Fail forward. That’s a popular montra we hear and I believe it. Unfortunately I think that we are in danger of too quickly glossing over the “forward” part of the idea. It Is important to take a hard look at your failures, get context, find insight, and share the new found wisdom. Here are a few questions that I like my team to answer whenever there is an opportunity to learn and grow from a less optimal outcome.

What was the action taken and what was the result?
What might have been a more preferred result?
What was the specific lesson learned?
How could we identify a similar situation in the future?
What behavior is recommended for the future?
Who needs to be informed about this lesson to ensure a more preferred result?

The progression of questions take you from recalling the action, analyzing the action, determining new lessons, and deciding who needs to have this knowledge.

Try it for yourself and for your teams.