Reflecting on Work: Was It Worth Doing? Lessons from Henry James

Having spent decades as a leader and leadership consultant, I’ve noticed a frustrating pattern: so much work, ideas, and initiatives get discarded, abandoned, or ignored.

Change programs stall halfway. Workshops and events deliver little impact. Tools and systems are rolled out only to be underused. PowerPoints are created and then shelved. Even worse, busy teams pour energy into work that never adds real business value.

This isn’t just a financial problem — it’s a human problem. People want to see the fruits of their labor. They want their work to matter, to connect to broader business success, and to create something meaningful.

So why does this happen, and what can we do about it?

Asking Better Questions: Lessons from Henry James

The writer Henry James asked three questions about art:

1. “What was the artist trying to achieve?”
2. “Did he/she succeed?”
3. “Was it worth doing?”

These questions are just as relevant in business. When a project or initiative is completed, we rarely stop to reflect. Yet reflection is critical to learning and improving.

Take, for example, moving to a new work management tool. Plans are made, tools purchased, and training conducted. Everyone’s focus is diverted from other priorities. Months later, the tool might be great—or barely used. The key question becomes:

Was it worth doing?

By asking this, we focus on lessons learned, what to replicate, and what to avoid in the future. Even if the project was a complete failure, at least we now have data to prevent repeating the same mistake.

Include the Team in Reflection

Reflection only works if it’s inclusive. Involve the people who did the work. Share findings and lessons learned. This ensures that even if energy was “wasted,” people feel acknowledged and understand the value of reflection.

Too often, leaders simply move on — sometimes to save face. But when inquiry is skipped, teams lose engagement and the same mistakes happen again.

Preventing Wasted Work Before It Starts

The best way to stop wasted effort is to ask the right questions before or during a project. Reframing Henry James’ questions for business:

1. What problem are we trying to solve? (What was the artist trying to achieve?)
2. How will we know when we’ve solved it? (Did he/she succeed?)
3. Is this problem worth solving? (Was it worth doing?)

By asking these upfront, you can avoid unnecessary work, focus energy on high-value projects, and clarify expectations.

Reflection is a Skill

Even after the work is done, asking “Was it worth doing?” is invaluable. Sometimes the answer is “no” — and that’s okay. The important part is learning from it and not repeating the same mistake twice.

Teams that reflect, learn, and iterate are the teams that consistently deliver meaningful results. And as a leader, fostering that culture of reflection is one of the most powerful ways to improve engagement, efficiency, and impact.

Takeaways

• Wasted work is both a financial and human cost.
  • 👉 See this post on Mottainia - the regret of human's most important resources - time, energy and attention
• Asking questions before, during, and after projects prevents repeated mistakes.
• Include teams in reflection to validate their effort and capture lessons.
• Sometimes failure is the best teacher — as long as we learn from it.

By embedding reflection into everyday work, organisations can ensure that effort, energy, and ideas actually translate into lasting value – and a better place to work.