Looking back to Move Forward
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards.” - Steve Jobs
It’s easy to feel excited for a fresh start to a new year. A clean slate with the best intentions to work hard, but in the midst of thinking about what the future potentially holds, it’s important to reflect upon both the good and bad experiences. This week on Learning to Lead Live we discussed the importance of looking back to propel you and your team into the future.
As we come to the end of another year it’s important to reflect on the good and bad experiences so you can analyze what’s working and where there are opportunities to make some adjustments or improvements.
The ending of one year and the beginning of another offers a natural opportunity to take some time to consider the bigger picture. Good Leaders highlight past accomplishments as a way of building collective confidence about the future.
The study, published in the journal Memory, found that those who reflected on their problem-solving achievements and moments that defined their identity gained higher self-esteem, self-efficacy, and a general sense of meaning in life.
In today’s fast-paced business environment, we breathlessly race ahead before the dust settles, driven by the desire to move full steam ahead. However, leaders who cultivate a clear historic perspective move further and more effectively into the future than those who don’t.
Winston Churchill believed that “the longer you can look back, the farther you can look forward.”
Four Ways to extend the horizon for you and those you lead:
Reflect on the Past Year: Reflecting on the past allows you to see how far you’ve come and all that you and others have achieved. Explore the following:
What are the things you achieved
What were the obstacles experienced and how did you overcome them
Use failures as lessons learned to build plans for future success
Reflection reduces the risk of repeating mistakes or not recognizing improvement opportunities
Provides an opportunity to see a new pathway for success, galvanizing future efforts.
Evaluate the Present: It is critical for leaders to evaluate the present and understand that this practice will guide their planning for the future:
Ignite passion and purpose in all the accomplishments
Look for lessons learned during times of struggle
Critique choices made and the subsequent outcomes - what went well? What requires change?
Link the Past and the Future: As you look at the past and present, you can now begin to connect those learnings to the future:
Highlight past roles and the values that defined them
Inspire others to see their value and role in the future
Where might you be holding back from embracing a future vision
Where might you have fears that are holding you back
Prepare for the coming year(s): It’s not time to look to the future:
Make time to plan and prepare for the future
Prioritize how you will become a better version of yourself
Identify the next achievements you want to make
Set goals to give as a way to create a focus for the future
Evaluate what you will need to make those goals a reality
Prepare and plan for the challenges that may show up and how you will manage these
Importance of Reflection: Leadership is the ability to convince, motivate and lead people to achieve a common goal and attain success. Reflection helps us know where we are going, what progress has been made and what is needed to get across the finish line. So how can you begin to build your process of reflection:
Calendar time for Deep Reflection
Keep an Accomplishment List throughout the year
Meet with others (team, leaders, etc.) and discuss learnings, share insights, and plan for the future
“Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself.” - Warren Bennis
CLOSING: As you close out this year to begin a new one, remember:
You can go farther than you first believed by recognizing the achievements of the past.
You can gain commitment to the future by honoring the past.
You can reduce fear of the future by linking the past to the future.
You can find your future value proposition by exploring the past leaders’ real contributions, not merely their legends.
“Wisdom is looking back at your Life and realizing that every single event, person, place and idea was part of the perfected experience you needed to build your dream. Not one was a mistake.” - John Federick Demartini
Learning to Lead Live Replay
Learning to Lead will be back Live on Saturday, December 17 @ 9:30 am PT as we look back and reflect on our favorite topics from Learning to Lead 2022.
Resources
R.O.I: The Millionaire Summit - January 2023 in Puerto Rico: Three days of business education, networking, and action-inspiring speakers
COMING SOON! The first Learning to Lead workshop - January 2023: Stay tuned for more information
DO Lectures in Wales - July 2023: Each year some of the world’s most amazing minds join us on our small farm in west Wales. They are at the heart of DO Wales. But the magic here comes from everyone.
Newsletters I read daily to stay informed and get inspired: The Hustle, Morning Brew, Seth Godin’s Blog, Atlas Obscura, Oprah Daily, Newsette
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