Are you learning from your wins?

Strategic leaders dissect their wins to build a truly distinctive business.

→ This is the third in a 5-part series on building learning organizations. Read Part 1 here. Read Part 2 here.←

THINK ON IT: Are you learning from your wins? 

We all know that when you undersell your value, you’re leaving money on the table. Likewise, if you aren’t learning from your wins, you’re leaving valuable information on the table. 

That’s a strong statement, but it’s true. 

Often we may ask why we lost a sale, but rarely do we ask why we won one. 

Strategic leaders want to know why their customers buy. They don’t rely on assumptions. They ask questions because unexpected answers to those questions can unlock unforeseen opportunities. 

But they are also discriminating. 

They know that not all wins are created equal. Rather than tracking down feedback on every single sale, they zero in on understanding their ideal customers, knowing that the sudden bluebirds that come their way may bring more harm than good. That’s why they listen to the right customers for the right reasons. They want to learn from their wins.

And the wins you can learn from aren’t just in sales. 

Strategic leaders who want to build learning organizations teach their teams the importance of not only celebrating wins but capturing the learnings that come because of them, no matter where they arise in the organization.

You have wins in your business. What are they teaching you?

Premium Members, read on for ways to squeeze new learnings from your wins (and others). (Become a Premium Member. Paid subscribers get access to nearly 100 tools and how-tos on implementing strategic topics, including a 7-part series to help leaders build their own strategic capacity.)

“Active learners don’t walk away from a win without a backward glance. They analyze and assess.” — David Novak

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