Challenge 8: How a focus group session became a learning moment for my team

I stepped in to moderate when I saw my team losing the room to the louder agents, both to protect the findings and to turn it into a study case.

After launch in January 2022, we returned in June for user research with real estate agents, the priority segment for the business. Agents keep unpredictable hours, so we ran open focus groups where whoever was available joined. Some agents dominated the conversation, my team was struggling to bring the quieter ones back in, and the insights were at risk of skewing toward the loudest voices. I stepped in as moderator, then debriefed with the team afterward on what to watch for next time.

Recognising when the work is at risk and turning the fix into a learning point for the entire team is a manager's responsibility.