One important, vital skill is the ability to look at what at we’ve done—for example, a completed project, experience, or life chapter—and extract as much “learning” from it as possible.
You can call it what you want: a debrief, a review process, an assessment . . .
Whatever you call this, it is definitely a skill and something we can develop and get better at.
Not everyone is good at this review process. There are 2 major mistakes that any of us can make:
- Over-analyzing
- Under-analyzing
When we over-analyze, we spend too much time cogitating on what is already over. We turn it over and over and over (and over) in our heads to a degree that it is no longer helpful, but only keeps us stuck. We become too process-oriented.
We get trapped in analysis paralysis. Some people specialize in this.
People who do this truly have great intentions. They are pursuing a worthy goal—to figure out what did or didn’t work, and why. In the end, though, they just end up chasing their tail.
The second mistake we can make is to under-analyze. This is when we don’t spend enough time in the review process.
Some specialize in this as well. They just put their head down and charge full-speed-ahead, not bothering to look at what they’ve left in the wake behind them.
“The past is the past”, they say. “Forget about it”. “Move on”. All true. Yes, wise advise, IF we’ve first learned what we need to learn!
I'm all for shaking off the "loss", but only after we learn from the loss.
Sadly, many don’t think there is anything to learn. They’re the ones who keep repeating the same old mistakes.
And, under-analysis is just as ineffective, though in a different way, as over-analysis. Neither work, for different reasons.
What we need to do instead is to get rid of the “over” AND get rid of the “under”, and simply analyze. Not any more than we need to, but not one second less, either.
An effective and efficient review process is critical in not wasting our experiences, but rather taking advantage of the opportunity to learn important information that we can then use to improve the next cycle.
Coaches and teams need to review last week’s game so they can get better for this week’s game.
Businesses need to review their last quarter’s performance so they can improve this quarter’s performance.
Spouses need to review how they fared this last year (good to do it at every anniversary, by the way) so they can move into the future, continuing to change and evolve as a couple.
Are you an over-analyzer? Are you an under-analyzer? Or are there particular areas of your life where you do one or the other?
Pay attention and be mindful of this important area. A healthy review process is often the exact sticking point that makes the difference between success and failure.
We’re all a “work in progress”. Keep improving!
--Sean Cox, Chicago