TLDR:
One of the most valuable tools for success used in the military is a debrief. It enables people to properly learn from previous mistakes and successes, ensures systematic evolution and paves the way for better future outcomes.
Ask yourself if it’s worth it to start planning for 2020 before you’ve properly debriefed 2019. If you don’t, you’re bound to repeat the same mistakes and miss out on opportunities to double down on the things that were fruitful.
The Power of a Debrief and What I Learned in the Special Forces
It seems like everyone is setting 2020 goals and Q1 plans and I wanted to share a fundamental tool that was drilled into my head. Perhaps it can serve others in the community as well.
Here’s the common yearly goal/strategy building process:
1. 2019 Big Sexy Audacious Goal
2. 2019 Action Plan
3. No reflection of 2019 successes/failures
4. 2020 Big sexy Audacious goal
5. 2020 Action Plan
Here’s how this process is done in the special forces:
1. Desired outcome for mission #1
2. Battle plan for mission #1
3. Debrief of mission #1
4. Update of general battle methodology (or SOP’s)
5. Desired outcome for mission #2
6. Battle Plan for mission #2 (relying on updated battle plans/sops = better execution and results)…
Noticeable gap, right?
So why is everyone is talking about 2020 goals, but no one is talking about doing a 2019 DEBRIEF?
The 3 Main Reasons People Don’t Debrief
Lack of awareness
Not knowing how to go about it
It’s uncomfortable
Reason #1 will be resolved by anyone simply reading this article. Reason #2 will also be resolved as I’ve included an 8 step process on how to conduct a debrief at the end of the article.
I want to focus on reason #3 because it’s the primary reason people don’t conduct debriefs. So why does this discomfort stop people despite all the potential benefits?
Honestly put, it’s simple to do but it’s not easy to get ourselves to do it. It’s not as fun to honestly assess our shortcomings instead of “visualizing our success” and “filling our cup with positivity towards the new year” and all the Instagram unicorn nonsense.
Yes, creating 2020 goals is crucial, however aren’t we bound to make the same mistakes AGAIN and WASTE time AGAIN if we don’t make the time to asses what worked, what didn’t, take ownership of that and use that as a baseline for our future decision making processes?
Why It’s Conducted In the Special Forces and Why You Should as Well
In bootcamp we were taught from day one that failure is a part of growth. Putting us in situations where we would fail was actually one of the instructor’s primary goals. To push us beyond our limits. Then when we inevitably stumbled they would stop everything. They’d show us WHY it happened, how to avoid it next time and what we need to do in order to become elite operators.
All of us are trying to do BIG things, so it’s natural that we fail right? Yes, failure is painful but since you’ve already paid that price for failing shouldn’t you at least get your money’s worth from it and evolve regardless of the discomfort?
The logic behind debrief in the special forces is as follows:
- What doesn’t evolve dies and we MUST learn from our mistakes in order to evolve, survive and win.
- When a mistake is made, look at it straight in the face and ask the necessary questions in order to attain newfound wisdom and growth. It is vital in ensuring that the same mistake doesn’t repeat itself and takes a tragic toll.
In the special forces a debrief was ingrained in us as a given. We did a debrief after every single drill, exercise, training, mission, etc. From the most mundane and simple drills to the the most complex missions it was a must. It was a must because the price of potential failure was so devastating.
But honestly, isn’t losing another year to mediocrity in our businesses also devastating?
How to Conduct a Debrief
Here are the questions I consistently ask myself and especially now before planning out 2020:
01 What were my desired outcomes for this past year?
02 What was my plan of attack?
03 What was the outcome of the method/plan chose?
04 What was the gap between my desired outcomes and my actual outcomes?
05 Why did that gap happen?
06 What benefited me in the pursuit of my desired outcomes and how can I incorporate that into future plans?
07 What hindered me in the pursuit of my desired outcomes and how can I mitigate it moving forward?
08 Most importantly, is there a higher level principle at play here that can have an overarching effect in the future on my life and business?
* This is usually a personal trait that isn’t serving me and is causing me to make decisions that aren’t in line with my desired outcomes. See my example below.
My Main Personal Takeaway from 2019
After debriefing and going over several issues, I found one higher level principle that came into play several times. This higher level principle will go into my updated battle methodology/personal SOPs.
My higher level principle is that I need to stop trying to overcome challenges just for the sake of overcoming challenges. In 2019 when I’ve tried to overcome just for the sake of it, it’s hindered me in the pursuit of my desired outcomes.
One shortcoming that helped me see this was my work environment.
01 What were my desired outcomes for this past year?
Have an optimal work environment that would enable me to focus and be productive.
02 What was my plan of attack?
I would work from home, have a comfortable 2 monitor set up and focus on work between 8 am to 7 pm.
03 What was the outcome of the method/plan chose?
It was challenging for me to really focus at home and I didn’t achieve as much as I wanted.
04 What was the gap between my desired outcomes and my actual outcomes?
My ability to focus. It wasn’t an optimal work environment and I wasn’t able to focus well.
05 Why did that gap happen?
There are distractions at home that affect me.
06 What benefited me in the pursuit of my desired outcomes and how can I incorporate that into future plans?
On the rare occasions that I went to a work space I had a spike in my output and created actions that got me closer to my desired outcomes. I also benefited from having 2 monitors to work on.
Moving forward: If I need to get work done, then I will commit to a workspace because it’s where I’m the most productive.
07 What hindered me in the pursuit of my desired outcomes and how can I mitigate it moving forward?
Taking time to “settle in” when moving somewhere before finding a workspace.
Moving forward: If I plan to move somewhere, then I will have a designated workspace next to my home and I will sign up within 3 days because it’ll ensure a productive environment for me.
08 Most importantly, is there a higher level principle at play here that can have an overarching effect in the future on my life and business?
I recognized that while I feel like I can overcome any environment it’s an ego driven approach that I’ve previously justified by saying “I’m practicing resiliency.” The bottom line is that while this approach has served me very well in the past and helped me build a strong foundation of resiliency, it doesn’t currently benefit me in achieving my goals.
So if I truly want to achieve my goals in 2020 I have to look at things more objectively, be aware of this as an undesirable emotional default of mine and analyze my decision making process with that newfound awareness.
What’s Your Main Takeaway from 2019?
How do you go about doing this and what lessons have you learned this year? Please share in the comments below.
This visual from Ray Dalio’s Principles book is something that I have on my wall at home to help me remember to constantly go through this process. Perhaps it can serve you as well.
P.S. If you need help conducting a debrief of 2019 or want to achieve new heights in 2020 we offer 1 on 1 coaching programs and team trainings. Leave us a message below or contact us HERE.
