Conduct An After Action Review [+ BONUS]

Welcome to Lesson 12 of The Purposeful Performer!

After eleven intense weeks of building your high-performance operating rhythm, it's time to pause and reflect. This lesson introduces the After Action Review (AAR), a powerful process used by elite military units and business athletes to consolidate learning, celebrate wins, and prepare for what's next.

By slowing down now, you'll accelerate your progress in the upcoming Learning Path 2: Design A World-Class Buying Experience.

Total points up for grabs: 10 [+BONUS SESSION FOR MEMBERS]

Time for a breather: The power of intentional pauses

The After Action Review is a structured reflection process that helps you extract maximum value from your experiences. Initially developed by the U.S. Army, it's now used by high-performing teams and individuals across disciplines to turn experiences into learning and learning into better performance. It consists of four key questions:

1. What was supposed to happen?

2. What actually happened?

3. What caused the differences?

4. What will we do differently next time?

As we approach the end of Learning Path 1, we've covered substantial ground in creating your high-performance operating rhythm:

You've developed a guiding theme and persona (Lesson 01)

You've identified your current phase (Transition, Build Mode, or Steady State) (Lesson 02) 

You've reflected deeply on your past year to shape a better one ahead (Lesson 03)

You've implemented the 2-Line Framework for better decisions (Lesson 04)

You've determined your Performance Archetype (Lesson 05)

You've designed your annual calendar with intention and joy as priorities (Lesson 06)

You've created your MVP—Mission, Vision, and Passions/Principles/Priorities/Projects (Lesson 07)

You've established a Monthly Update Ritual (Lesson 08)

You've implemented a Weekly Organization System (Lesson 09)

You've crafted a Daily Execution System (Lesson 10)

You've set up a high-performance tech stack (Lesson 11)

That's a lot! (and remember, I didn’t say the transformation was going to be easy)

Why does it matter for a Level II Revenue Generator?

Instead of rushing into the following learning path, elite performers know that integration and reflection are crucial. Just as elite athletes incorporate recovery periods into their training regimens, you need time to synthesize and internalize what you've learned before tackling new challenges.

I learned this lesson the hard way. In 2011, I experienced a mini-stroke at age 32 while pushing myself relentlessly in my sales career. My body was sending signals that I needed to pause, but I ignored them until I couldn't.

Don't wait for your wake-up call. Build strategic pauses into your rhythms now.

This separates the consistent, elite performers from those who flame out—their capacity for intense work and their wisdom in knowing when to ease off the gas.

Plus, the AAR is an asset and valuable tool in and of itself—it’s something you can schedule following every meeting with your key prospects and clients.

Get accustomed to putting these on the calendar after meetings so you and your team can debrief after those significant engagements. These small, purposeful enhancements add up to make a big difference over the course of a challenging year.

So, this week, I invite you to slow down, reflect, consolidate, and integrate.

Next week, we'll test your knowledge, skills, and capabilities (literally). The week after, we'll begin building new skills.

But today, let's practice the art of the purposeful pause.

An invitation, not an assignment

Here's how to conduct your own After Action Review for Learning Path 1:

[BONUS SESSION FOR MEMBERS BELOW]

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