Metacognition has been an unbeknownst to me piece of my leadership journey. I have been dedicated throughout my career and leadership journey to practice reflection and mindfulness as I continue to grow as a leader. Smith et al (2024) refer to metacognition as “the capacity to reflect on past events and evaluate existing knowledge” which “enables us to optimize our predictions about the future, leading to changes in behavior” (Smith et al., 2024, p. 1). I have always referred to this practice as reflection and have intertwined it into my daily practice as a leader. Metacognition is an important piece of my journey as there is always more to learn as a leader and within the field of homeless services. With the everchanging landscape of homeless services, it’s imperative that I am reflecting on the systemic challenges that lead to an experience of homelessness. Through reflection, I can then identify the best solution to plan and move the needle forward and make impacting change in the services we are providing at Willis Dady Homeless Services.
A study conducted by Smith et al surrounding metacognition and the experience of a traumatic event showed that there was a relationship between high levels of stress and metacognitive efficiency (Smith et al., 2024, p. 9). This was an interesting finding as it relates to my adaptive research project to implement trauma-informed care within the staff culture at Willis Dady Homeless Services. As homeless service providers, we experience high levels of stress and trauma daily, which could be impacting metacognition being practiced and seeing successful results. This finding aligns with one of my project goals to implement a reflection and self-care room for staff to utilize in our offices. By having a safe space to practice metacognition after a traumatic experience, our staff will have more opportunity to have a positive outcome and take care of their needs to reduce burn out and post traumatic stress disorder.
References:
Smith, A. J., Bisby, J. A., Dercon, Q., Bevan, A., Kigar, S. L., Lynall, M., . . . Nord, C. L. (2024). Hot metacognition: Poorer metacognitive efficiency following acute but not traumatic stress. Translational Psychiatry, 14(1), 133. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-024-02840-z