Using Debriefs to Smooth Out the Rough Spot
As the pace of winter settles in this is the ideal moment to look back at the season behind you. Not with blame, and not with storytelling that drifts wherever the coffee takes it—but with a structured, practical debrief that helps you shape the year ahead.
Most of the coming year’s headaches are already visible in the rearview mirror. The trick isn’t predicting the future. It’s paying attention to the past in a way that pulls your team into the process and turns those frustrations into system improvements. Debriefs do just that.
A good debrief is simple.
Bring in the key employees who actually lived the season—the feeders, breeders, calf team, crop guy, lead milkers. Keep the meeting small enough to encourage honest conversation, but broad enough that you’re hearing from the people closest to the work. Tell them the goal up front: identify the root (underlying) problems from last season so we don’t repeat them this season.
Then ask three questions, and stay disciplined about sticking to them:
1 - What went well that we want to continue?
Too often we skip this part, but it gives people confidence and highlights the things that are actually working.
2 - What didn’t go well?
This is where the real value sits. You’ll hear patterns: communication gaps on weekend shifts, equipment that’s always down at the worst moment, and protocols everyone interprets a little differently.
3 - What needs to change?
Don’t let the meeting drift into long explanations or defenses. Focus on solutions. Small, practical fixes are usually the most powerful—rewriting a protocol so it’s crystal clear, changing how information is passed between shifts, setting a specific time each week for the feeder and herdsman to align.
As you work through the discussion, stay out of the weeds. Look for the root cause, not the symptoms. Your job is not to solve every problem on the spot. Your job is to set the tone: direct, respectful, and focused on improvement rather than pinning the blame. Your best employees often have the solutions so resist the urge and just let them do the talking. Just encourage them and take notes.
When I walk dairies through this process, the turning point usually comes when employees realize you’re not asking these questions “for show” or trying to pin blame. You’re genuinely looking for friction points so the season ahead can run smoother for everyone—cows included.
Before wrapping up, summarize the key issues and assign owners to fix the problem. Not in a punitive way—simply clarifying who will follow up, by when, and with what solution. Ownership is what turns a good meeting into change that actually sticks.
Getting ready for next year doesn’t start in the field. It starts in a room, with your people, talking honestly about what got in the way last year and deciding—together—that this year will be even better.
Written for MILK Business Quarterly.