Retro Meetings Help Instill a Growth Mindset Workplace Culture
What are Retro Meetings and Why Do Retro Meetings Matter?
Many of my clients hold regular “retro meetings.” And no, you don’t have to show up in your disco attire, unless you really want to. They’re retro as in “retrospectives.”
Retros take an analytical look back at the end of a project or at the end of a month or quarter.
Retros (and I really do think you should come attired in something retro to add a little fun) can be invaluable, and not just when you’ve had challenges. It can be just as important to hold retros when everything went completely groovy (see what I did there?).
Some organizations have turned retros into monthly rituals because they help encourage curiosity, foster a continuous improvement mindset, and embolden employees to be more self aware.
How to Run a Retro Meeting
Retros don’t have to be overly complicated.
Some teams take 15-30 minutes to hold a retro using a straightforward process – set the intention of the meeting, review what worked well, review what didn’t work well, and then identify some key action items for improvement.
Yes, you could dive in deeper when appropriate and discuss whether your goals or metrics were misaligned, or whether Harpreet looks good in bell bottoms, but the key is to just start doing retros, so they become routine.
When something is deemed to be a complete failure, it becomes even more important to take some time to intentionally highlight what worked well, what lessons were learned, what funny things happened along the way, and what is still worth celebrating.
Another framework to guide retros is based on the “4Ls” created by Mary Gorman and Ellen Gottesdiener, authors of Discover to Deliver. These 4 Ls can guide retrospective conversations after a project, meeting, event, or anything you want to gain some constructive feedback on.
- Liked: What did you like most about the process?
- Lacked: What was missing? What didn’t we do or what piece of equipment or knowledge was lacking that would have helped us better succeed?
- Learned: What did you learn through the process? What did you learn about yourself? What did the team learn?
- Longed For: What you lacked is about reviewing the past, whereas what you long for is about looking to the future and imagining what you would long for if you could do it again. When did you find yourself thinking, “If only we could have ___.”
Do you hold retros? Do you have any suggestions to share with my readers, or questions – if so, please leave a comment!
And for ideas and inspiration on the importance of holding daily team huddles, pop over to: The Power of Daily Team Huddles to Build Workplace Culture
Kno
wn as “The Workplace Energizer!” Michael Kerr is a Canadian Hall of Fame keynote speaker on workplace culture, workplace culture leadership, and humor in the workplace. Michael Kerr is the author of nine books, including Small Moments, Big Outcomes: How Leaders Create Cultures That Fuel Extraordinary Results. Michael is known as one of the most entertaining, humorous, and insightful keynote speakers on workplace culture and leadership in Canada.
“By far, Michael Kerr was the best speaker we ever had.” Rod Smith, VP Business Development, Century Vallen
