A Year in Reflection. Hellooooooo, 2021!!!!!!When we are open to the rich lessons of life, 2020 was a crash course in perseverance and adaptation. We, and our incredible family of graduates, exhibited a strength we’d never known. With courage, we continued on in the face of adversity and reinvented definitions of success.
No business, nor individual, was immune and great leaders have emerged. In every genre and tier of business, people stepped up, leaned into the challenges, and changed their approach in order to thrive in a new way, in a new world.
Here at Rapport, we grabbed the opportunity to adapt and continue providing life-enhancing experiences for our clients. We evolved from mostly in-person leadership training, to a mostly online leadership training company.
True leaders stay strong, yet flexible, and they inspire others to do the same.
Learn how to reflect as a leader with our virtual leadership training →
Use Reflective Learning to be a Better Leader in 2021
What has allowed these leaders to persevere and adapt? The ability and the willingness to reflect on what has worked in the past and what isn’t working now.
Reflection (also known as reflective learning) allows leaders to pinpoint weaknesses in their organizations and spawn new inspiration to strengthen their teams and their businesses. Reflection is what empowers you to learn from your mistakes, adapt faster in unfamiliar environments, and make better decisions by questioning assumptions.
While adversity can be what we call, “scratchy,” uncomfortable and disorienting, it is exactly what allows us the opportunity to improve. Now, as you are planning your 2021, take the time to reflect on the past year and determine what you can do to improve your business and your personal life going forward. Time spent learning and evolving is never wasted.
Here are a few ways you can make the most out of the experience:
Schedule time for solo self-reflection, and time to work with a group of trusted individuals, peers or colleagues. Both environments are beneficial for reflection. If you don’t have a mentor, look for one. No matter how experienced you are, a guide can help you point out roadblocks not yet in your view.
Keep a journal and jot down any thoughts that come to you during your reflection time and throughout your day. Inspiration often hits at the strangest of times, so keep your journal handy or take notes on your phone that you can transfer over.
Ask important, open-ended questions such as:
- “What worked?”
- “What didn’t work?”
- “Why didn’t it work?” Remember to take responsibility here rather than blaming outside circumstances. This is where your power lies.
- “Did I create a safe environment for my team?”
- “Did I show vulnerability and admit when I made mistakes?”
- “Did I value and empower my team to show up as their best selves?”
- “How have we adapted and were we able to do it quickly?”
- “Would I consider myself a good leader?” (ie: would I want to work with me?)
Envision what a successful 2021 looks like so you can set goals. Then be prepared to adapt.
That carefully constructed business plan for 2020 went right out the window the first time the word “quarantine” was uttered. While no one knows what 2021 holds for us, it’s crucial to plan, envision and set your course. Decide what you want to accomplish and determine what steps you need to take to ensure you meet your intentions.
Remember, when you change your approach, you change your results!
Once you’ve done this exercise yourself, encourage your team to do the same.
Leaders Aren’t Born, They Are Developed
At Rapport, we’ve spent decades training leaders to become more resilient, to adapt, and to be inspired in their lives and their businesses to take meaningful action. These leadership skills are what allow individuals and businesses to thrive during times of uncertainty.
If you or one of your team members would benefit from strengthening and improving these qualities, now is the time. Our Leadership Breakthrough One course will help you connect with your purpose and your passion so bumps in the road become nothing more than another lesson to learn from. Our Power Communications course will help you communicate better with your team and find the courage to be vulnerable — a strength in and of itself.
With our online courses, you have leadership and self-development at your fingertips.
“"Worth every second of your time! If you aren't thinking about your work culture then you don't care about your business or employees. This course should be taken every year."
- Jake of Whitaker Construction
“This experience was nothing like the hundreds of business seminars I have attended. This is life changing! With the guidance of our trainer, our group of sixteen people became a tight team in less than twenty four hours! I am looking at my life much differently now. I will live life without fear and with a passion I have not known for forty years.”
- Tom of A-C Electric
Great Leaders Persevere
This past year has tested our businesses, our relationships, and our emotional strength. Thankfully, through all of this adversity we’ve developed true grit. We have tapped into our resiliency, handling what has come our way with aplomb. We have learned how to adapt quickly when the world around us changes. We have learned how to be vulnerable and inspire our teams despite and because of our fears and insecurities.
Great leaders will persevere no matter what’s happening in the world around them. You are strong, you are powerful, you overcome, you are a leader!
Are you ready to become more resilient and inspirational? Sign up for our leadership courses today!
