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Hello everyone, my name is Jennifer and my pronouns are she/her, and I'm Zhi Spencer.
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My pronouns are he/him. We are co-founders of Cohere. Our third co-founder is over there.
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Cohere is a small consultancy that specializes in education and training for product and engineering teams.
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Zhi and I both started as programmers who transitioned into engineering leadership roles. I'm more of a typist than a programmer. I can type 200 words per minute sustained.
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Jennifer is the one with the fancy MIT CS degree, so if you have real programming problems, talk to her.
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Together, we're going to talk you through six areas of engineering leadership.
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The first is the phases of group development. You can jump all you want.
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How to hire is second, how to develop your people is third, how to bring them together into a coherent team is fourth, and then how to navigate conflict and grow a leader culture.
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That's a lot, but before we start, we need to get ready to garden.
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Imagine your organization as a garden. There’s soil, benches, and plants.
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People are working in it and coming to see it. There are some things we can't change.
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We can't change the amount of sunlight, the location, the rain, or what kind of garden people want to see.
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We also can’t control if someone secretly sprays Roundup on the roses every Thursday during your weekly deploy.
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However, there are some things that we can change.
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One thing we can do is accept where we are. This means accepting all the conditions I just described.
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We need to acknowledge that some conditions cannot be changed quickly, while others might take time.
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In addition to accepting the conditions and constraints, we must also accept our responsibilities.
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We are responsible for both the state of the garden and for the well-being of the team of gardeners we direct.
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This means we are accountable for their job satisfaction, their job effectiveness, and the degree of growth they are experiencing.
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Once we have accepted our garden conditions, constraints, and responsibilities, we are freed to begin gardening.
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Where should we focus our efforts? First, we focus on trust and, in particular, between people.
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Trust is like fertilizer. It might look like poop, but it’s essential for growth.
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When we build trust among team members, the responsibility for the garden becomes easier.
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Many of us were programmers before becoming managers, and it might be tempting to build trust by doing the dirty work ourselves.
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However, this doesn't help our team become better gardeners.
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Instead, we should build our team's ability to work without us.
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We can do this by shifting our focus from how the work is done to understanding why it's done, and more importantly, by whom.
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This leads us to ask ourselves questions about what drives the individuals doing the work.
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We can refer back to previous keynotes about what gives them meaning and happiness. Great managers understand that performance is not individual; it is systemic.
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Exceptional work is done not by exceptional people but by organizations designed to empower individuals.
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Just like an excellent software system continues functioning even when no one is at the keyboard, effective management allows teams to thrive.
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Let's jump into our first topic: the stages of engineering team development.
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Tuckman's stages of group development asserts that groups go through five overlapping phases: forming, storming, norming, performing, and eventually, adjourning.
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Forming is where the group meets. We learn about the opportunities and challenges, and we agree on some of the goals and how to tackle the work.
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An example of this could be having a sprint kickoff. Storming is when the group begins to notice the wear and tear caused by working together.
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This is a scary place to be. It can be tempting to protect your team or stakeholders from the consequences of their decisions and behaviors.
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But storming is natural; it’s not something to avoid. It's an opportunity to learn more about the team.
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If you remain too long in this stage, it will slow you down, but trying to skip it completely will hinder the building of the effective team you desire.
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An example of storming: after the kick-off, two developers might find themselves working on the exact same ticket alone.
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They realize they are independently reproducing each other's work, leading to feelings of frustration.
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This indicates that they have begun to enter the storming phase.
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Norming occurs as the group collaborates to navigate the storm. They start to establish habits and structures for working together.
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However, they’re not quite finalized just yet; they’re working on the details of those habits and norms.
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For instance, our two collaborators decide that whenever they start a ticket, they will claim it and communicate with each other about what they are working on.
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As these habits and structures stabilize, teams move into the performing stage.
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Less time is spent on habit formation, allowing more time for work.
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The difference between norming and performing is that during norming, significant changes are being made.
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Yet when performing, the team is making smaller adjustments and improving processes.
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For our team, after discussing starting new work at the daily stand-up, when they are performing, they might make a small adjustment.
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If they begin in the middle of the day, they send a group message to inform each other.
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This learning of new habits remains valuable; opportunities for change arise every time we notice our rough edges.
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By addressing these, we can safely implement significant changes without re-entering the storming phase.
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For example, a team may decide, now that they are communicating effectively, to automate how patches are pushed directly to production.
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While that sounds substantial, it reflects a maturing process.
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In this journey, we may end up forming two brand new teams as we adjust our structure.
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Now let’s move to topic number two: adding new team members, or simply, hiring.
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We want to hire more people because we have more work than we have people to handle it.
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We also have the funds available to bring on someone new.
