Evaluate the Process, Not Just the Results

AAR- After Action Review.

What is that?

A process that the Navy SEALS use after every mission. Regardless of success or failure. They examine all the details of what just happened.

The wins are looked at for breakdowns. The losses for what went right.

• What were the intended vs. actual results?

• What caused them?

• What will be done the same or differently next time?

  
  

They reflect like this after every mission. Every single time.

An important piece of their evaluation process is that everyone is involved. Leaders & non-leaders.

The other key part is that ego is left at the door. Everything is up for examination. How something was communicated. How someone responded. How the task was executed, or wasn’t. It doesn’t matter who; there is constant feedback given and received.

I’ve seen this in some of the best teams I’ve worked with, too. A space that invites conversation, collaboration, feedback, and sometimes extremely difficult conversations.

None of that happens, though, without a consistent process for evaluating performance. This part is so easy to overlook and take for granted. It’s easy to look at a win and say, "We did everything right; we don’t need to go over anything tonight.” Or, “that was supposed to happen.”

The best high performers (individuals and teams) don’t let that happen.

Here are some other ways to focus on the process and not the results.

• Golfers not looking at the leaderboard during the round. Commit to the shot right in front of them. Understand the wind, lie, which club to use, etc. Take the shot. Move on to the next one. Don’t look at the overall score until the round is finished. When the round is done, they consider if they stuck to that process throughout 18 holes.

• Pilots have a checklist before every flight. A safe landing doesn’t mean they’ve mastered flying and don’t need to go through the checklist again. Success doesn’t mean you can skip the process. Do it every time.

• Coaches- evaluate players based on the “intangibles”. Attitude, preparation, effort, etc. Reflect on those things after a game or practice. This avoids traditional stats and praises the standards you’ve established in your program.

  
  

You don’t have to be part of the SEALS to evaluate your process.

Consider how you currently view yours without the results.