During a recent series of restorative circles I facilitated for a youth-centered non-profit, staff members shared that the amount of day-to-day work, as well as a go, go, go culture, made it hard for them to reflect as a team. This lack of reflection was part of the impetus for the circles, as staff were experiencing strained communication and relationships, but without a structured, focused space to have honest dialogue about it.
Prioritizing conversations that dig into big questions about an organization’s purpose and efficacy can be hard to do with a full agenda of items relevant in the coming days, weeks, or months – and this has only been exacerbated by Covid, requiring constant adaptation. Carving out space to check in on how people are doing, both as individuals and as a team of professionals, can feel daunting and perhaps risky if the answer is largely: not well. And, especially at mission-driven organizations, there is often real urgency to the work of providing relief, combatting poverty and injustice, and advocating for social change.
Still, the case for reflection is tremendous. With reflection, we have a greater chance of preventing serious conflict by discussing challenges before they get worse. Without reflection, unhealthy group dynamics may play out just under the surface until an explosion blows them wide open. With reflection, topics like race and equity can be considered thoughtfully and can include multiple perspectives. Without reflection, these topics are commonly overlooked entirely or swept past, and those with power tend to have far more weight in the decision-making about them. With reflection, organizations can innovate proactively, helping them to be more effective and responsive to their community’s and staff’s needs. Without reflection, established operations plow ahead, perhaps to the detriment of what will best support the people most impacted by the organization’s work.
For individuals, the value of reflection is equally significant. As a (usually) solo practitioner, I strive to make space for self-reflection, as well as reflecting with others, on a variety of vital questions: where are my growing edges as a practitioner and how can I develop in those areas? What is the core purpose and drive behind what I do and is it aligned with the projects I’m working on? What are my biases and blind spots, especially as a white practitioner, and how do I need to shift my behavior to counteract these? From where and from whom can I continue my own learning to be even more strategic and impactful in what I do? And those are just a small sample of the important questions I want to explore.
If you’re convinced of the need for reflection, the next consideration may be how to do it. I believe the biggest hurdle is committing the time– and not just one time but as a repeated practice so that reflection becomes part of your culture, your way of doing things. Reflection itself can take many forms including journaling; honest group dialogue on a topic; peer feedback; strategic planning; creative expression; and reading or consuming media on a relevant subject, followed by discussion of it. Setting clear expectations about the purpose of these activities and then some guidelines about how to engage to make them meaningful is essential.
The beauty of reflection is that even when it feels too late, there’s almost always something to be gained by making this a priority. Reflect on the lack of reflection! Acknowledge where this kind of intentional thinking and sharing could have shifted the outcome, all with the intent to improve in the future. Though we try, we know we won’t always get it right the first time. But whether or not we build in space for reflection can be the difference between what happens the next time.