"We don’t learn from our experience- we learn from reflecting on our experience." John Dewey

As a preschool teacher, I learned quickly that going on that field trip to the farm wasn’t the learning opportunity I thought it was. The trip was the experience, but not the learning. The real learning came when we got together as a group and discussed what we saw, heard, felt, smelt, and tasted. The debrief.

I took that new knowledge into my new role as a professional development trainer and speaker and learned how to do many kinds of debriefs. I realized the teaching/speaking part wasn’t as necessary as the debrief after!

"Reflective thinking turns experience into insight." John C. Maxwell

As I moved along in my career and became a coach/consultant for leaders, I had the pleasure and honor of attending and influencing many meetings, the good, the bad, and the ugly. One thing I learned was that not all meetings are created equal.

The teams who consistently used debriefs...

"If every time a child comes up with an opinion he is squelched and put in his place, he learns that it is 'right' for him to be a nobody, and 'wrong' to be a somebody." Maltz

Many parents, teachers, and coaches understand this idea and try to encourage children whenever they can. Great leaders also use this principle with adults.

What if you replaced the word ‘child’ in this quote with the spouse? Co-worker? Team member? Employee?

This week I talked to several coaching clients and they all referenced really bad meetings. One of them told a story about the leader who discounted everyone’s idea at the table because it wasn’t his. Have you ever experienced that? Or perhaps you’re having a conversation with someone on social media or a friend over coffee. It doesn’t feel good to have your idea invalidated, does it?

How you handle someone else’s opinion or idea goes a long way toward successful leadership and it is imperative to get the results...