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.