Conducting Lessons Learned workshop can be very valuable.  Not just after a project finish, but during the course of a project.  When conducting such a workshop, collect and sort the feedback of the team AND let the team prioritize its feedback.  Experience shows that it is best to focus on the top 3 lessons learned for the days to come.  This does not mean that the other collected feedback is less important.  Focusing on the top 3 lessons learned will it make it easier to focus the team energies on a limited number of goals rather scattering and wasting its energies.

The effective leader encourages lessons learned workshops.  We all learn from the past.  Hence, we should welcome and request constructive feedback.  It could very well be that the feedback is not to our liking.  Indeed, it this is the case it should make us think even harder how we can improve in the future.  Yes, this can be difficult at times.  But, how can we give feedback to others and block any critical remarks from others?!  Sharing feedback in a lessons learned workshop is a two-way street.  Effective leaders encourage this process to develop and take place.  The opposite of being open to feedback and growth opportunities is ignorance, arrogance and professional immaturity.  None of the latter characteristics are part of effective leadership.