Meaningful Feedback - A Business Essential

I've been reading a chapter of the book, "The Joy of Work" by Bruce Daisley. He describes in the chapter, "Admit When You Messed Up" how valuable it is to learn from our mistakes.

He describes how a squadron leader from the UK Special Forces explained to him that members of the Special Forces are not only subjected to a rigorous process if selection (there is a a failure rate in excess of 90% from the selection regime), but are also instilled with a very powerful set of values. These values are regularly enhanced with further norms that are unique to specific teams. The squadron leader said that in order to encourage feedback from team members was to review all operations daily by offering advice by saying, "If I was to to do these particular actions again, this is what I would do". By offering feedback on his own performance, it encourages other members of the squadron to be more at ease sharing their own observations. Typically these de-briefs would only last 20 to 30 minutes and to wrap things up, the leader would summarise what had been said and outline what the squadron would do differently in the future.

It's a simple enough procedure, it contains several elements that make it a highly effective one.

Firstly, it's immediate - there's no delay between completing a day's work and reviewing it. The procedure can be applied to the civilian world: How often do you come out of a client meeting or presentation, and give no time to talk about what happened?

Dedicating 15 minutes to a pre-planned debrief before heading home would allow us to capture a clearer sense of our impressions of the meeting. Unless we plan these things, we're likely to exchange a few words on email, and by the time we come to discuss the outcome, it lacks specificity or freshness. "It went well" becomes the only thing of value we can assert with conviction. A hot debrief, by contrast, takes place then and there.

Secondly, everyone - not least the person in charge, talks about what they might have got wrong and what they could do better next time. Taking the time to confess where we personally have messed up is a powerful component of learning. The squadron leader explains that "Training is everything to us".

The act of sharing views in a non-confrontational way is crucial, as it builds trust within a team - that vital belief that team members will "do the right thing" under pressure. It's not just the military that engages in "hot debriefs". Top sports teams follow a similar approach, using breaks in a match to discuss what is working, what isn't working, and how best to adapt to the situation they currently face.

A hot debrief allows a team to pause and honestly evaluate what they have just experienced. In a relentlessly paced world, taking a moment to say, "this is what happened, and I'm sorry for what I did wrong" is incredibly powerful. Sorry is a word that by expressing vulnerability creates an environment where psychological safety can take root, along with all the advantages and benefits that flow from it.

Ref: "The Joy of Work" by Bruce Daisley