Integrating Continuous Improvement into Team Meetings

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.

Your team needs growth conversations. Your calendar says there’s no time. I see this pattern often: • Growth deferred to quarterly reviews • Career planning treated as a separate task • Development frameworks too complex to sustain ---> Here’s the shift to make ---> Embed development into your day-to-day interactions. This is what has worked for me... — The 3-Question Method — 1. “What challenged you here?” ↳ Surfaces learning edges and skill gaps 2. “What would make more doable?” ↳ Sparks process improvements and resource clarity 3. “How can I better support you?” ↳ Builds development partnerships and coaching opportunities 💡 The core insight Growth doesn’t need its own meeting. It needs intention inside the meetings you already have. Try this approach: → Pick one recurring meeting → Reserve 10 minutes at the end → Focus on one team member per week → Track what patterns emerge What's worked for you, formal development programs or integrated conversations?

You came to the EOS framework and the L10 meeting tool ready to solve something real. And then you hear, "I don’t have any real issues this week." Ugh. It pops the bubble of optimism, the hope you had for change by implementing this business operating system. But here's the reality - at first, your team might not come in ready for addressing what's not working and going toe to toe with conflict. That’s normal. Most teams don’t start out bringing real issues to the table. They bring updates. They bring noise. They bring operational stuff that should’ve been an email. Why? Because naming real issues means naming friction...and most people avoid conflict until they believe something will actually change. So if you’re hearing “no real issues this week” in your L10, it’s time to coach your team to see the meeting differently. Here’s how I think about it: L10 isn’t just a place to give updates. It’s a problem-solving arena. And as a leader, your job isn’t to sit there asking, “Any issues?” It’s to make it clear that if you show up without one, you’re not really doing your job. Because let’s be honest—every team has friction. If it’s not getting raised, it’s getting buried. Want your team to get there? Coach first. Then raise the bar. Based on my experience as an Integrator, here’s what to say, and when to say it. 🎯 When reviewing Scorecard or Rocks: “That red number? That off-track milestone? That is an issue. If it’s not in the list, let's add it now.” 🎯 Mid-meeting, if issues are tee'd up too vague or surface-level: “Let's dig deeper. ‘Sales are behind’ is really vague. Give me a little more - based on your perspective, what’s the root? What’s the cost of not taking action today? What decision are we avoiding?” 🎯 At the end of the meeting, to reset expectations: “If you didn’t bring an issue today, ask yourself why. Is there something you're avoiding? Or no trust it’ll go anywhere? Either way, let’s fix it.”