Start The Year With The Reflective Practice Wheel
December 11, 2023 – ACJI’s Reflective Practice Wheel is meant to guide organization leaders in end-of-the-year and beginning-of-the-year reflections. However, this exercise can be useful at any time you crave self-discovery.
The 5 Sections Of The Reflective Practice Wheel
The wheel is divided into five sections, each representing a facet of your leadership journey. You’ll look inward, outward, forward, and back so that you can reminisce about triumphs and milestones and consider your areas for growth. Most importantly, though, you’ll look at YOUR WHY, the reason you’re doing any of this work.
Download The Reflective Wheel (PDF)
Reflective Leadership Questions
This tool isn’t a static reflection; it’s a dynamic compass, offering a 360-degree view of yourself as a leader. The questions you see in the image above are just the starting place. Below are more questions to help you dive deeper.
1 – How Have I Grown?
In section one (top left), you are looking at yourself in the last 12-18 months to recognize your accomplishments. Ask yourself these questions:
- How am I developing as a leader?
- How have I stretched myself?
- What have I learned?
- What are my blind spots?
- What do I need to transform inside myself?
Write down detailed answers to each of these questions. By doing so, you can review again next year and see how far you’ve come.
2 – How Do Others Experience Me?
In section two (bottom left) of the leadership reflection wheel, consider how others view your work and leadership. This is not how you want to be perceived necessarily. This is based on conversations you’ve had and feedback you’ve received already.
- How did others experience me?
- How have I been a barrier to others?
- What feedback did I receive that I need to incorporate?
If you have not gotten feedback from others, now is a great time to ask for it. (Learn more about feedback in this article on ACJI.org.)
3. What Do I Want My Legacy To Be?
In section three (top right), you begin to focus on the future and where you want to go from here.
- What do I want my legacy to be?
- What actions can I take that align with the legacy I want to leave?
- How will I seek feedback for my own growth?
4. How Will I Support People?
In section four (bottom right), you may be nearing the end of the questions, but you’ll likely be coming up with additional insights for the previous sections, too. Answer these questions and then return to the other sections to add more ideas.
- How will I be more inclusive of those who don’t look and think like me?
- What value will I add for my team and organization?
- How will I build my bench and co-elevate those around me?
5. Your WHY
- Do you know your WHY?
- Are you operating in alignment with your WHY?
- Has your WHY changed?
In Conclusion
This quote from John Dewey, an American philosopher and educator, sums it up nicely: “We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.” If you want to enhance your leadership style and create more progress in your organization, now’s the time to reflect.
