Expert Field Trip Learning
Accelerate a new capability by interviewing the people who know it best.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 98%
Expert Field Trip Learning is a concentrated first-party research sprint for building an unfamiliar capability. The team defines a precise topic, identifies roughly ten of the most experienced practitioners, and arranges focused conversations over a few days or weeks. The invitation emphasizes the expert’s specific strength and removes logistical friction by meeting wherever and whenever is convenient. Interviewers probe operating models, metrics, mistakes, and unresolved tradeoffs rather than requesting generic advice. They then circulate structured notes so the entire organization benefits and convert recurring insights into experiments, hiring criteria, and system designs. The method is especially useful in emerging disciplines where established playbooks, experienced candidates, and reliable written guidance remain scarce.
Origin
HubSpot called these learning sprints “field trips” and used them to learn product-led growth from leaders at companies including Dropbox and Atlassian.
Core principles
- 01Learn directly from practitioners with current experience.
- 02Concentrate interviews into a short research sprint.
- 03Approach experts with specific and sincere recognition.
- 04Share structured notes across the organization.
- 05Convert conversations into operating decisions.
- 06Build relationships by being worth talking to.
How to run it
- 1
Frame the Learning Question
Define the specific capability, decision, or unknown the team needs to understand.
Pro tip Use a question narrow enough that multiple interviews can produce comparable evidence.
Watch out A vague request for mentorship usually produces vague advice.
- 2
Identify the Best Practitioners
Create a list of approximately ten people with direct and relevant operating experience.
Pro tip Prioritize builders who have solved the problem at a comparable scale.
Watch out Visibility and expertise are not always the same.
- 3
Make a Respectful Ask
Tell each person exactly what expertise you admire, request a limited amount of time, and make the meeting convenient for them.
Pro tip A specific compliment is more credible than generic flattery.
Watch out Do not disguise a sales pitch as a research interview.
- 4
Probe the Operating System
Ask how the expert measures progress, sequences work, handles failure, and makes tradeoffs.
Pro tip Request concrete examples and artifacts when appropriate.
Watch out Copying a tactic without its context can produce the wrong result.
- 5
Share Structured Notes
Record the same categories after every interview and distribute the findings throughout the team.
Pro tip Highlight agreements, contradictions, and open questions separately.
Watch out Private notes prevent organizational learning.
- 6
Turn Research Into Practice
Use the evidence to design experiments, metrics, team roles, and follow-up questions.
Pro tip Maintain relationships by later sharing what the team learned or implemented.
Watch out Interviews that never change a decision are intellectual entertainment, not capability building.
In the wild
As HubSpot developed product-led growth, its team spoke with experienced leaders such as Dropbox founder Drew Houston and Atlassian’s Jay Simons. Notes from those conversations were shared internally, while Kieran Flanagan extended the practice through roughly 190 podcast interviews focused on product growth.
→ The company accelerated learning in a field where established playbooks and experienced hires were still limited.
Common mistakes
Replacing Practitioners With Generic AI Answers
Synthesized information does not fully replace current first-party experience, context, and follow-up questioning.
Talking Without Applying
A high interview count creates little value unless findings alter operating decisions and experiments.
Keeping the Learning Private
Field trips become organizational leverage only when structured notes circulate beyond the attendees.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for teams entering a field where proven operators possess valuable knowledge that has not yet been codified.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when the needed answers are proprietary, regulated, or already available through straightforward documentation.
From the transcript
“we would have what we'd call field trips”
“we would line up in the course of a couple of days, 10 different people, like the 10 people who knew the most about this…”
“How many conversations have you had this month with people who are good at that?”
From the episode
How We Grew HubSpot From $10 Million to $1 Billion