As much as a family gathered around a table, paints themselves as "a picture perfect family," we know the Robertson family is anything but perfect. However, that is not the point they are trying to communicate. It has more to do with getting along despite differences and conflict. Every show ends with Phil, the dad, giving a blessing for the food. They all dig-in for Aunt Kay's, the mom, delicious meal. As the camera scans around the table, we see family and friends laughing, eating, and making gestures about something someone did. Then we hear Willie, CEO of Duck Dynasty, talk about a principle the family learned from that episode. Yes, I know the show is scripted. I am not entirely sure if they script each show around the principle, or vice versa. Regardless, this is a great exercise for leaders!
For the last few months, I have attempted to summarize or describe what happened during the course of my day. It doesn't read anything like what I hear at the end of a Duck Dynasty episode, but it does give me time to stop and reflect on what happened. Maybe it was a conversation that took place with my daughters about school. Sometimes it was a milestone that was achieved, such as when my son received his driver's license. Or, it could be a thought I had that day. Regardless, it gives me an opportunity to reflect and write.
Admittedly, I don't do this every evening as sometimes I am too tired, or I think that nothing important happened. However, when I force myself to pause and reflect on the day something always sticks out. The other thing I try to do is keep my writing short. Most of my entries are a few sentences or even in bullet point form. Why is this a great leadership exercise? Here are a few benefits that I have seen so far.
- I can remember what has transpired in the last few months.
- I can learn from my past mistakes.
- I can better determine a theme taking shape in my life.
- I can objectively look at myself and the lens in which I look through.
- I can learn how I react to life and people.
- I can learn how to be a better husband, dad, and co-worker.
Realizing what I already know about myself, I knew that I would have to plant a few things to make sure I stayed on top of this daily exercise. Here is how I have set this up.
- I created a daily reminder on my phone. It is amazing how often I would have forgotten.
- I set the alarm for 10:00PM. This is around the time I'm getting ready for bed, but still cognizant to think through the day's activities.
- I downloaded an application on my phone and ipad called vJournal. I knew that I would be less likely to handwrite these notes. It takes me less time to get out my phone or ipad and type or text my thoughts. This application also allows me to upload pictures which I can use to communicate something that happened that day.
- The vJournal application is directly linked to my Evernote account. This means all of my notes are digitally saved by date. I can easily access my entries to review, add tags, edit thoughts, etc.
