Get smarter ask this one question

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Get Smarter: Ask This One Question
If you want your team to learn from experience, I encourage you to add this simple question to your
conversations.
Courtesy Untitled Blue via Flickr
My team has a not-so-inside joke about me. Here's why they tease me: Whenever we get unexpected
results, or friction with a client or vendor or in a new working environment, at the end of the day I ask
them:
"What are we learning?"
I'm not the first person to notice that smart people still repeat mistakes often. Even smart people
often fail to learn from experience.
If you want your organization to learn from all of its experiences, then I encourage you to adopt this
simple question as a part of your regular dialogue.
You could ask it at the conclusion of every meeting, but I have found that people get numb to the
exercise, so it produces a diminishing quality of responses. You could ask it by email, but I have found
that I get short answers or no response at all.
How to Get the Best Results
So if you are going to adopt this question, here are a few guidelines:
When to ask: I like to ask just after the part of the conversation when people have let off steam. I don't
have much stomach for general complaining, but some frustration is understandable when people are
focusing on their own excitement, surprise or disappointment. My goal is to transfer the energy of the
moment into behavioral reinforcement or change for the future.
How to ask: Usually, I start with a quick summary of the circumstances what we expected, where we
are now, and how we got to this point. Of course, because I am in the conversation, I have to try to
check my own emotional energy at the door, which is not easy. But one of my old mentors told me,
"Facts are our friends, even when they are unfriendly." I try to stick to the facts.
Who to ask: Each time, try to ask someone different to weigh in first. That's a good way to make
certain that, over time, everyone gets heard. Many small teams have some very vocal members, while
others are quiet. However, some of the best insights may come from the quiet members and to get
their ideas means asking them first.

Start positive: The group will want to hear what you have to say. Go last and start first with the
productive and positive lessons first. The risk inherent in this question is that it can become another
way to point out faults and flaws. That will not produce a culture that embraces learning.
Skip the blame: Similarly, keep in mind that "What are we learning?" is a very different question than
"Whose fault is it?" You are looking for insights that will change behaviors and increase the potential for
success in the future. To do that, focus on the facts and the process, not the people.
Even though my team teases me, I catch my employees using the same technique with vendors, clients,
and each other. Learning organizations win.
Author, speaker and consultant Tom Searcy is the foremost expert in large account sales.
With Hunt Big Sales, he's helped clients land more than $5 billion in new sales. Click to get
Tom's weekly tips, or to learn more about Hunt Big Sales. @tomsearcy