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One common approach when starting to hire is to recruit the best and the brightest, but does that actually serve your true goals?
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Our primary responsibility is not just hiring top talent but enabling the team to accomplish required tasks.
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There’s a crucial first step in building a great team: determining the team’s needs.
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Is your team undertaking a lot of greenfield work? Then do not recruit someone who is primarily focused on legacy projects.
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If you do, do not expect them to perform at the same level as someone who has been continuously engaged in greenfield work.
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If your team has diverse skill sets, you should be hiring individuals who can both mentor and be mentored.
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So instead of solely looking for the best and brightest, here are three elements to consider instead.
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First, focus on what your business needs. What problem is your company attempting to solve?
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For instance, we need to decrease our user hosting costs – while that sounds mundane, it could free up $10,000 a month.
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This could, in turn, increase our financial runway by 10%, allowing us to hire another person for more work.
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Write down this business need and make it widely known.
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Refer back to it during every decision point in your hiring process.
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If you’re on the fence about a candidate, read your business need aloud and consider how that candidate helps achieve it.
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The second consideration is what skills or abilities are necessary to meet this business need.
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This assessment should extend well beyond technical skills; consider the whole picture.
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Do you need a candidate able to strictly adhere to specifications, or someone who can innovate?
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Is your work environment stable or changing? Those who thrive in a stable setup may struggle in a rapidly changing one.
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Take time to analyze who has been successful in your organization, and identify the non-technical abilities that help them create value.
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If you hire someone capable of writing great code but cannot prioritize effectively, then the business need will not be fully met.
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Relatedly, consider the constraints present within your existing team.
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If your team thrives on pairing up, then hiring someone who strongly prefers working independently may not be a great fit.
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Understand how your engineers interact with each other and with coworkers, so you can find individuals who will complement that.
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This consideration is specific to each team – be honest about where your team is.
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If you wish for a more collaborative pairing approach but your team isn’t on board, hiring for that perceived culture will lead to disappointment.
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Recognizing your team’s present state allows gradual transitions rather than pretending reality is different.
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Once you have evaluated your three steps and know what you need in your next hire, you can start talking to candidates.
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Tell candidates clearly what you are seeking and the characteristics of a successful applicant.
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While this may feel intimidating, it can lead to deeper insights.
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Rather than asking a yes or no question, encourage candidates to share specific stories. For example: what was the last piece of feedback you gave to someone?
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What was a contentious patch or pull request that involved you?
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How candidates respond to these questions will reveal if they can give constructive feedback.
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When we don’t make our expectations clear, we risk missing out on candidates who may not guess correctly what we require.
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We also miss opportunities to show potential hires what our team values.
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That's all the time we have to discuss hiring and interviewing. Please feel free to reach out after this talk as it's a vast topic.
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Now, let’s move on to the next section: growing your people.
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This might come as a surprise, but programmers are often not experts at managing people.
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That’s okay; we can learn from psychologists, neurologists, social scientists, and philosophers about how our invisible and visible norms shape behavior.
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Daniel Kahneman discusses in "Thinking Fast and Slow" the distinction between System 1 (fast thinking) and System 2 (slow thinking). Fast thinking inspires gut reactions, while slow thinking involves careful analysis.
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To develop our people, we can help them recognize and adjust when their fast thinking overrides their more deliberate evaluations.
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Let’s explore four options on how to do this.
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First, you might choose to ignore minor issues. For instance, a team member might take longer to analyze a feature before coding.
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Consider allowing your team the flexibility to optimize their approach—even if their habits differ from yours.
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Allowing for small inefficiencies can foster trust and boost overall team effectiveness.
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The second option is to illuminate growth areas. If behavior must be addressed, provide clearer perspectives.
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For example, if one team member monopolizes discussions during retrospectives, privately bring this to their attention.
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This awareness allows them to adjust behavior, ensuring everyone can participate meaningfully.
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The third option is to redirect contextually unhealthy behaviors. When someone excessively blocks merges due to design concerns without offering solutions, it can drain the team.
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In such cases, discuss the issue privately, guiding them to deliver their insights earlier in the process.
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This approach can enhance their skills while positively shaping the team's functioning.
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Some behaviors, however, must be directly addressed because they are fundamentally unhealthy.
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This is particularly critical when significant power dynamics are involved.
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For instance, if someone makes offhand remarks about political correctness, it can signal an acceptance of discrimination.
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Publicly set clear expectations that such behavior is unacceptable within the workplace.
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Shifting team behaviors can lead to a more sustainable and engaging work atmosphere.
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By encouraging team ownership, we enhance engagement and quality of work while freeing up time for strategic initiatives.
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A common challenge is how individual work styles influence collective efforts.
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Even with good intentions, individual communication patterns can create gaps.
