All successful leaders embody a mindset of constant learning.
The lessons we value most are things that we discover for ourselves. But that only happens if we look for them.
In this video I’ll cover the second of two basic questions you should always ask yourself at the end of any meeting, important phone call as well as at the end of the day, week, month and year.
In case you missed it, you can Watch part 1 – What Went Well here.
Here’s part 2 – The “Even Better If” question you should ask after “What Went Well”.
Transcript
This is Rashid Kotwal.
In this video I’ll cover the second of two basic questions you should always ask yourself at the end of any meeting, important phone call as well as at the end of the day, week, month and year.
In case you haven’t seen the first video, here’s a brief recap.
All successful leaders embody a mindset of constant learning.
The lessons we value most are things that we discover for ourselves. But that only happens if we look for them.
So the first question is WWW or what went well?
Asked at the end of any activity, it allows you to focus on the positive. What you did well even though not everything went to plan.
This is not just about building your self-confidence and patting yourself on the back. It’s about building your knowledge about how you went about it, so it can be replicated and codified.
The second question is EBI or Even Better If?
Even better if is the antidote to the what went wrong question we often focus on when things don’t work out as expected.
What went wrong leads to blame. Focusing on the Even better if question leads to insight and action. It forces you to think about how you could do things better in future. It’s a learning question, not an inquest question.
Top professionals constantly want to learn and improve. And the combination of what went well and even better if should be your constant companions regardless of what field you’re in.
Now, there are lots of ways you can go about this continuous learning and improvement.
Have a coach whom you talk to about your learnings on a regular basis.
Set up a system to debrief the What Went Well and Even Better If after every meeting.
Spend 5 minutes a day reflecting on what went well and even better if.
It doesn’t matter what your system is, provided you have one that works for you.
Now, as a leader, you can also use this system with your team.
Focus your feedback on development. You can use the what went well and even better model to have sensible conversations about growth and development.
Let me wrap up by saying there’s not much point in learning without application.
Once you’ve been through your WWW and EBI, what are the one, two or three things that you will continue to do and what are the one, two or three things you’ll do differently in the future?
Remember, constant learning and improvement are the key to your leadership success.
As always add your insights and comments below and if you found this valuable share it with your colleagues and friends.
Till next time, this is Rashid Kotwal.
