Reflection Methodology

Reflection – The Definition:

It is a distinctly human ability to reflect on our actions and by doing so, participate in continuous improvement and learning.

If done properly it is a method of development (if random and unstructured it can just be thoughts) it allows us to more easily relate it to the situations and it becomes a point of reference.

Barnett and O’Mahony in their work “Developing a Culture of Reflection: Implications for School Improvement” state:

“…..we define reflection as a learning process examining current or past practices, behaviours, or thoughts in order to make conscious choices about future actions. This identifies reflection as a combination of hindsight, insight, and foresight.”

It should be tied to our game principles, core values and beliefs. So we might ask ourselves,

1. “We need to be relentless the oppo should have no time on the ball”.
2. Were we relentless – was there a time when we were slow or not committed?

• The first question asks – if the action was aligned to our game playing principle.
  
• The second question – this forces us to think how (or if) we demonstrated the first principle – what factors prove we did (or did not).

Reflecting on the how, helps ensure we can replicate good decisions.

How to reflect:

In my view there are 3 Steps of reflection

1. What Happened?
   Think about what happened. Identify the details, the facts and be concrete.
   Here are some sample questions to guide:
   1. What led up to the event?
   2. Who was involved?
   3. What happened during the event?
   4. How did the event conclude?
   5. What were you trying to accomplish?
   6. What were the others involved trying to accomplish?
2. Why Did It Happen?
   Reflect on both the why and what we have learned. Again, we need to be as concrete as possible.
   Questions should include:
   1. Why was this important to you?
   2. Was it important to the others involved?
   3. Why did it conclude the way it did?
   4. Were their indicators/signs of this issue that could have been identified earlier?
   5. Would that have affected the outcome?
3. What Did We Learn?
   Reflection is a process of monitoring ourselves and our actions. As with every monitoring process, an essential element is analysis and application of the new information we learned.
   Questions for this important step include:
   1. How do you move forward?
   2. What would you do the same or differently?
   3. How can you anticipate future such interactions?
   4. Why is what I learned important to me as a leader?
   5. Why is what I learned important to the people I lead?
   6. What are the pros and cons of using this information to guide my leadership style moving forward?
   7. How best can I share what I have learned?

Why Reflect?

1. Efficiency: when done well, you end up managing your time well. You focus on that things that matter. The things that are going to ensure the best “bang for your buck”.
2. Change: change agent.” Players who question themselves and analyze their actions more easily identify where they can have the most leverage and what actions can make best use of that leverage 
3. Self-discovery: knowing who you are makes it easier for you to choose actions that will demonstrate who you are to the people you play with. Reflection ensures you stay true to your convictions, beliefs and principles, which enhances trust.
4. Continuous improvement: you develop and model a mindset of continuous improvement. It helps create a mindset that let’s everyone know, “We need to keep learning.”

Conclusion:

Documenting your reflections – I develop a dedicated questionnaire aligned to the teams previously agreed principles (agreed at the beginning of the season)

This has the added benefit of being quick and enabling (after 4 or so games) that we can identify patterns of success and failure – it prevents knee jerk reactions.

“We don’t always learn from doing, we can always learn by reflecting on what we have done.”

Some further reading

Home » Mindset, Method & Culture » Reflection Methodology