{"id":35246,"date":"2019-10-10T10:27:40","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T17:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careersingovernment.com\/tools\/?p=35246"},"modified":"2019-10-10T10:27:40","modified_gmt":"2019-10-10T17:27:40","slug":"your-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/gov-talk\/about-gov\/education\/your-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Your Reflection<\/span><\/p>\n

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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|24.625px|0px”][et_pb_row use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”1200px” custom_padding=”20px||0px|” custom_padding_tablet=”0px|||” column_padding_mobile=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/david-ivers.png” show_bottom_space=”off” align=”center” disabled_on=”on|on|” _builder_version=”3.0.74″ animation=”off” sticky=”on”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text disabled_on=”on|on|” _builder_version=”3.0.62″ text_font=”PT Sans|on|||” text_text_color=”#02b875″ text_font_size=”20″ text_line_height=”1.2em” header_text_color=”#000000″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” max_width=”140px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20px||0px|”]DAVID IVERS<\/span><\/a>
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text disabled_on=”on|on|” _builder_version=”3.0.62″ text_font=”PT Serif||on||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”16″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” max_width=”140px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”10px||60px|”]David Ivers is from Sydney, Australia. He is a qualified Primary and Secondary School Teacher. In total, he has served on school leadership teams for 16 years in senior leadership roles.
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“The most effective way to lead is to lead from within.”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Lolly Daskal<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In the United States, Halloween is a significant celebration. Derived, at least in part, from the \u2018Feast of All Hallows (All Saints)\u2019 which falls on November 1 each year, the quote from Lolly Daskal is pertinent. The Saints all had one thing in common, they learned how to develop an interior life that allowed them to \u2018lead from within\u2019. The ability to do so, is the hallmark, not of good or even great leadership but rather a leadership that is built on the solid foundation of interiority and as a result likely to be deliberate, purposeful, intentional and as a consequence, distinguished and outstanding leadership to the outside world.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does this have to do with Careers in Government? Quite a lot is the simple answer.<\/span><\/p>\n

To \u2018lead from within\u2019 speaks to our notion of personal leadership and with that, our notions of personal responsibility for the leadership role we are undertaking. History is littered with people who managed to develop themselves into a better version of themselves, in order to benefit their team, their organization, their government agency, their community.<\/span><\/p>\n

How might this be achieved? \u2018Critical Reflective Practice\u2019 is a term often used in the \u2018Helping \/ Caring Profession\u2019 such as teaching, nursing, social work, psychology \/counseling and<\/g> medicine. Increasingly, good governance of boards, leaders at the C-Suite and organizations in general<\/g> are moving to practices of critical reflection. In essence self-regulation and being \u2018other-centered\u2019 is at the heart of good leadership. This means working on your inner-self first so that your \u2018outer-self\u2019 becomes a manifestation of the true you, the leader that you are meant to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

A good example of this, according to General John E Michel (USAF Retired), can be found in the leadership of Pope Francis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe world\u2019s first Jesuit Pope is demonstrating daily his commitment to becoming the best human being he can possibly be. Not for selfish gain, mind you. But because he understands a life well lived is a life dedicated to serving humanity\u2014one opportunity to add value to your surroundings at a time.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

John E Michel (2014) \u2018LEARN to be that Somebody\u2019 in <\/span>General Leadership<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.74″ background_color=”#f7f7f4″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|”][et_pb_row make_fullwidth=”on” custom_width_px=”680px” use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|” make_equal=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” background_color_2=”#efefe9″ parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/reflection2.jpg” show_bottom_space=”off” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.19.9″ animation=”off”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ column_padding_mobile=”on” background_color=”#efefe9″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/reflection.jpg” show_bottom_space=”off” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.19.9″ animation=”off”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text disabled_on=”off|off|” _builder_version=”3.19.9″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#818178″ text_font_size=”24″ text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20%|10%||10%” custom_margin_tablet=”|10%||10%” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|desktop”]<\/p>\n

What type of twenty-first-century leader do you want to be, reflective or reactive?<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.62″ text_font=”PT Sans|on|||” text_text_color=”#888888″ text_font_size=”12″ text_letter_spacing=”2px” text_line_height=”1.2em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”20px||20%|” custom_margin_tablet=”20px|||” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet”]DAVID IVERS
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|”][et_pb_row use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”1200px” use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”4″ custom_padding=”0||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”0px|||” column_padding_mobile=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” parallax_method_1=”off” parallax_method_2=”off” parallax_method_3=”off” parallax_method_4=”off” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.9″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”20″ text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”60px||0px|” custom_margin_tablet=”40px||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet”]<\/p>\n

General Michel is correct in his assessment of the leadership of Pope Francis. It is an assessment though that could be applied to any good, successful leader. At the foundation of this assessment, is that an outstanding leader needs to first and foremost be a reflective leader, one who develops themselves into a better iteration of themselves on a daily basis and in so doing, adds value to the people they seek to lead and serve. The reflective leader has the capacity as part of their moments of reflection, to test assumptions, consider the culture of the organization and how it might be improved and thus harness the talent and skillset within the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, it helps that Pope Francis is a Jesuit. The Jesuit<\/g> training and formation is<\/g> very intensive and literally continues<\/g> for decades. At the heart of the spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola is the \u2018Daily Examen\u2019. This is a prayerful reflection, typically undertaken at the end of a day, that works on the \u2018Inner-Self\u2019 by asking a series of reflective questions. Paul Brian Campbell SJ has taken this process and developed it into a series of reflective questions as a \u2018Review of the Day for Managers\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Campbell \u2018The Examen\u2019 focuses on the present, with an eye to the future. The key questions to ask yourself at the end of the day are:<\/span><\/p>\n