Heal to Lead

10Practicing Introspection

INTEGRATING TRAUMA BEGINS with introspection—the consistent practice of going inward to experience and understand your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Self-reflection is a conscious awareness of one's holistic way of being in the world. It's honed mindfulness about the impact that you and your decisions have on all stakeholders: you and your family, those you lead and their families, shareholders, your clients or customers, your local community, and the natural environment.

Before anything else, deep introspection is necessary to understand the connection between who we are and how we show up as individuals and leaders. It is how we begin to develop self-awareness. This level of awareness goes well beyond the self; it allows for openness with others, curiosity about their experiences, and the ability to hold space and listen with intention. Look outside of what we've been fed for so long; get curious and remain open-minded.

As Gina Hayden puts it, “Since our ego at its strongest loves to become fixed on particular positions and to defend these as being right, conscious leaders model curiosity.… It's about suspending what you already know in order to make room for new ideas and perspectives to emerge…. We have to be willing to let go of all of our fixed ideas and look again.”¹

Developing and Deepening Conscious Awareness

If letting go doesn't feel accessible just yet, perhaps you can experiment with holding your fixed ideas more lightly. ...