Okay, you are a leader, you've done a lot, you've got people depending on you, but are you coachable?

Why does it matter?  The only certainty in this world is that everything changes.  If you are a leader and you are not open to change, if you are not willing to self-reflect, look inside, be willing to be wrong and make changes, maybe it's time to consider a 180.

Coach-able leaders engage in regular self-reflection. Reflection is more than careful thought, it's a meditative activity. Reflection is about reviewing your actions and beliefs for the purpose of learning, learning from your mistakes, learning by taking an honest look at yourself and what's working in your personal and professional life, and what could use some help.

Perhaps that's why some companies have retreats to revitalize, refresh, invigorate and energize their people.  Retreats give us a chance to unwind from the grind and breathe and feel and think and maybe see the world and our lives a little bit differently.

So, take some time. Maybe every day or every week to relax and reflect, not from your busy mind, more like a pondering in the heart, feeling. This gives you the opportunity to come to a new understanding which can result in more harmonious decisions and actions in the future. Your personal ongoing development and growth, in short, is key to your personal contentment and success.

We can take a lot of our cues from what others say and think, not really valuing our own knowing, looking outside of self for answers.  In the long run, that slowing down and looking within yields a whole different caliber of results.

How do we start?  Review you day before going to sleep.  How could you have handled things differently or better, what would that look like, how would that feel?  Where were you at you best?  Where could you have done better, and what would that look like?

When we review at bedtime something happens while we sleep, like all the better ways of acting and handling things gets uploaded to apply and use the next time something similar happens.

Be curious.  Some people journal, some ponder, some close their eyes and relax back in their easy chair and contemplate, some meditate and ask for guidance.

Self-reflection takes courage, courage to look within and be honest, courage to be open vulnerable.  No matter what we see, mistakes are just opportunities to learn and grow; they don't mean anything about us, and best of all we can choose to learn from them.

Self-reflection is courageous and can feel confronting.  If we feel defensive or irritable as we review our day, we can simply acknowledge that all of our feelings, everything we feel is valid.

Self-reflection is about dropping the need to always be doing something, always getting something done.  Self-reflection is a Being experience.  Even if we don't see an immediate return on our investment, self-reflection is a wise use of our time and energy. It's about balancing the wisdom of taking action with the wisdom of looking for guidance from within.

Be coachable. Coach yourself, or work with a coach that you trust and has your back, that is passionate about helping you be the best you can be, to reach your goals in a way that resonates with who you are and what you're about, who partners with you to discover the wisdom within.