Reflective Leadership Practices

Most leaders aren’t destroyed by others. They’re destroyed by themselves. Here is why? They think success is about being strategically brilliant... or experts in their field... And then they fail due to missing self-awareness. Years ago, I worked with a strong executive. Sharp mind. Strong resume. Great results on paper. But his team didn’t trust him. They gave minimal input. They avoided him in meetings. He thought it was all about them - laziness, lack of ambition, wrong culture fit. He couldn’t see that the problem was him, with his dismissive, reactive, and self-centered behaviour. That's when I saw how easily success blinds us. How quickly ego blocks awareness. And how fast people stop telling you the truth when you rise. My learning until today: Self-awareness is the foundation of leadership. Without it, every other skill is wasted. Here are 10 principles to build it daily: 1️⃣ Ask for brutal feedback Don’t fish for praise, invite truth. Growth begins where comfort ends. 2️⃣ Watch your impact, not just intent Good intentions can still hurt. Measure how others experience you. 3️⃣ Listen beyond words What’s unsaid is often more important. Pay attention to body language and silence. 4️⃣ Spot your triggers Stress exposes blind spots. Know what sets you off before it controls you. 5️⃣ Separate ego from role You are not your title. People follow authenticity, not hierarchy. 6️⃣ Reflect daily 5 minutes of honest reflection beats 5 hours of excuses. Ask: “How did I show up today?” 7️⃣ Own mistakes fast Excuses destroy trust. Admission builds it. 8️⃣ Notice recurring feedback If three people tell you the same thing - it’s not coincidence. It’s your blind spot showing. 9️⃣ Test your assumptions “I think they’re fine” is not a fact. Validate before acting. 🔟 Grow with humility Leaders who think they’ve arrived stop learning. Stay curious, stay open. When leaders master self-awareness, people stop working for you and start working with you. Because self-awareness builds trust - and trust builds everything else. Remember: You can’t lead others if you can’t lead yourself. The mirror is the hardest tool in leadership. Self-awareness isn’t soft. It’s the sharpest edge you can have. ‐---‐------------------------------- ♻️ Repost this to support your network. 🔔 Follow me (Simon Koerner) for more valuable content on leadership, culture and growth.

Have you ever heard of the Dunning-Kruger Effect? David Dunning and Justin Kruger, shared this concept in a 1999 study titled "Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments." It’s a cognitive bias where people with limited knowledge or expertise in a subject often overestimate their abilities, while those with greater competence tend to underestimate their expertise. In leadership, this phenomenon can manifest in interesting ways: 1️⃣ Overconfidence in early stages: New or inexperienced leaders might overestimate their skills, believing they have all the answers. While confidence is valuable, overconfidence can lead to poor decisions or resistance to feedback. 2️⃣ Self-doubt in experienced leaders: On the flip side, seasoned leaders—who are acutely aware of the complexities of leadership—may underestimate their own expertise, questioning their abilities more than they should. Why does this matter? Great leadership requires self-awareness. Leaders need to balance confidence with humility: For new leaders: Be open to feedback, recognize the value of diverse perspectives, and remain committed to learning. For experienced leaders: Remember that your expertise is built on years of hard work. Share your knowledge confidently, even if you feel there’s more to learn. Now, let’s address two practical questions: 1️⃣ How do you approach someone with overconfidence? Start with curiosity: Ask open-ended questions to understand their perspective and reasoning. This can help them reflect on their assumptions without feeling defensive. Offer constructive feedback: Share observations gently, using examples or data to highlight areas they may have overlooked. Focus on collaboration rather than criticism. Encourage learning: Suggest resources, mentors, or training that can expand their knowledge and deepen their skills. Helping them grow is more effective than confronting them directly. 2️⃣ How can you speak up more courageously when you have the knowledge and experience? Trust your expertise: Remind yourself of the work and effort that built your knowledge. Others may need your insights to make better decisions. Frame your input constructively: Instead of saying, "You're wrong," try "Here’s another perspective we might consider." This makes it easier for others to engage with your ideas. Practice small steps: Start speaking up in less intimidating scenarios to build confidence. Over time, this will make it easier to share your thoughts in high-stakes situations. The key takeaway? Leadership is a journey. Recognizing where you (and your team) might fall on the Dunning-Kruger curve—and addressing it proactively—can lead to better growth, collaboration, and decision-making. What do you think? Have you seen examples of the Dunning-Kruger Effect in leadership? Or do you have strategies to handle overconfidence or self-doubt? Let’s discuss in the comments! 👇

