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Leadership Journal Prompts

Style-Specific Reflection Questions

For Visionary Leaders

Daily Reflection (5 minutes):

  • What possibility did I see today that others might have missed?
  • How did I help others connect to our larger purpose?
  • What future opportunity am I most excited about right now?

Weekly Deep Dive (15 minutes):

  • How effectively am I translating vision into actionable steps?
  • What's one aspect of my vision that needs clearer communication?
  • Where am I getting too caught up in details instead of focusing on the big picture?
  • How can I better balance inspiration with practical execution?

Monthly Strategic Review (30 minutes):

  • How has my vision evolved based on new information or insights?
  • What evidence do I see that my vision is inspiring others?
  • Where do I need to develop stronger implementation skills?
  • What's my next breakthrough vision for our team/organization?

For Servant Leaders

Daily Reflection (5 minutes):

  • How did I serve and support my team members today?
  • What did I learn about someone's development needs or aspirations?
  • Where did I balance support with appropriate challenge?

Weekly Deep Dive (15 minutes):

  • How am I helping each team member grow and develop?
  • Where might I be avoiding difficult conversations for the sake of harmony?
  • How effectively am I connecting individual development to team goals?
  • What's one way I can better empower others this week?

Monthly Strategic Review (30 minutes):

  • How has my focus on serving others contributed to team performance?
  • Where do I need to be more direct about performance expectations?
  • How can I scale my servant leadership approach as my responsibilities grow?
  • What's the evidence that my leadership is developing other leaders?

For Democratic Leaders

Daily Reflection (5 minutes):

  • Whose input did I seek today, and how did it improve my decision?
  • Where did I effectively balance inclusion with decision speed?
  • How well did I facilitate collaboration in team interactions?

Weekly Deep Dive (15 minutes):

  • How inclusive have my decision-making processes been this week?
  • Where might I be over-consulting when decisive action is needed?
  • How effectively am I building consensus while maintaining forward momentum?
  • What's one area where I need to be more directive?

Monthly Strategic Review (30 minutes):

  • How has my collaborative approach affected team engagement and results?
  • Where do I need to develop more confidence in making autonomous decisions?
  • How can I improve my facilitation skills to make meetings more effective?
  • What's the right balance of collaboration vs. direction for my current role?

For Strategic Leaders

Daily Reflection (5 minutes):

  • What key data or insight informed my decisions today?
  • How did I connect analytical thinking with people leadership?
  • Where did I effectively translate complex information into clear direction?

Weekly Deep Dive (15 minutes):

  • How well am I balancing analytical rigor with speed of execution?
  • Where might I be over-analyzing instead of taking action?
  • How effectively am I communicating strategic insights to inspire others?
  • What's one area where I need to trust intuition over data?

Monthly Strategic Review (30 minutes):

  • How has my strategic thinking contributed to team and organizational success?
  • Where do I need to develop stronger emotional intelligence and people skills?
  • How can I make my analytical insights more accessible and inspiring?
  • What's my strategy for staying agile while maintaining systematic approach?

For Transformational Leaders

Daily Reflection (5 minutes):

  • What growth opportunity did I create or highlight today?
  • How did I inspire someone to reach beyond their comfort zone?
  • Where did I model the change I want to see in others?

Weekly Deep Dive (15 minutes):

  • How effectively am I balancing transformation with operational stability?
  • Where might I be pushing change too fast without adequate support?
  • How well am I preparing others for the pace and scope of change?
  • What's one area where I need to slow down and build more foundation?

Monthly Strategic Review (30 minutes):

  • What evidence do I see of sustainable transformation in my area of influence?
  • Where do I need to focus more on systems and processes to support change?
  • How can I better balance breakthrough thinking with practical implementation?
  • What's my next level of transformational leadership development?

For Authentic Leaders

Daily Reflection (5 minutes):

  • How did my actions align with my stated values today?
  • Where was I most genuine and transparent in my leadership?
  • What's one area where I felt tension between authenticity and effectiveness?

Weekly Deep Dive (15 minutes):

  • How consistently am I living my values in leadership decisions?
  • Where might I be avoiding difficult decisions to maintain likability?
  • How effectively am I building trust through transparent communication?
  • What's one area where I need to be more courageously authentic?

Monthly Strategic Review (30 minutes):

  • How has my authentic leadership approach affected team culture and performance?
  • Where do I need to balance authenticity with strategic communication?
  • How can I maintain my authentic leadership style as my influence grows?
  • What's the next level of authentic leadership I want to develop?

For Adaptive Leaders

Daily Reflection (5 minutes):

  • How did I effectively navigate uncertainty or change today?
  • Where did I help others become more comfortable with ambiguity?
  • What did I learn that caused me to adjust my approach?

Weekly Deep Dive (15 minutes):

  • How well am I balancing flexibility with consistent direction?
  • Where might I be changing course too frequently without giving strategies time to work?
  • How effectively am I helping my team develop adaptive capabilities?
  • What's one area where I need more strategic anchoring?

Monthly Strategic Review (30 minutes):

  • How has my adaptive leadership helped navigate recent challenges?
  • Where do I need to provide more stability and predictability for others?
  • How can I develop better frameworks for decision-making in uncertainty?
  • What's my strategy for building adaptive capability across the organization?

For Results-Driven Leaders

Daily Reflection (5 minutes):

  • What key results did I drive or enable today?
  • How did I balance performance focus with people development?
  • Where did I remove obstacles to help others achieve their goals?

Weekly Deep Dive (15 minutes):

  • How effectively am I achieving results through others vs. doing everything myself?
  • Where might I be focusing on short-term results at the expense of long-term capability?
  • How well am I balancing high performance standards with team sustainability?
  • What's one area where I need to invest more in capability building?

Monthly Strategic Review (30 minutes):

  • How has my results focus contributed to both performance and team development?
  • Where do I need to slow down and invest more in innovation and strategic thinking?
  • How can I maintain high performance while building more sustainable practices?
  • What's my next level of results leadership that includes broader impact?

Universal Weekly Reflection Questions

For all leadership styles:

  • What's one leadership success I want to celebrate this week?
  • What's one leadership challenge that taught me something important?
  • How did I grow as a leader this week?
  • What's one specific thing I want to improve in my leadership next week?
  • Who did I impact positively through my leadership, and how?

These prompts help leaders develop self-awareness and continuous improvement habits tailored to their specific leadership style while building overall leadership effectiveness.

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