Quick Question: What can we learn from…?
Quick Question
Here is today's quick question for you...What can we learn from…?
Ask it when you're...
Reviewing project outcomes - Many teams complete a basic project retro and stop there. Go beyond your project reflections. Ask with an intention to publish your learnings and apply them across your entire company. For practical tips to get this done, check out my latest article: The difference between reflection and learning - does it even matter?
Designing a new product - before going too deep into new product design, ask yourself what you can learn quickly about customers, competitors and the market. Make sure your design efforts are as informed as possible.
Developing annual team goals - creating shared learning goals for your team to focus on throughout the year will increase their engagement and sense of belonging.
Listen for...
There’s a risk that the answers you receive will be too prescriptive. The goal is to capture criteria to include in future designs, not create specific solutions.
Try to listen for:
Genuine insights - avoid falling into blame territory. Focus instead on insights that can be applied across a range of initiatives.
Consistent messages - once you start to hear reflections repeatedly, it suggests you might be on to something important.
Unresolved conversations - which topics do your team struggle to navigate together? This could point you to an important learning goal.
This question helps reinforce a blameless culture focused on innovation and continuous improvement.
Follow up with...
Sometimes, the greatest value comes from the one extra question you take the time to ask.
In this situation, you could try…
Who else needs to know this?
What do our customers want us to understand?
Who in our network is great at <our identified learning goal>?
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