Hello! I’m Allison and I’m an evaluation and organizational learning consultant. I’m also a mom of three young kids - which is where our story begins today.

My youngest is 18 months old. All of my kids start off with very little hair. His is still quite short, and it’s that fine baby hair that really doesn’t need much brushing. Except he LOVES to have his hair brushed. Every morning, he waits outside the bathroom door saying “hair” and when we open the door he grabs a little stool, stands at the counter, and grins with glee while we run a brush through his hair. At some point, he inevitably says “ouchie”. But here’s the thing - it doesn’t hurt him. He’s just used to watching his two older sisters, who both have shoulder-length curly hair, get their hair brushed. And sometimes, despite my best efforts, I catch a tangle and they say “ouchie”. So this little guy thinks it’s part of the routine.

What the heck does this have to do with evaluation, you might ask? Well, if you were observing me brush his hair, you might think that we need to do something differently. Maybe a new brush? Or a detangler of some sort? But you’d be missing the point, because if you ask him why he’s saying ouchie, he’d laugh and say “funny”. It’s a non-problem that we’d all be wasting our time trying to solve.

If you’re trying to build your evaluative thinking muscles, get curious and ask questions. I worked with an organization that was trying to improve staff culture. They planned a monthly coffee hour, but found it hard to get people out.

My advice: ask them. In this case, the timing was bad - they moved the coffee hour a week earlier in the month and attendance jumped. Other times, it may be that a coffee hour might not be the right fit. Maybe you’ve got a bunch of non-coffee drinkers or perhaps neurodivergent staff who would benefit from a different approach.

Asking staff about their wants and needs - as early and often as is reasonable - can save you the hassle of solving non-problems. More importantly, asking, listening, and acting on what you learn is essential for an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace.

Starting with simple questions for staff nurtures learning in organizations. It’s small steps like these that foster trust and safety, which will go a long way to truly improving your culture.

I’d love to hear about your experience. Have you ever asked a question and been surprised by the answer? Or had someone assume they knew an answer and it went super wrong? Hit reply and let me tell me all about it!

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