What “participation” looks like in meetings… depends on culture. In global teams, one of the biggest sources of misunderstanding happens in meetings. Because how people show up is not just personality. It’s culture. Consider this: 🇺🇸 United States Speaking up, raising your hand, and actively contributing is expected. Silence may be interpreted as disengagement. 🇯🇵 Japan Listening carefully and showing respect to senior leaders is key. Silence often signals thoughtfulness, not lack of ideas. 🇮🇹 Italy Debating, interrupting, and expressing ideas passionately is part of engagement. Energy equals involvement. 🇮🇳 India Taking notes, observing, and demonstrating active listening reflects respect. Contributions may come at the right moment or after the meeting. Now imagine these styles in the same room. – One person thinks: “Why is no one speaking?” – Another thinks: “Why is everyone interrupting?” – Another thinks: “I need more time to reflect before I speak.” Same meeting. Completely different interpretations. High-impact global leaders don’t assume. They create space for different ways of contributing. Because inclusion is not just inviting people to the meeting. It’s understanding how they participate. How do you navigate different communication styles in your meetings? #GlobalLeadership #CrossCulturalLeadership #CulturalIntelligence #InclusiveLeadership #ExecutiveCoaching #GlobalTeams

When Is a brilliant jerk just a jerk? Why do we tolerate people who deliver results but leave chaos in their wake? Having worked in recruitment for years, I’ve seen it time and again: companies excuse flawed leaders simply because they’re high performers. Often, these individuals are promoted beyond their capabilities, amplifying their negative impact on their teams. I’ve frequently questioned how these behaviours align with our stated company values. Why do managers “turn a blind eye.” overlooking poor conduct simply because ‘Sam’ bills over $1 million a year? One of my more memorable career experiences involved a former CEO who loved quoting a famed All Blacks rugby player's book: “Guys, we have a no d**kheads policy here,” he’d proudly declare. Yet, as people shuffled out of the board room, whispers of his behaviour would follow. Ironically, he was perhaps the biggest d**khead in the company—a textbook brilliant jerk. Unchecked, these individuals kill company culture, sap morale, and erode trust. I know this all too well because I’ve been there. Looking back on my early leadership days, I cringe. Was I that jerk? The reflection hurt. But it’s true. I was a jerk. I needed to change. I recognised that leadership is more than results. Empathy. Communication. Adaptability. Emotional intelligence. Compassion. These aren’t just “soft skills” – they’re essential for thriving in the workplace and growing as a leader. The good news. You can develop them too. But one often overlooked skill is reflection. If you are serious about your leadership, you must "hold up the mirror." Self-reflection is the foundation for personal and professional growth. It allows you to: -- Assess your strengths, weaknesses, and behaviours. -- Identify blind spots. -- Make better decisions and solve problems more effectively. -- Stay aligned with your core values and goals. Research shows that the habit of reflection separates extraordinary leaders from mediocre ones. I’d go so far as to argue that it’s the cornerstone of all other leadership skills. Reflection takes courage. It’s intentional. Deliberate. Thoughtful. Reflection is a practice. You can make it a daily habit—a ritual. Yet reflection isn’t easy. It’s uncomfortable and ego-bruising. But it’s also necessary. Great leaders don’t just learn from their successes—they mine their failures for insights, using the lessons to shape a better future. Being at the “top of your game” only comes when you extract how to engage the future from your past. But go easy on yourself. Excellence comes from falling, standing up, and dusting yourself off. Study those failures, and you’ll be less likely to trip again. Flawed leaders will always exist, but without self-reflection, you might become one of them. Don’t let brilliance turn into arrogance. Instead, commit to growing into the kind of leader who elevates both results and relationships. You need reflection to avoid ending up being a jerk.

