Episode 24: Reflection - A MAD SKILL Leadership Skill

January 3, 2025

In the last days before my emeritus designation takes effect, I continue to receive emails from the list I’m part of. One of these emails, sent a couple of weeks ago, resonated with me. It was an invitation for faculty to attend a seminar on teaching and learning, specifically focused on reflection on learning. This skill is essential for young aspiring professionals, and I have been incorporating it into my senior classes for over two decades. Reflection is also a key element in coaching and mentoring my teams. Over the years, the activities I use have evolved and improved, largely thanks to feedback from my students and insights from industry friends and coaching colleagues.

This newsletter discusses these activities and how all aspiring leaders can adopt them. I want to start with a story about a former student who, according to him, was required to engage in reflection exercises over several courses with me. Initially, he had a disdain for these activities, but after entering the workforce, he continued to use them when he substituted for me in a class during my sabbatical.

In this episode, I will highlight a couple of these activities: one from the classroom and one from coaching.

In the Classroom

After numerous iterations, the classroom activity has become a bi-weekly blog. It begins with students sharing their goals for the term or class, followed by reflections on the key insights and learnings they have experienced over the past two weeks. At the end of the term, they provide a comprehensive reflection on their achievements, incorporating their knowledge and insights. Another important rule is that students can modify their goals as the term progresses, and any changes should be aligned with the narrative their reflections convey. Additionally, I make it a point to respond to each entry throughout the term. While I may not get to respond in the last week due to the workload, I ensure I engage with their entries during the rest of the term. My responses are typically brief but indicate that I have read what they have written.

Impact on Teaching

From a teaching perspective, this practice provides immediate feedback about how classes are progressing and whether adjustments are needed almost from day one. It allows me to gather specific feedback that informs changes to the course on an ongoing basis, rather than relying solely on mid-term or end-of-term surveys. Importantly, I can quickly identify when something isn't working and revisit it promptly.

Impact on Students

This activity equips students with crucial practices that every leader should embrace. Among these practices are goal setting and the essential skill of reflecting on learning, specifically, extracting insights from experiences and connecting them back to their goals, while also recognising any shifts in those goals. Many students, when entering the workforce, highlight that these skills allow them to hone in on what is genuinely important in their professional lives.

As a Coach

When I coach, I follow a structured process. As teams begin to gather and engage in discussions leading up to team selection, there is a lot of dialogue about goals. Most of these goals come from the team members themselves, but I also contribute goals, especially for the more experienced members whom I expect to take on mentorship roles. I encourage all team members to remain open to learning. During our practice debrief sessions, team members set specific goals for the next practice and reviewed the goals they had established in previous sessions. This process is not only recorded but also given significant time and attention. While it doesn’t happen in every debrief, we periodically revisit our overarching goals to assess whether they have changed and whether we are making progress towards achieving them. If we find that a goal is not being achieved, we engage in deeper discussions about how to move forward effectively. I also offer team members the chance to have one-on-one discussions to address individual goals or issues they feel may hinder the team's progress. These topics are often addressed in challenging conversations with the entire team.

Impact on Coaching

This approach may seem unusual, but it has helped me get to know my team members better. I believe this understanding has been a key element in the success of my teams over the past two decades. I have led very successful teams, earning numerous trophies and certificates for our school. While those accolades are nice, I take greater pride in knowing that at least 70 per cent of my former team members have returned to support new members and share their experiences. Being part of a Cam Welsh team was, for many, the most impactful learning experience during their time at the Haskayne School of Business.

Impact on Team Members

The transformation is evident in team members during our post-competition debriefs, showcasing their growth during this process. As they prepare to embark on their careers or return to support another team, they consistently stress how vital goal setting and reflection are in maintaining their focus on what truly matters. Moreover, these discussions underscore the value of reflection in expanding their skills. I have explored the concept of building a skills toolkit in previous newsletters. As a coach, I see it as my responsibility to guide team members in developing a diverse set of skills they can draw from in various situations. Team members often express that the reflective practices I implement are instrumental in helping them effectively manage and utilise their skills toolkits.