A few years ago, I was tasked with creating virtual trade compliance training for my entire company. It would be distributed to over 30,000 employees, so I took the assignment seriously. I wrote a script, hired a consultant, and worked for over a year on its development and execution.

When it was completed, I had my “masterpiece.” Employees who completed it had the option of leaving a review at the end of the training: One through five stars, along with space for feedback.

With a population of over 30,000 employees, the reviews varied. The stars averaged in the four-to-five range, with some enthusiastic reviewers claiming it was “The best training I’ve ever taken!” and “Perfect.” But along with the four-star and five-star reviews came the occasional three-star or two-star review, along with comments like: “Kind of boring” and “Why do I need to know this?” For those who took the time to leave constructive feedback along with these mediocre reviews, I was able to glean useful insights and ways to improve on future versions of the training.