As we progress through our careers, it is imperative that we make an effort to both be retrospective about where we’ve been and introspective about where we are. There isn’t an age limit for these activities – you can do it at any point. I typically try to process the activities in a specific order – retrospection followed by introspection, as you’ll see below.
Retrospection is taking the time to look back at the events in your career that have lead up to this point. Some will be big, some will be smaller. All will likely look differently to you as you look back than they did in the moment – a big thing in the moment could be a small thing in retrospect and vice versa. This exercise is a fantastic way to see the distance covered on your journey and also see how precarious that coverage of distance was – you may realize that if X didn’t happen at Y time, your entire journey would be different. That ability to look back and soberly understand and dissect your journey is powerful. It likely will give you some clues as to what worked, what didn’t, and where forks in the road appeared all whether you knew it or not at the time. One key note: don’t spend too much time “regretting” the paths not chosen retrospectively – that isn’t retrospection, that is fantasy. You didn’t walk those paths so you can’t possibly know the outcomes.
Introspection is more focused on your thoughts, feelings, and emotions and typically is grounded in where you are today and how that was impacted by your history. Often, items in your retrospection have impacted the feelings you have uncovered through introspection. That connection is important. As a leader and as a human, we evolve. Ideas, ways of acting, thoughts on topics large and small all change as time passes. One of the best things we can do for ourselves is to occasionally take stock of where we are with an acknowledgement of where we’ve been. Change is healthy. Changing your mind is even more healthy as it shows the ability to grow hasn’t ended. Using the outcomes from your retrospection can help you more clearly understand the “why” to some of your introspection.
So this is all fine and good, but why would I spend so much time dredging up the past, you may wonder. Several reasons:
- This process can and should change how you think about yourself and your journey. When you look back from where you started to where you are, you can see a more detached through-line. If done properly, you can see the progress beyond the setbacks. If done thoughtfully, it can also allow you to unpack your expectations relative to your actual path. Many many people look back wistfully feeling like they “underperformed” in a situation, a role, or in general. The reality is that both sides of the equation require insight – Did you have reasonable expectations? Did you make significant progress? Simple example – in most prestigious business schools, many students are aspiring CEOs in the not too distant future in their mind. If one of those students is VP at Fortune 100 company at 40, did they fail? Expectations will answer that question more than reality will – if their retrospective was all contextually tied to their expectations, then likely they will be down on themselves. If they can look at things more neutrally, they probably see a far different picture.
- This will give you a golden opportunity to see all the growth that may not have been obvious in the moment. Growth isn’t linear and it’s not always obvious. Ideally, when we look backwards from where we started to where we are (especially when the distance is greater), the growth is much more evident. Some of that growth was easy, some was hard…but it all happened. You may not feel it in the short term, but in the long run the changes should be obvious.
- Similarly, looking back will allow you the opportunity to see your failures in a new light with the passing of time changing your perspective. In the moment a failure may have felt one way (from soul crushing to not even a failure) but in retrospect it may look completely different than you remember it. Many terrible failures in my career in the moment turned into positive turning points for me. They shaped me as a professional and in some cases as a person. Those lessons are invaluable – while hard earned. I won’t say I look back fondly, but I sure do look back thankfully for them.
- Retrospection and introspection give you a chance to uncover what the developments to this point in your life may mean for your journey going forward. You can use the insights gained to shape the direction you take, the way you take it, and the expectations you set upon yourself going forward. You can contextualize what you’ve observed to see exactly how you use that information going forward. You can double down on what worked and find new ways around what didn’t. Overall, you can learn and evolve in a way you chose and control.
So what do you do with this information? You can create an honest assessment of where you started, where you are, and where you are going – currently and in a desired state. Falling back to one of my favorite metaphors, GPS in your car, you can track your progress and contemplate rerouting your path to get to your destination. You can understand your velocity on the journey. You can even change your destination. You can find interesting places to stop along the way instead of driving straight through. You can stop where you are and end your path. You can turn around and retrace your steps. All options are available to you to make a better informed decision, rather than just meandering along and hoping to end up somewhere positive.
To me, that is the beauty and power of the combination of retrospection and introspection – you can use your history (factual and emotional) to direct your present and future in any way you choose. You aren’t a victim of where you’ve come from, you are the driver taking you where you want to be while fully understanding the path that got you here. If what got you here won’t get you there, do something different! If you are right where you hoped to be, celebrate and continue on! If you have failed to live up to your own expectations, evaluate the veracity of those expectations and look at what you have accomplished! If all else fails, decide your own next destination!
It’s your journey…drive it.
View from the Middle 