You faced a setback at work. How can you effectively share the lessons learned with your team or supervisor?

Something useful that I picked up from another senior OD consultant is what he called 'FTF...OK'. Facts: what has happened, i.e. seen, read, heard Think: what are the narratives being circulated Feel: my feelings about the matter, and be precise. Options: what are the hopes and wants that need to be addressed? Kindness: be thoughtful, concise, and honest when communicating. I have started practicing this in essential, difficult conversations and found that it allows important matters to be expressed and discussed openly and honestly. It also allow the other party to speak up.

I would initiate a candid conversation with my team or supervisor, creating an open environment where discussing setbacks is encouraged and seen as an opportunity for growth.

Sharing the lessons learned after a setback is crucial for growth, and reflection plays a key role in this process. By thoroughly reflecting on what happened, you can identify not only the root cause of the issue but also the steps needed to avoid similar setbacks in the future. When you share these insights with your team or supervisor, it demonstrates your commitment to learning and improving, turning a challenge into an opportunity for growth. Emphasize how this reflection has led to actionable strategies that can benefit the entire team moving forward.

Before the discussion, I would take time to reflect on what went wrong, identifying the key factors that contributed to the setback. This helps ensure that the conversation is thoughtful and well-informed.

While I agree that positive framing supports learning and better motivates the team to improve, it is still important to acknowledge that there was a difficult situation. Especially if the challenges were man-made, there should be a process to recognise that more care could have been put in to carry out the responsibilities. We should not witch-hunt, we should also not brush off mistakes. Done wisely, this would empower the team to learn more than actions. It would hopefully instill a mindset and situation awareness to preempt pitfalls.

During the discussion, I would provide constructive feedback on the situation, focusing on the processes or decisions that led to the issue rather than placing blame. This helps maintain a positive and solution-oriented atmosphere.

In a continuous improvement environment, the concept of "Lessons Learned" is fundamental. It involves reflecting on past experiences, particularly setbacks or failures, to extract valuable insights. These insights aren't just for review; they serve as actionable steps to improve future processes and prevent similar issues from arising. By documenting and sharing these lessons, teams can build a knowledge base that informs decision-making, enhances performance, and drives ongoing progress. "Lessons Learned" transforms challenges into opportunities for growth and continuous improvement.

I would share specific, actionable insights that could prevent similar setbacks in the future. These might include process changes, new approaches, or adjustments in strategy.

I would outline any follow-up measures I plan to take, such as implementing new practices or monitoring progress more closely, to demonstrate my commitment to learning from the experience.

A simple and easy way to build this into day-to-day work is for the team to always ask themselves 2 questions: 1. "Have we done this or something similar before?" 2. "What did we learn from the past experiences that can be applied?"

Finally, I would discuss how the setback has contributed to my personal and professional growth, showing that I am resilient and capable of learning from challenges.

In my experience, what is most useful about opening up on lessons learned from setbacks is that you will often get new perspectives on the situations. I found that the more I share with people, whether within the team, with my bosses, or with fellow practitioners, I gain different ideas and insights. This is because people may interpret the situations differently and thus have their unique approaches to address the issues. This enables me to expand on the learning as well as gain wider range of viewpoints.