Building sustainable teams to handle uncertainty
Think about your best experience of working with a team
And mine?
An empowered, open team who understand their context can adapt to change
Structure of my talk
What can disrupt your team?
Change is often a good thing!
People leave and join
Senior leaders move
Wider priorities shift
Teams are re-organised out of existence
https://larahogan.me/blog/desk-moves/
Emotions are critical
What can you do to prepare?
We can prepare for change
Work on yourself first
Don’t do it all yourself (you can’t)
Give people your trust
Build your support network
Set yourself up to lead sustainably
Make the team’s work ownable
Define a single clear goal, because focus is invaluable
Cake!
Communicate your goal over and over again
Give your team the background they need for each piece of work
Add context to user stories, Use story kickoffs, Run workshops
Empower your team to take ownership
Embrace opportunities for positive change
Become great at integrating new people
Biscuit matrix!
Recognise that everyone is always learning
Share understanding of your work in the team
Write great commit messages, Comment on tickets, Keep your docs updated, Document your decisions
Mob programming
https://gdstechnology.blog.gov.uk/2016/09/08/our-top-12-mob-programming-tips-and-thoughts/
Taking ownership helps people handle change
Support and grow individuals
Use every piece of work to help someone grow
Start with individual needs
Delegate effectively
Teach people to do your job
Grow the next generation of leaders
Make yourself dispensable
Grow people for a resilient team and organisation
Show your team where they fit in
Look beyond your team
Encourage your team to show off their work
Show the team how their work fits into the bigger picture
Don’t over-insulate your team
A wider view helps people adapt when things change
Managing up
Communicate your team’s capacity for change
Ask for support to build a sustainable team
You need their trust
Show them why all your team’s work matters
Good communication about change is vital
What does this look like?
Grow sustainable teams for a sustainable organisation
It’s even more important to empower people during tough times
My old team!
Thanks!