Stop looking out the window & start looking in the mirror I’ve been in leadership roles for over a decade—on the battlefield of startups, in the boardrooms of regulated entities, through peacetime scaling & wartime firefighting. I’ve celebrated wins with espresso shots & losses with a 3 a.m. spreadsheet binge. But here’s a truth most leaders don’t say out loud: After a hard loss, your instinct is to point to the other side. 📉 The market shifted. 📉 The board blocked. 📉 The competitor outspent. 📉 The team misunderstood. Sometimes, it’s even true. But here’s the move that separates real leaders from the ones just playing dress-up: 👉 You stop looking out the window & start looking in the mirror. 🧠 Why the mirror hurts—but works Looking in the mirror isn’t comfortable. It’s not fun. It doesn’t come with applause or a LinkedIn badge. But research shows it’s one of the highest ROI moves a leader can make. According to an HBR study, leaders who consistently engage in self-reflection perform 23% better in decision-making & 18% higher in employee engagement metrics. Why? Because reflection reduces cognitive blind spots & increases accountability. 🔍 Translation: If you’re not asking, “What did I miss?” after a failure, you’re probably going to miss it again. 💥 The most dangerous sentence in leadership "I did everything right." No, you didn’t. None of us did. Leadership isn’t a purity test. It’s a pressure test. You don’t get graded on intent—you get judged on impact. So, after a miss, ask yourself: • Did I communicate clearly? Or did I assume people understood because I understood? • Did I prepare the team properly? Or did I run too fast & drag them along? • Did I challenge my own thinking? Or did I only listen to voices that already agreed with me? 🛡️ The ego will fight back The biggest enemy isn’t the market, the team, or the board. It’s your own ego whispering: "You’re not the problem. You’re the hero of this story." That whisper feels good. But it keeps you stuck. & if you’re a real leader—you’re here to move. According to Daniel Kahneman’s work on cognitive biases, our brains are hardwired to protect our self-image. We rationalize instead of reflect. We defend instead of dissect. That’s not leadership. That’s self-preservation in a suit. 💡 So, what should you do? The next time something breaks, skip the blame game. Instead, walk to the mirror. & ask: 🎤 “What part of this mess has my fingerprints on it?” If the answer makes you cringe, congratulations—you’re evolving. 📍Pin this to your playbook Leadership isn’t about being right all the time. It’s about owning the times you weren’t. Wins build momentum. But losses? Losses build leaders. Because looking in the mirror won’t always fix the problem. But it will always fix your role in it. & that’s where real change begins. #Leadership #SelfAwareness #EmotionalIntelligence #CEOInsights #GrowthMindset #Management #Business

Every leader wants to build more leaders. But only a few begin with the hardest part, looking within. Leadership presence and influence flow directly from self-awareness. It is the cornerstone of effective leadership, a prerequisite for driving results and building high-performing teams. The journey of creating more leaders begins not with external strategy, but with internal understanding. As leaders, we must first recognise how our behaviour, tone, and decisions shape the emotional and psychological experience of every person on our team. Without strong self-awareness, understanding our motivations, strengths, and blind spots, even our best intentions can be misread. This is why routine reflection is critical. To lead effectively from the inside out, pause and reflect on two pivotal questions: First, “How do people experience you?” Assess your presence. Ensure consistency and composure under pressure, and actively foster trust and collaboration. Second, “How do people experience themselves when they are with you?” This defines your legacy. Every interaction should leave people feeling seen, empowered, and valued. Leadership self-awareness aligns values with empathy, transforming intention into positive influence. By intentionally shaping our behaviour today, we build the foundation for future leaders to rise. The deeper a leader reflects, the greater the ripple of capability and confidence they create across the organisation. What’s one reflection that shaped your leadership? #LeadershipDevelopment #SelfAwareness #EmotionalIntelligence #LeadingWithEmpathy

A senior executive overheard how their team really sees them. Words like: Not a leader, unapproachable, hard to talk to. And their first reaction is always, Really?! Because in their mind, they believe they're the opposite. A true leader, approachable, empowering. But leadership is not how you see yourself. It’s how people feel in your presence. When someone at the top loses touch with how they’re perceived, it’s almost impossible for their own team to tell them. They want to, but because the hierarchy makes honesty risky. That’s why some feedback needs a heavyweight messenger. If the message comes from a junior voice, ego gets in the way. The wall goes up. But when it comes from someone seasoned, someone who’s earned equal respect,  the conversation shifts from defence to reflection. This is why I often recommend bringing in an external assessor or a trusted peer to gather confidential feedback. Not to expose the leader but to protect their dignity while showing them the truth. Because behind every “unapproachable” leader is usually someone who’s lost self-awareness, not compassion. They just can’t see the full picture anymore. Once that feedback is gathered, the real work begins: Have the conversation privately. Respect their position, but don’t soften the truth. Frame it around outcomes, not flaws. “What could go wrong if this continues?” “What could happen if this changes?” The goal isn’t to embarrass them, it’s to give them a truthful perspective. In fact, great leaders don’t fear feedback. They seek it. Even when it’s uncomfortable. And it almost always is. And the stronger the leader, the stronger the messenger needs to be. If you ever find yourself in that position, where the person who most needs feedback is also the hardest to reach, remember this: It’s about choosing the right voice to be heard.

