’ (p. 585). Andrews attributes the banking crisis which broke in 2008 at least in part to this ‘syndrome’. We thought we had little to learn from the past. We kidded ourselves that in this brave new world of economic expansion we could never experience the sort of financial crises that our grandparents had to endure. How wrong we were.

Drawing on insights from the past

It is here that leaders can benefit from drawing on the spiritual and monastic wisdom which has been the foundation of so much of the progress in the Western world. In the medieval period there were two texts about leadership which were of supreme importance: the Rule of St Benedict and the Pastoral Rule of St Gregory the Great. They summarize centuries of distilled wisdom about how human beings can organize their life together and how leadership might be best exercised. These texts still pose penetrating questions about how we exercise leadership today. For example, Gregory identified two qualities above all others that are vital for a leader. First, he wrote about ‘contemplation before action’, which is the theme of this book. Second, he pointed to service. Those leaders who think that their individual actions are the most important factor in an organization are kidding themselves. What is required is someone who serves the organization so that it flourishes and grows.

We draw from these sources of ancient wisdom, along with contemporary insights, to help leaders think about their core values and to develop the practice of regular reflection.

The structure of this book

We have sought to make the book relevant to you whether you are leading two people or two hundred people. You might be responsible for employees or volunteers. The organization you work in might be in the private, public or voluntary sectors. It might be a company, a charity, a church or a prison.

This book explores reflection in four key areas, namely:

 Know yourself. Be clear what you are trying to achieve. Identify your core values and motivations. How can you build on your strengths and compensate for your limitations?

 How can we understand others better? What motivates us? What paralyses us?

 How can we enable teams to flourish? How do we help teams grow and excel?

 How can we read the context more accurately? In a changing world, how do we keep abreast of what is going on?

Each of the 31 chapters ends with questions. Many of these touch on our deepest values and motivations. We suggest that as you work through the chapters of the book, you give time to mull over the questions. You may find it helpful to read it at the same time as a colleague, so that you have someone else with whom you can discuss the ideas and who will help you work through your own responses. The book can be used to provide a reflection a day over a month. You may wish to read it again a year later and revisit the same questions to see what changes have been made.

We hope that this book will be a means of enabling you to grow in self-knowledge and understanding as you develop the vital discipline of reflection.