My SOAR Reflection
A personal reflection to prepare for your Wellbeing Check-in
Name
Role
Date
Before we sit down together, this is your time - a chance to think slowly, to notice what's true, to name what you're proud of, what you're curious about, and where you want to go next. The SOAR framework, originally developed by Stavros, Cooperrider, and Kelley (2003) as an appreciative, strengths-based approach to strategic planning, starts with what's already working. Think of this as an honest conversation you have with yourself, before we have one together. There are no right or wrong answers. Be honest. Be generous with yourself. Be curious.
S
Strengths
What you already bring. The foundation you stand on.
"Building on strengths is not self-congratulation - it is the most honest place to begin." (paraphrased from Stavros, Cooperrider & Kelley, 2003)
What do I do well in my role, and what evidence do I have of that, even small moments?
Think of a recent time at work when I felt most like myself, most capable, most effective. What was I doing? What does that tell me about my strengths?
What do the people who know my work best notice in me that I sometimes forget to see in myself?
Thinking about my Phoenix Cups® profile, what does my unique needs strengths profile bring to the way I work and the people I work with?
O
Opportunities
What's possible from here. The paths worth exploring.
"Every strength has a door it hasn't opened yet."
Your strengths are already pointing somewhere - this is the space to notice where.
What new possibilities or directions am I noticing in my work right now, however small or early?
Where could I apply my strengths in a way I haven't yet explored? What ideas or directions keep coming back to me?
What's one area that, if I stepped into it more fully, could genuinely shift something, for me, or for the people I work alongside?
Which of my Cups® feels most empty in my work right now? What opportunity might that Will to Fill™ be pointing me toward?
A
Aspirations
Where you want to go. What you dare to hope for.
"Systems grow toward the collective vision of the future." (paraphrased from Stavros, Cooperrider & Kelley, 2003)
If my work felt exactly right, challenging, meaningful, and energising, what would I be doing more of? What would be different from right now?
What impact do I most want to have, on the children, the families, my team, or the broader field?
What am I ready to attempt in the next 12 months? What would make that possible?
If I imagine myself 12 months from now with fuller Cups®, what has changed? What am I doing differently, feeling differently, experiencing differently?
R
Results
What growth looks, feels, and sounds like - from the inside.
"The most sustaining motivation comes not from reward or recognition, but from the lived experience of growing, connecting, and choosing, from the inside out." (paraphrased from Ryan & Deci, 2000)
On a scale of 1 to 10, where am I right now in relation to my aspirations? What would one point higher look, feel, or sound like in my day-to-day work?
Where am I noticing growth in my own capability and confidence? What do I know now, or do better now, than I did a year ago?
In what moments do I feel most like myself at work, most autonomous, most purposeful, most genuinely connected to what I do and who I do it with? How can I create more of those moments?
What changes in me would the people closest to my work notice first?
📋 Copy All Responses
When you've finished filling in your reflection, click Compile My Responses to gather everything into the box below - then use Copy to Clipboard to paste it somewhere safe.
⚠️ Important: This form does not save your answers. If you close or refresh the page, your responses will be lost. Once you have copied your responses, please paste them into an email and send it to yourself - so you have them safe and ready to share at your Wellbeing Check-in meeting.
✔ Copied to clipboard!
This tool draws on three complementary frameworks: the SOAR structure (Stavros, Cooperrider & Kelley, 2003), grounded in Appreciative Inquiry; Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, which prioritises exceptions, scaling, and preferred futures; strengths-based practice (McCashen, 2005); and Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), which identifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as the core intrinsic needs underpinning sustained motivation and growth. Adapted for individual professional development at Phoenix Support for Educators. The Phoenix Cups® is a registered trademark of Phoenix Cups IP Holdings Pty Ltd.
My SOAR Reflection
A personal reflection to prepare for your Wellbeing Check-in
Name
Role
Date
Before we sit down together, this is your time - a chance to think slowly, to notice what's true, to name what you're proud of, what you're curious about, and where you want to go next. The SOAR framework, originally developed by Stavros, Cooperrider, and Kelley (2003) as an appreciative, strengths-based approach to strategic planning, starts with what's already working. Think of this as an honest conversation you have with yourself, before we have one together. There are no right or wrong answers. Be honest. Be generous with yourself. Be curious.
S
Strengths
What you already bring. The foundation you stand on.
"Building on strengths is not self-congratulation - it is the most honest place to begin." (paraphrased from Stavros, Cooperrider & Kelley, 2003)
What do I do well in my role, and what evidence do I have of that, even small moments?
Think of a recent time at work when I felt most like myself, most capable, most effective. What was I doing? What does that tell me about my strengths?
What do the people who know my work best notice in me that I sometimes forget to see in myself?
Thinking about my Phoenix Cups® profile, what does my unique needs strengths profile bring to the way I work and the people I work with?
O
Opportunities
What's possible from here. The paths worth exploring.
"Every strength has a door it hasn't opened yet."
Your strengths are already pointing somewhere - this is the space to notice where.
What new possibilities or directions am I noticing in my work right now, however small or early?
Where could I apply my strengths in a way I haven't yet explored? What ideas or directions keep coming back to me?
What's one area that, if I stepped into it more fully, could genuinely shift something, for me, or for the people I work alongside?
Which of my Cups® feels most empty in my work right now? What opportunity might that Will to Fill™ be pointing me toward?
A
Aspirations
Where you want to go. What you dare to hope for.
"Systems grow toward the collective vision of the future." (paraphrased from Stavros, Cooperrider & Kelley, 2003)
If my work felt exactly right, challenging, meaningful, and energising, what would I be doing more of? What would be different from right now?
What impact do I most want to have, on the children, the families, my team, or the broader field?
What am I ready to attempt in the next 12 months? What would make that possible?
If I imagine myself 12 months from now with fuller Cups®, what has changed? What am I doing differently, feeling differently, experiencing differently?
R
Results
What growth looks, feels, and sounds like - from the inside.
"The most sustaining motivation comes not from reward or recognition, but from the lived experience of growing, connecting, and choosing, from the inside out." (paraphrased from Ryan & Deci, 2000)
On a scale of 1 to 10, where am I right now in relation to my aspirations? What would one point higher look, feel, or sound like in my day-to-day work?
Where am I noticing growth in my own capability and confidence? What do I know now, or do better now, than I did a year ago?
In what moments do I feel most like myself at work, most autonomous, most purposeful, most genuinely connected to what I do and who I do it with? How can I create more of those moments?
What changes in me would the people closest to my work notice first?
📋 Copy All Responses
When you've finished filling in your reflection, click Compile My Responses to gather everything into the box below - then use Copy to Clipboard to paste it somewhere safe.
⚠️ Important: This form does not save your answers. If you close or refresh the page, your responses will be lost. Once you have copied your responses, please paste them into an email and send it to yourself - so you have them safe and ready to share at your Wellbeing Check-in meeting.
✔ Copied to clipboard!
This tool draws on three complementary frameworks: the SOAR structure (Stavros, Cooperrider & Kelley, 2003), grounded in Appreciative Inquiry; Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, which prioritises exceptions, scaling, and preferred futures; strengths-based practice (McCashen, 2005); and Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), which identifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as the core intrinsic needs underpinning sustained motivation and growth. Adapted for individual professional development at Phoenix Support for Educators. The Phoenix Cups® is a registered trademark of Phoenix Cups IP Holdings Pty Ltd.