STOP Calling “Training” the Root Cause. It’s Not. (And it’s costing companies real money + real lives.) One of the most common phrases I see in incident investigation reports? ➡️ “Root Cause: Lack of training.” Let me be blunt: Training is almost never the true root cause. It’s an easy answer. A convenient answer. But it’s not the right answer. If someone sits through the training… If someone can recite back the steps… If someone signed the sheet… …but the incident still happened, the problem isn’t training. Real root causes look like this: • A system that doesn’t reinforce critical behaviors. • Production pressure that rewards speed over safety. • Supervisors who were never trained to coach risk-based decision-making. • Broken communication loops between ops, maintenance, and safety. • Policies written for audits, not for real people. • Engineering controls that were never implemented because they “cost too much.” • A cultural norm of workaround > work-as-designed. These are the roots. Training is just a branch. Here’s the truth: When “training” becomes the default root cause, it lets the system off the hook. And if you’re blaming workers when the system is the real problem, you’re guaranteeing the incident will happen again. What high-performing organizations do instead: • Use human-factors thinking, not blame-based thinking • Ask why the environment allowed the error, not why the person made it • Evaluate workload, equipment design, conflicting priorities, and organizational signals • Treat workers as the source of insight, not the source of failure • Document root causes that leadership can actually act on — not ones that just check a box My challenge to every safety + operations leader: Next time an incident happens, don’t ask, ❌ “Who messed up?” or ❌ “Do they need more training?” Ask this instead: “What conditions set this event up to occur, and how do we eliminate them permanently?” That’s root cause. That’s prevention. That’s leadership.

Adaptability is not just about adjusting plans, it’s about how you lead when plans change. It's the ability to respond thoughtfully and quickly when circumstances shift , without losing sight of people or purpose. 👩🏭 It's the plant manager who adjusts production schedules in response to supply chain issues without blaming the team, and involving them in finding solutions. 👨🏭 It's the site foreman who calmly adjusts plans when weather delays hit, reassigning tasks to keep the crew productive instead of standing still. 👩💼 It's the store manager who rotates staff across departments during a sudden staffing shortage, while keeping morale high and communicating clearly. I've worked with people in all of these positions, and more. And every single person who showed real adaptability had a few things in common: 📌 They stayed steady 📌 They stayed human 📌 They brought people with them 📌 They kept things moving. And underneath that... 📌 They were curious 📌 They were willing to unlearn 📌 They paused to reflect 📌 They shared their ideas 📌 They didn't try to have it all figured out Are we developing these competencies in ourselves and others? How can we improve our approach? Leave your comments below 🙏

A leader I was working with had been "about to restructure his team" for six months. He had a clear plan but, every month, something else came first. When we talked about this, I didn't ask him why he was afraid of the change. My question to him was: "What are you getting from not making a change?" Long pause. "Control," he said. And then a version of, "The current structure is messy, but I know how it works. A new one means trusting people I haven't worked with." We might believe that we stay stuck because the future is scary. The reality is that, often, we stay stuck because the present is useful but we have not articulated that aloud. I use this 2×2 to surface it. When you have clarity about where you want to go but haven't examined what the status quo is giving you, you land in a very common quadrant: "Frustrated." Many senior leaders, like the one I coached, stay there: They have a clear strategy but experience chronic delay. The move from Frustrated to Ready is one honest conversation with yourself: what am I getting from standing still? Three things that help: (1) Name the hidden gain out loud. Control, familiarity, avoiding a hard conversation... whatever it is, saying it strips its power. Benefits only hold you hostage when they're hidden. (2) Ask whether you can get that gain another way. My client didn't need the old structure. He needed confidence in his people and better relationships with them. And that's what we worked on that directly. (3) Name the personal cost of staying. This is not about the business case for change. It is more personal: it is the version of himself he was becoming by not acting. We fear change, for all sorts of reasons. But we often stay stuck because we're getting something from not changing... and we haven't admitted it to ourselves. #leadership #change #selfawareness #growth #learning