Self-Reflection Can Help Build a Stronger Team

Setting aside just 15 minutes a day for self-reflection can help you prioritize, prepare and build a stronger team, says Kellogg School Professor Harry Kraemer.

Kraemer has made self-reflection a nightly ritual for the last 37 years. “This is not some intellectual exercise. It’s all about self-improvement, being self-aware, knowing myself and getting better,” he says in a Dec. 2, 2016 blog from Kellogg Insight, “How Self-Reflection Can Make You a Better Leader.”

Kraemer says that periodic self-reflection can help you:

• Know your priorities—and where you fall short. Self-reflection allows us to understand what is important so that we can prioritize, allocate our resources efficiently and focus on what might be done differently.

• Minimize surprise. Take the time to think about what might go wrong—whether disasters or just routine disappointments. Preparation will also help reduce your anxiety about what could happen.

• Build stronger teams. Knowing yourself makes you a more effective leader. Strong leaders also encourage their teams to practice self-reflection, which will help them set priorities and prepare for setbacks.

See the full Kellogg Insight article, “How Self-Reflection Can Make You a Better Leader,” which also includes a list of Kraemer’s favorite prompts.