Another birthday has arrived. As I do every day, reflection is an important part of my day to evaluate what has been done, where am I headed, and to adjust as needed the course to get from the former to the latter. On this day, the process extends to look at the past year, review the plan for the next, and determine what has been successful and where those course corrections are needed.
Self-Awareness Theory states that when we focus our attention on ourselves, we evaluate and compare our current behavior to our internal standards and values. We become self-conscious as objective evaluators of ourselves. However self-awareness is not to be confused with self-consciousness. Various emotional states are intensified by selfawareness. However, some people may seek to increase their selfawareness through these outlets. People are more likely to align their behavior with their standards when made selfaware. People will be negatively affected if they don’t live up to their personal standards. (Wikipedia)
Effective leaders schedule time daily to engage this process of self-awareness evaluation. Leadership expert John C. Maxwell has noted that beyond the daily reflection he also schedules the last two weeks of the year to review his past year. This has helped him focus on his growth as a leader and to prepare for the course ahead. It also helps him be able to teach through the resources he gives to millions, including yesterday’s official release of “Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn”, his 74th book.
“Successful people approach losing differently. They don’t try to brush failure under the rug. They don’t run away from their losses. Their attitude is never Sometime you win, sometimes you lose. Instead they think Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. They understand that life’s greatest lessons are gained from our losses–if we approach them the right way.”
Those successes and failures of the past year are just that, successes or failures. Learning from why both occurred will help to plan the course corrections, if any, and work to reach the goals of the future. How will you make today count toward being an effective, successful leader?
