Techniques For Effective Team Debriefs

One of the greatest strengths of the SEAL Teams, that often isn't apparent in movies or TV shows, is not the high-speed technology or rigorous physical fitness. It’s our ability to constantly innovate and adapt. We do this through a simple process: The DEBRIEF. After every mission, we’d review what went right, what went wrong, and what could to do to fix it. We'd take those lessons learned and roll them right into the planning and execution of the very next mission. And then repeat that process. But this tool isn’t limited to the military. The Debrief is one of the most underrated tools for performance improvement for any team. By getting your team together at the end of any project, work week, or training evolution, you can encourage everyone on your team to come up with ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness going forward. Here are a few guidelines to make it work for your team: 1. Let people know ahead of time to come up with at least two things: one thing that went well and one thing they think could be improved. 2. Take notes. This shows the team that their feedback matters and that lessons learned aren’t just lip service. 3. Have the most junior person speak first. Junior members bring a fresh perspective and, if they speak first, are less likely to be influenced by what others say. If they speak later, they might just echo the thoughts of more senior team members. Debriefs do more than identify areas for improvement. They build a culture of innovation, of continuous learning and improvement.

You should debrief as a sales team after EVERY sales call. But most people don’t do it right, and it becomes an extra 15 minutes of wasted time. This is how I make debriefs both short and effective for AEs, SEs, and Managers. - - - Early in my career I had a sales leader who MANDATED that Sales Reps and Sales Engineers debriefed after every sales call. - No rushing off to the airport to catch your plane - No scheduling back-to-back-to-back zoom calls This was something that was a REQUIRED meeting after every call. It was so valuable to me, that I still do it after every single call with my team. The agenda is the same every time: 1. What went well? 2. What could we have done better? The agenda isn't the hard part. The hard part is getting people to give CRITICAL feedback. Because most people don't want to hurt their teammates' feelings. So if you are finding that you're not getting a lot of value out of these meetings, try this sytem: 1. When asking "what went well," have the NEWEST team member go first. If you don’t do this, that person will often just agree with what the more senior people said beforehand because they don't feel safe to give critical feedback yet. 2. When asking "what could we have done better," have the MOST TENURED team member go first and have them set the example of what critical feedback looks like. 3. When the most tenured team member speaks, have them start with critical SELF-feedback first, not finger-pointing. For example, you may say something like, "I did a good job of getting the client talking, but I let us go off topic. We had no time to discuss the commercials and it felt rushed at the end. What else felt rushed and out of place to you all?" This opens the door to both critical and collaborative feedback from everyone. - - - Remember, some people in sales are agreeable and don't like conflict (hint: they're often sales engineers). So start with critical self-feedback and make it safe for everyone to open up. There are so many ways to debrief. How do you do it?

Most teams don’t get better because they don’t take time to debrief. Last year, I had the honor of doing a bunch of leadership development work alongside my dear friend and amigo, Michael French. He’s a multi-time founder with successful exits, a fantastic family, and a heart of gold. One of the most powerful tools we taught together (really he, Michael O'Brien, and Admiral Mike McCabe taught, and I amplified in my sessions) was the concept of a Topgun-style debrief — and then we practiced it ourselves after every single session as a group. It’s a simple but transformative ritual. After every experience, we’d ask each other: What went well? What could have gone better? And what actions will we take to be even better next time? That’s it. Just three questions. But when asked in a space of trust, it opens the door to continuous improvement, honest reflection, and shared learning. The coolest part? Michael started doing it at home with his son — and now his son comes home from school excited to debrief the day with his dad. That’s when you know the tool is working. The origins of this approach go back to the Navy Fighter Weapons School — better known as Topgun. In the 1960s, Navy pilots were underperforming in air combat. So they changed the way they trained. But more importantly, they changed the way they debriefed. They created a culture of constructive, positive, inclusive performance reviews — grounded in trust, openness, and the pursuit of excellence. Led to a 400% improvement in pilot effectiveness. The philosophy was clear: the debrief is not about blame or fault-finding. It’s not about who “won” the debrief. It’s about learning. It’s about getting better — together. The tone is collaborative, supportive, and often informal. The goal is to build a culture of reflection where people feel safe enough to speak, to listen, and to grow. Most organizations only do debriefs when something goes wrong. But if we wait for failure to reflect, we miss all the micro-moments that help us move from good to great. Excellence isn’t a destination. It’s a mindset. It’s the discipline of always being open to improvement — even when things are going well. Especially when things are going well. So here’s my nudge to you: give this a try. Whether it’s with your team, your family, your partner, or just yourself at the end of the day — ask those three simple questions. What went well? What could have gone better? And what actions can we take to be even better next time? Let me know if you do. I’d love to hear how it goes.