The 5 questions Navy SEALs use to learn

The elite Navy SEALs conduct an After Action Review (AAR) asking these 5 questions to reflect after a mission:
1. What were our intended result?
2. What were our actual results?
3. What caused our results?
4. What will we do the same next time?
5. What will we do differently?

This is a brilliant, and simple reflection tool after a large event. I use it often and have facilitated learning sessions with groups many times.

I first read about the this in Daniel Coyle in his brilliant book The Culture Code.

The tool was created by Navy SEAL Dave Cooper. He says:

“Rank switched off, humility switched on. You’re looking for that moment where people can say, ‘I screwed that up.’ In fact, I’d say those might be the most important four words a leader can say: ‘I screwed that up.'” Dave Cooper as quoted in The Culture Code

If you’ve used the Delegation Framework, that becomes your input into “What were our intended results?” It is natural to find delegation defects, and it’s imperative you stay open to that to improve your Delegation itsself.

I use a few other quotes when I facilitate these:

“We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” –  John Dewey

“It is the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time is neutral. It can be used either destructively or constructively.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail

“Pain + Reflection = Progress” – Ray Dalio, Principles

Download a free After Action Review guide to bring to your first AAR here:
https://evan-hickok.ck.page/aar

Evan Hickok

Evan Hickok has over twenty years of experience designing and managing high-complexity systems in high-consequence environments. As a Systems Engineer and Program Manager, he has guided projects through every phase of the product life cycle—from concept, detailed design, transition to production, production, installation & activation, and operational support. A dedicated researcher of team dynamics, Evan focuses on building high-performing teams capable of delivering exceptional results in the most challenging environments. He shares his insights and frameworks in the Lighthouse Leadership newsletter, published almost weekly at evanhickok.com.

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