Yesterday, I got to work with an incredible group of leaders here in New York City. Their vision for where they are going, and how they are going to lead their people in that direction is inspiring...so much so, that I've signed on to continue working with them...
One of the reasons I enjoy this partnership is their commitment to the development process. Step by step, after each milestone, and as a result of a "big rollout" this week, they build in time to debrief everything!
“Hindsight is 20/20,” and yet few people take advantage of this wisdom systematically. How often do you take the time to do a thorough Debrief? Many people don’t do a debrief session because they are already busy working on the next project.
The purpose of the Debrief is to find better ways of doing things by identifying mistakes and clarifying objectives. Two important outcomes of this process are (1) to learn and hold onto what works and (2) to share and teach best practices.
Here are 4 topics to address during your Debrief session:
1. What worked especially well?
2. What aspects did not work? What assumptions did we make? What areas needed more support?
3. What were the big(gest) risks we took? Did we take enough risks? How could we better prepare for “surprise factor?”
4. If money, time and resources were not a factor, what would we do differently? What features, benefits or “goodies” would we add to the event? Describe in vivid detail this ideal scene in terms of wild success and flawless execution.
Most crises can be anticipated with the right planning and attention. If you’re shaking your head and saying, “No, we’re always in crisis mode,” then you need to implement this immediately and build it into your culture. You don’t have the luxury of not requiring this essential aspect of productivity management. By making the debrief session part of the complete process, you add an effective planning tool to your management ability and to your organization’s future.
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