Between information and reflection
“You and I always pay for the choices we make.”
Have you heard this line before? For some of you, this may be the first time you’ve encountered this idea. But I bet most have heard or read this strong viewpoint before. The question is, have you ever reflected on it before?
Living in the cheap- high- speedbroadband- connection 21st century, information becomes readily available to us at a flick of a finger, making us the most informed people in the history of civilization. But while being the most informed – to the point being over-informed really – we’re also the least reflective.
There’s a big difference between being informed and being reflective.
I constantly load up on information. I even invest a fortune in a yearly “brain upgrade” where I enroll myself in some of the most prestigious (and expensive) seminars and academic courses just to add more to my information and knowledge arsenal. But, I realize, there’s a difference between amassing information and thinking or reflecting them through. But we can’t do much of the latter because we’re always working and moving.
We’re working even on days when we’re supposed to be resting. We’re always moving as evident in our annual travel log. Personally, I get paranoid when I have three days in a week empty of any speaking engagement. And though I log in thousands of miles every year, I expect to be traveling even more now that a Singaporean Speaker’s Bureau is representing me.
It’ll do us good to take some time to sit down and reflect. Putting on the brakes to reflect isn’t being idle. And continuously pushing down on the pedal and going at top speed doesn’t always translate to work success (sometimes, it leads to burn out and failure).
Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, Harvard-based psychologists and leaders in adult development, say, “True development is about transforming the operating system itself, not just increasing your fund of knowledge or your behavioral repertoire.” The same principle applies at the organizational level. Our current capacities, say Kegan and Lahey, “no longer suffice in a world that calls for leaders who can not only run but also reconstitute their organizations – its norms, missions and culture.”
Why don’t we reflect on this insight? What if aside from doing our job well, we use our position to be an example of how slowing down have great trade offs? Slow down and have lunch with your spouse. Go on a vacation, and work hard on your play, not just on your work. Having your kids enjoy their every minute with you.
When we reflect, we become more aware of what’s really happening around us – of our cruel, fast-paced, technologydriven times that suck the energy out of us every day. We’ll have a better idea on how to bring balance and order in our lives. And when we’re this intentional, wouldn’t we be focused at work? Wouldn’t we have more time for creative-thinking? Wouldn’t we be more productive?
The Psalmist wrote, “Teach me to number my days aright, that I may gain a heart of wisdom…” This is not just information, this is for reflection.
(Spend two whole days with Francis Kong developing your leadership skills this July 4 -5 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. at 632-6872614 or 09178511115.)