The U.S. Army's approach to postmortems and retrospectives has evolved from lecture-based critiques to a more inclusive, participatory process called after-action reviews (AARs), which encourage open discussion and active participation among team members. This shift led to improved learning and a culture of continuous improvement. The article highlights the importance of these meetings in teams across various industries, including SalesforceIQ, Asana, and healthcare startups, where they help identify areas for improvement, assign action items, and track progress. Effective postmortems and retrospectives involve planning ahead, setting the right tone, selecting a suitable facilitator, converting discussions into actionable steps, and sharing learnings with the team and beyond. Various tools are available to support these processes, including collaborative platforms that facilitate brainstorming, prioritization, decision-making, and action item tracking. By adopting this approach, teams can foster a culture of learning, sharing, and continuous improvement, leading to increased productivity and success.