🪞 A Model for Reflective Leadership

Reflection is the key to growth, but busy leaders often neglect this crucial practice. Learn how the "What? So What? Now What?" model provides a strategic framework to maximize self-awareness, skill development, and leadership impact through reflection.

Pausing for Retrospection

At the close of every client project at Desklight, we hold a “retro” (short for retrospect) where we can take a minute to talk through what worked and what didn’t on the project. We ask questions like, “Would we have wanted to do this differently in retrospect?” “Were there parts of the project we didn’t enjoy that might be done differently next time?” and “What did we find fulfilling about this work?” 

After an internal retro, we also have a retro with our client. We are eager to know and understand what they think went great, where we added the most value, and where we fell short. That way, we can improve for next time with both their team and future client teams.

Reflection gives you the opportunity to make sense of experiences, gain self-awareness, and uncover lessons. However, this powerful tool for growth is often neglected by busy leaders.

Here’s a handy learning design model to help you make reflection a more integrated and intentional part of your leadership strategy.

Using the “What? So What? Now What” Model

Developed by experiential learning scholar John Driscoll, this three-step framework guides reflective thinking.

"What?" is the initial stage of identifying needs and gaps.

"So What?" sparks a connection of your needs and gaps to your goals.

"Now What?" encourages you to develop a tailored and informed approach for the future.

In learning design, this reflective model facilitates assessment, alignment, and improvement, which ultimately helps boost engagement, retention, and outcomes in learners.

But this model isn’t limited to learning designers. You can use this model as a leadership framework to build more time for reflection into your workflow. Let’s take a peek at what this might look like…

“What?” (Describe the Experience Objectively)

Start your reflection by recounting the experience factually. What events occurred? Who was involved and what were their roles? When and where did it take place? Recall concrete details without interpreting or judging just yet. This grounds your reflection in objective reality.

Here are 3 simple examples of what the “What” stage might look like for an organizational leader:

1. After a challenging client interaction, you would describe in detail what was said, the client's reactions and tone, and how you felt during the discussion.

2. Following a team project, you would recount step-by-step what tasks were completed, which team members contributed, and how the process flowed, including any roadblocks.

3. When receiving 360-degree feedback, you would summarize the feedback points verbatim without interpreting them yet.

The key in the "What" stage is sticking to the objective facts and concrete details of the experience before analyzing the meaning behind them. This provides a clear-eyed grounding for reflection.

“So What?” (Analyze Meaning and Emotions)

Next, reflect on the experience through different lenses:

💓 Emotions

What emotions were evoked before, during, and after the experience? Why did you feel that way?

🏆 Values

How did the experience align with your values? Where was there conflict or harmony?

💭 Insights

What new perspectives or understandings emerged from this experience?

⚡ Reactions

How did you and others react? Why do you think those reactions occurred?

Using the same examples from above, here’s what the “So What” stage might look like:

1. You would think about why the client interaction went awry and how it made them feel unprepared or caught off-guard. You’d consider what assumptions you may have had about your client's expectations.

2. You would reflect on moments during the team project that were frustrating, rewarding, or misaligned with your management style. You'd question what team dynamics or processes might have contributed.

3. You would deeply consider which feedback aligned or conflicted with how you see yourself as a leader. You'd explore why certain comments resonated more than others.

The "So What" stage pushes below the surface to unpack emotions, motivations, and insights. This step is used to analyze the meaning of the experience itself, not just the sequence of events.

“Now What?” (Apply Lessons and Change Behavior)

Finally, identify key lessons and how you will apply them going forward:

• What changes will you make to your mindset, priorities, or strategies?

• What specific actions will you take based on this reflection? How will you implement them?

• What support or resources might be needed to sustain changes?

• How will you hold yourself accountable?

The "Now What" step solidifies your reflection into concrete learning that fuels growth, as shown in these three examples:

1. You might decide to prepare more diligently for client calls by researching pain points and sending agendas ahead of time.

2. You could change your approach by checking in more frequently with the team during long projects to gauge progress and morale.

3. You might seek coaching to further explore blind spots revealed in the feedback and work on developing empathy and listening skills.

The key focus in "Now What" is finding tangible actions you will take based on your reflections. It puts the insights into practice for growth and improvement. Even small steps sparked by these reflections can lead to significant progress over time.

Learning Leadership is Reflective

For learning leaders, reflection is a pivotal self-improvement tool. Building regular time for "What? So What? Now What?" reflection into your workflow will:

• Strengthen self-awareness and emotional intelligence

• Uncover blind spots and biases requiring development

• Reveal gaps between values and behaviors so you can align them

• Improve decision-making by learning from experience

• Boost learning agility to pivot strategies based on insights

• Keep your leadership vision and purpose sharply focused

The "What? So What? Now What?" model provides a simple yet powerful framework for reflective thinking. Use it to routinely gain insights that will strengthen your leadership skills along with the other 20 learning habits found in Learning in the Wild.