Finding Time for Self-Reflection.As hard-driving association leaders, finding time to do our jobs and keep current with the knowledge we need to lead our organizations often seems impossible. In the rare moments when we have the time to read about finding time, we learn techniques that are task-oriented, designed to release some minutes and hours here and there for--you guessed it--more tasks. So, finding time for reflection and for learning more about what makes us successful and relevant leaders usually falls to the bottom of our long to-do lists. Yet taking that journey inward is often exactly what we need in order to lead and live effectively. As the title of the 1999 booklet written by Sandra Hughes, senior governance consultant, National Center for Nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. Boards, Washington, D.C., declares: "To Go Forward, Retreat!" To lead effectively, I have learned that we must take time with ourselves to consider what makes us authentic--to fully explore what makes us tick tick: see mite. tick Any of some 825 parasitic arachnid species (suborder Ixodida, order Parasitiformes), found worldwide. Adults may be slightly more than an inch (30 mm) long, but most species are much smaller. and what we need to tick better. Often the best way to begin a process of reflection is to put yourself in a fresh environment conducive con·du·cive adj. Tending to cause or bring about; contributive: working conditions not conducive to productivity. See Synonyms at favorable. to thinking newly. Allow yourself at least two days so that there is a night to sleep on your evolving thoughts. Doing so will also give you time for rest and renewal. A little more than two years ago, I participated in such a retreat. I had never before reserved days for self-reflection, figuring it was a luxury I could ill afford in my busy and complicated life. Within months of this invaluable experience, I made some key decisions that changed my life forever--and I don't regret it. One of those decisions was to make reflection a part of my life. Submitted by Gale S. Wood, CAE (1) (Computer-Aided Engineering) Software that analyzes designs which have been created in the computer or that have been created elsewhere and entered into the computer. , president, Comet comet [Gr.,=longhaired], a small celestial body consisting mostly of dust and gases that moves in an elongated elliptical or nearly parabolic orbit around the sun. Comets visible from the earth can be seen for periods ranging from a few days to several months. Consulting Services Noun 1. consulting service - service provided by a professional advisor (e.g., a lawyer or doctor or CPA etc.) service - work done by one person or group that benefits another; "budget separately for goods and services" , an association management firm outside Philadelphia. E-mail: gaswood@erols.com. Adapted from an article the first appeared in ASAE's Executive IdeaLink, April 2000. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion