Look Back, Look Forward

Molly Graham does a look back, look forward every month or two, or at the end of a project — whatever milestone that makes the most sense for an employee’s role. She asks them to look back on a project that they just finished and run through these questions:

Look back:

• What did you like about that? What felt good?
• What did you hate about it? What didn’t feel good?
• What’s the most important thing you learned?
• Do you want to do more of that type of work, or less?
• What do you want to do differently next time?

Look forward:

• What’s the next challenge?
• What’s the next big step or career goal you want to reach for?
• What type of work do you want to take on, whether it’s a current project in the company or something that might potentially show up in the future?

In essence, it’s about carving out the time to help an individual reflect on their learning, unpack what didn’t work so that they know what to change next time, and then look toward the next challenge on the horizon.

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