When was the last time you asked your team to reflect ?

In a recent McKinsey article on the challenges around leadership development, the authors write that one issue is that reflection (learning) is often disconnected from the 'real work'. Learning and reflection happens in the training room, or in the off-site development program, or in the MBA program. In the office, we ... work ! And there are so many important priorities to deal with that we do not really have much time to go for training sessions. And we all know that, for all the reflection and thinking that goes on in a training room, very few can actually apply their new learning in their working environment. The challenge is combining this learning and reflection, with 'real work'.

Any leader would agree that learning is important. Organizations and teams need to learn to better deal with the more and more complex business challenges of our time. Most often we assume that people learn by doing stuff, like new assignments or projects. Trying out new things is important, but a key variable in how humans learn is the way they reflect about what they have been doing. Is this similar to what I know ? What is different ? Where else is this new experience applicable ? Learning really only happens when reflection is added to the experience. Otherwise we are stuck in the treadmill-like cycle of doing things and then doing some more things.

How and where does reflection happen ? We often assume that it happens somewhere "in people's heads", more or less automatically, like breathing. Either while they work or when they drive home. In some cases, this might be true, but for sure leaving it up to each individual to 'think' about their learning is limited. Reflection is sometimes associated with 'doing nothing' or daydreaming, because indeed, it does involve silence.

Action Learning does assume that reflection happens by itself. In an Action Learning setting, reflecting on what each individual, as well as the group, has experienced is made explicit. It is each time very powerful to go around the group and ask each member what they have learned, how they see this experience, or how it changes their view on things.

When is the last time you asked your team to reflect on something, and asked them to share what they had learned ? Try it - allow for some silence - and you might be surprised about the quality of what they share.