I recently decided to train for a half marathon happening this fall. My mind told me it would be easy since I’ve run before. I was wrong.

My first training run told me that, in reality, training for a half marathon would be the opposite of easy. I think my huffing and puffing could be heard several counties away. Why had my mind tricked me?

This comes down to something called metacognition.

Metacognition is the awareness and understanding of one’s thought processes. It’s essentially “thinking about thinking” or the ability to reflect on, monitor, and control one’s cognitive processes. In my case, I needed to think about why I had thought incorrectly. 

I have found metacognition to be rarer than one might expect. We often default to believing our first reflexive thoughts on a topic (like I did) or holding on to thinking that might have stopped serving us long ago.  If we’re not careful, one can end up believing everything they think, even when they shouldn’t.

This can be damaging for everyone, and even more so for leaders. When people are relying on your thinking to be sound, the tiniest lapses can have profound negative effects. Unclear thinking pushes people and projects off course, and the leader is often the last to comprehend the damage. I know I’m dealing with a metacognition challenge when a leader tells me, “I just can’t understand why people react to me the way they do.”

To really understand metacognition, we have to recognize its two stages:

Stage 1: Metacognitive knowledge: Understanding of one’s own cognitive abilities, tasks, and strategies. It’s when we stop settling for our default thoughts and become aware of how we really think, kind of like the moment of truth I had with my running. More serious Stage 1 moments can include harsh or unexpected feedback from bosses, colleagues, and team members.

Stage 2: Metacognitive regulation: The ability to control and manage cognitive processes, including planning, monitoring, and evaluating one’s thinking and learning.  This is where we not only recognize our thinking, but we take action to improve it.

How does one take action?

1. Practice self-reflection: Ask yourself questions like “Why did I make that choice?” or “How did I approach this problem?” Don’t settle for the reflexive answer–dig for the real one.

2. Set clear goals and monitor progress: Establish objectives for tasks or learning, and regularly assess your advancement as if you were looking at someone else’s performance. 

3. Seek vetted feedback: Be courageous enough to ask qualified people for their perspectives on your thinking and decision-making. 

Lastly, give yourself some grace if you catch yourself slipping. The desire to improve is healthy and admirable, but even the best of us falls victim to reflexive thinking now and then. If you are willing to change, you are ahead of most people. 

Now, please excuse me while I go for a training run… apparently I have a lot of work to do.