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This may manifest when one team alters an API affecting another team’s functionality or adjustments to shared styles.
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Thus, identifying ownership for long-term tasks is critical, as clarity can often be overlooked.
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Tanya Riley refers to this as glue work—the unrecognized but essential tasks that allow teams to function smoothly.
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When glue work goes unacknowledged, your carefully nurtured team may struggle to function effectively together.
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To address this, we could alternatively have a single individual manage all glue work. However, this approach isn’t sustainable.
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Recognizing valuable glue workers can lead to resentment if their contributions go unseen.
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Your talented contributors will eventually look to other opportunities if they feel their roles are undervalued.
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Instead, teach all team members how to handle glue work. Encourage broader communication beyond their immediate colleagues.
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Once you provide them with strategies, incentivize their participation in glue work.
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When promoting individuals, highlight the glue work they have contributed to underline its importance.
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Set expectations that everyone should excel in glue work to be considered for promotion.
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This will ensure capable leaders rather than simply individual contributors.
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Now, moving on to an illustrative scenario that outlines differing testing philosophies.
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Let’s say Alice values micro-tests with stubs as system boundaries, while Bob prefers integration tests that safeguard user analytics.
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Initially, this alignment might seem fine. Testing is being conducted, work is completed.
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However, through discussions, it becomes clear that Alice is disengaged and contributing fewer tests, feeling their addition slow down progress.
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In such cases, avoidance becomes concerning. The rough edges will evolve into sharper ones if ignored.
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When unchecked, disengagement impacts not just individual contributions but also the entire team's morale.
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As Alice's manager, you should foster an environment of constructive feedback.
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Conflict might arise from differing perspectives; however, it’s vital we engage openly.
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Let’s consider three steps to effectively navigate these tensions.
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First, expose the sources of tension. Encourage team members to share underlying factors contributing to friction.
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Just as an iceberg reveals only a small section of itself, much of the tension lies below the surface.
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Each employee's contributions to tensions must be analyzed comprehensively for effective resolution.
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Second, share needs clearly. For instance, Alice needs assurance that her changes won’t introduce unrelated issues.
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She values competency, and when things go awry, it undermines her confidence.
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Similarly, Bob requires confidence when making incremental changes.
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By articulating what they need, both can find common ground to focus on shared goals.
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Finally, step three involves exploring available resources, both internal and external.
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Alice and Bob discover they can conduct workshops leveraging their individual strengths.
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Shared resources can transform conflict into developmental opportunities.
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Recognizing that tensions can indicate areas ripe for improvement can lead to a more collaborative environment.
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Now moving to a real-life perspective, let’s take a moment to consider a case of hero culture.
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You encounter a situation where a single engineer saves the day during a production outage.
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While such heroics can be inspiring, making it a regular occurrence indicates larger issues.
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Hero culture often exacerbates minor issues, allowing them to escalate into larger problems.
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Instead of solving root causes, hero culture opts for reactive solutions, hindering long-term success.
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So if hero culture is to be avoided, what should be our alternative?
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We need to cultivate a leader culture. When someone performs heroics, hold a retrospective.
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Thank the individual, but also task the team with determining how to prevent future incidents.
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By acknowledging and valuing such heroics but promoting proactive change, we ensure continuous improvement.
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Organizational culture shifts begin at the top; your behaviors will influence your team's behaviors.
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Showing your team what leadership looks like helps them model that behavior.
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For instance, if you engage with work when you’re unwell, team members might follow suit.
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These patterns reflect a team functioning outside its capacity rather than a passionate and engaged culture.
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As a manager, you should focus on empowering your team rather than becoming a centralized problem-solver.
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Your role is to support your people in becoming leaders rather than perpetuating a culture of heroes.
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Address issues that require your input but encourage your team to take charge of their own dynamics.
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Foster autonomous communication among team members, but engage when issues arise from outside the team.
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Finally, be vigilant against any negative dynamics, like experienced team members trying to dominate less experienced ones.
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Promote a balanced and respectful team environment as you leverage collective strengths.
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In summary, growing a robust team requires nurturing leadership rather than hero culture.
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Recapping the main points we discussed: forming, storming, norming, and performing—these are stages of natural team development.
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Hiring should focus on filling business needs rather than just recruiting the best and brightest.
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Growing your people involves understanding their needs, helping them engage, and fostering broader communication.
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Glue work is crucial; cultivate an environment where all members feel responsible for it.
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When tensions arise, engage collaboratively and focus on exploring underlying needs.
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Commit to growing a leader culture where proactive solutions are valued.
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Thank you for attending our talk on gardening your team!
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We will stick around for an off-mic Q&A, and you can also find us on Twitter.
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I am at JTu, and my company is at Cohere.
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We’ll post our slides later for those watching on YouTube.
