10 Powerful End-Of-Year Questions To Debrief Yourself At Work
Already thinking of your New Year’s resolutions and professional goals? Hold off — there’s one important step you need to complete first: a debrief.
“We can only connect the dots looking back and should do so in order to pave our way for the future. This year, 2021, was another year of uncertainty, similar to 2020, and when we look back on what we have done and learned, it can give us the energy to continue to be resilient, confidence to take action, and the courage to make the changes we need to succeed in the future,” says Jeannie Moravits Smith, CEO and human development strategist at Dynamism Leadership.
“Looking back allows you to not just celebrate the wins and growth you’ve experienced, but also consider in which areas you could have done things differently so that you can enter the next year armed with the knowledge you need to create results and further growth,” says Carly Ferguson, executive coach and Human Design consultant.
But the thing is, if you don’t intentionally make the time to debrief, it’s easy to avoid it altogether, especially during one of the busiest times of the year.
“Debriefing is a valuable and often brushed-aside task. It is an easy task to push off until later, but later never happens,” adds Liz Coalts, owner of the Anxious Adult, LLC, a platform to help smart and overwhelmed adults manage the anxieties of business and life.
Ready to reflect and take notes? To help make your life easier, we’ve asked the three experts above to share powerful end-of-year questions you should ask yourself during your debrief.
Teamwork and strategy
Asking yourself questions related to teamwork and strategy should be one of your very first steps. Your individual efforts need to be aligned with organizational goals, and you also need effective collaboration to reach those goals.
1. What did we all just do together?
“This open-ended question provides permission for everyone on the team to share whatever they feel is important,” says Moravits Smith. According to her, allowing all contributors a chance to share their opinion and highlight their contributions without judgment cements the foundation of a team. And it’s key to stay open and avoid being rigid about the direction of the conversation.
“I encourage leaders to take the conversation in the direction it flows, as you might be surprised by what you hear. Discussing what the team just went through, what went well as well as what could have gone better further, enhances the members’ sense of belonging. And celebrating wins produces the positive energy needed to take on new challenges.”
2. How did we feel while working together?
“Taking the time to embrace feelings, in addition to facts such as annual objectives and budget goals, etc., allows individuals to have a sense of their whole self making a difference, and is a key element in building a connection to enhance engagement and trust,” adds Moravits Smith.
3. What should we stop, start or change next time?
When you discuss what went well, what challenges you faced and why as a team, you can make better strategic and operational choices moving forward. But you also set the foundation for smoother decision-making, she says.
“It’s the first step in getting buy-in and making decisions around what the team should stop doing, who and what should be included next time, and exactly where to focus change efforts to maximize success.”
Energy and state of mind
Now that you’ve tackled some core reflection topics to set yourself and your team up for success, it’s important to look back on your energy and state of mind during specific moments, as that can help you improve your individual performance and feel deeper job satisfaction.
4. How did I sell when I was selling at my best and feeling good about it?
You might not work in sales, but everyone is always selling something, from demonstrating why you’re the best candidate for a job during an interview to giving a presentation to your boss. This question is key because it encourages you to lean into your natural strengths while you “sell” instead of embracing tactics that might be holding you back because they feel forced.
“We’ve been trained to be the opposite of who we are, what feels the most natural to you is right,” shares Ferguson.
5. What energy suckers did I run into this year? What steps can I take to address these next year?
According to her, this question matters because you want to ensure you are using your energy effectively for increased success and happiness. It’s not just about getting things done, but how you get things done and how you can maximize your energy to be more impactful in the future.
6. Who did I really enjoy working with this year?
It’s also about who you get things done with. While you can’t always choose your boss or coworkers, you may have more opportunities to be selective about the people in your professional life than you think.
“Consider clients, coaches, colleagues, partners. How can you spend more time with these people next year?” says Ferguson.
7. When was I my most creative?
Ferguson also recommends asking yourself when you were the most creative. If you can identify what kind of environment you tend to be creative in, you can recreate those conditions for yourself.
Confidence and mental well-being
Finally, debriefing is an amazing tool for building confidence and nurturing your mental well-being — two things you could always use more of moving forward.
8. What was hard for me at the beginning of the year and how do I feel about that task now?
“This is a nice reminder when I struggle with new tasks or challenges that I haven’t encountered before. I often think back about how I used to drop college courses if they had more than one oral presentation, but now actively speak publicly and seek it out,” shares Coalts.
There is so much value in realizing how far you’ve come, and it’s a process that will motivate you to push more limits and reap the rewards of doing so.
9. What would I brag about this year?
This question is impactful because it helps you celebrate wins and recognize your accomplishments at any stage of your journey, according to Coalts. And the milestones you don’t perceive as notable are actually crucial to highlight.
“Your accomplishments are not the same as others, so if you think that you shouldn’t brag about something because other people have already achieved it, it downplays your success,” she says.
“For example, I quit my 9-to-5 job this year. But someone who quit their 9-to-5 job 10 years ago and has been making bank probably won’t see this as such a big accomplishment. If I choose not to brag about it because someone else has already easily achieved it, it downplays my success. Thinking about it this way helps my mindset and helps me focus on my success instead of being intimidated by others.”
10. What happened this year that made me uncomfortable?
Growth is all about getting out of your comfort zone, so you can use your debriefing session as an opportunity to identify events that made you feel uneasy. Why? To develop yourself and your skills further.
“If there is a certain skill or task that has made you anxious or overwhelmed, dive into that. What about it made you uncomfortable? Do I need more training or a coach in this area? Do I need more support?” adds Coalts.
“If it was the way you handled something, dig into why. Do you feel like you embarrassed yourself? Put your foot in your mouth? Missed a huge deadline? Think about it and decide how you can take steps to avoid or mitigate that feeling in the future.”
