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Hello, everyone! I'm really excited, happy, honored, and a little bit nervous to be right here in this square in front of you speaking. Thank you, Adan, for the introduction. I've always said that I really love the Ruby community for its vibrance and how welcoming and friendly everyone is. So, it’s an honor to be here today.
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A couple of words about me: my name is Gabriela, and I come from Bulgaria. I hold a bachelor's degree in computer science and have been working with Ruby and Rails for the past eight years at Tut, where we build software for an online store. I'm also deeply committed to the Rails Girls organization, having started as a volunteer mentor in 2015 and now being part of the team as a host and co-organizer. Another thing I really enjoy doing, which I started this year, is crocheting. I’ve made some crochet pins inspired by the Friendly.rb logo, and I have some left, so if anyone would like one, just come to me after the talk; I’d be happy to give them away.
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Now, about the talk. Maybe you already know, but I've titled my presentation 'The Power of We: Unleashing the Collective Strength of Your Team.' Today, I want to share with you a story about my own team’s journey towards improvement and explain why I chose to discuss this topic. I truly believe that consciously working towards enriching your team environment is as important as regularly updating your gems or maintaining a test coverage of 90%.
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I'm confident that if you manage to build a strong team, one that works well together, you can excel in any field even if the internet dies tomorrow. I believe you can find a job together as a team in any other field. Like I said, I want to share with you this story, so let’s get you on track.
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In the last couple of years with the COVID pandemic, we were all sent back home to work remotely. At first, that was good; we didn’t have to spend time commuting to work and were flexible with our hours. However, this year, my team and I fell into the trap of remote work, which became somewhat chaotic. We weren’t communicating effectively enough, and I personally felt lonely, missing the feeling of being part of a team. Don’t get me wrong; we were still delivering features at a high quality, but we felt that we could do more.
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I should also mention that I love organizing things and prefer having a structure and a plan to follow. This is why I am so passionate about being part of the Rails Girls team. I work in a small company with seven employees, including two senior developers, and while I haven't been a team leader, I’ve had opportunities to support my team leader on occasion.
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This has allowed me to take the initiative and investigate what was off with our team. One day, after finishing my daily tasks early, I decided to revisit a book I had purchased a couple of months ago. This book was a turning point for me and my team. Ever since we started implementing its principles, we have already seen positive results.
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This experience inspired me to deliver this talk today, and I hope the resources, tools, ideas, and experiences I share with you will be helpful and inspire you to embrace positive changes within your own team.
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Now, regarding the book: I really can’t recommend it enough. It's called 'The Five Dysfunctions of a Team' by Patrick Lencioni. I recommend it for everyone, whether you’re a team leader or just an employee. Everyone can benefit from the insights on how team dynamics work and how to improve them. Today, I will briefly share the five dysfunctions outlined in the book and the changes we’ve been integrating.
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We start with an overview of the model. Here you can see the five dysfunctions illustrated in a pyramid. At the bottom are the foundational dysfunctions, and each one leads to the next as you move up. The first dysfunction is the absence of trust. Trust in a teamwork context means being vulnerable with each other. It’s about being able to admit when you don’t know something, sharing mistakes, asking for help, and ensuring that these vulnerabilities won’t be used against you.
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Another component is trusting that your teammates are doing what they believe is best for the company, not just for themselves. Without trust, team members may jump to conclusions about each other's actions or take things personally, leading to the next dysfunction: fear of conflict. Teammates avoid uncomfortable conversations when they disagree, primarily to keep peace.
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In Bulgaria, for example, we often avoid conflict for the sake of a harmonious environment. However, we need to ask ourselves: Is peace what we really want for the company? This artificial peace may lead to veiled discussions and, as Lencioni stated, maintaining a state of artificial harmony.
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We’re not talking about conflict in the sense of yelling but rather encouraging passionate debates and open discussions where everyone feels heard. Often, team members don’t need their suggestions to be the final decision; they just need to feel heard.
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The third dysfunction is the lack of commitment. If team members don’t believe in the final decision and haven’t expressed their thoughts, they can hardly commit to it. This can lead to the next dysfunction: avoidance of accountability, where teammates hesitate to call each other out on actions that are counterproductive to the team’s success.
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When I first learned about this dysfunction, I was confused; I thought, 'I’m not their boss. How can I hold someone accountable?' But if we trust each other, share vulnerabilities, avoid fear of conflict, and commit to the final decision, it stands to reason we should hold each other accountable for maintaining high standards.
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The final dysfunction is attention to results, where teammates prioritize their individual needs over the team’s collective goals. Even if your team recognizes a single dysfunction, it can lead to others and deteriorate various aspects of teamwork.
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After recognizing these dysfunctions from the book, I presented them to my team. We individually took the test located at the end of the book to identify which dysfunctions were present within our team. It became evident that our main dysfunctions were the absence of trust and the fear of conflict, which didn’t surprise us given the pandemic’s impact on team dynamics.
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We committed to forging deeper relationships and viewing each other as fellow humans, not just colleagues. Subsequently, we took the six personalities test based on the Myers-Briggs model, which provided us insights into our strengths, weaknesses, and interests. This helped us understand each other better, allowing us to give each other the benefit of the doubt.
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We then conducted another test to identify which types of underappreciated software developer each of us is. This gave us even more insight into technical strengths and weaknesses. All of this would aid us in task allocations, ensuring everyone is satisfied with the roles they take.
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Following these assessments, we recognized the need to incorporate changes into our workflow. Initially, we didn't have dedicated team meetings. Crazy as it sounds, we only had weekly client meetings; we needed a set day and time to discuss team-related topics. Establishing a routine became our first step.
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We took team meetings seriously, understanding that our team should be the highest priority. We realized we shouldn't place the client ahead of our team's integrity. Additionally, we improved our daily reports, incorporating questions that prompted open discussions about our experiences and any discomforts.
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For instance, we now ask questions like: What made you uncomfortable yesterday? What helpful actions did a colleague take? Are there any red flags to discuss? These initiatives combined with our dedicated meetings encouraged discussions about issues within the team.
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Although we live in the same city, we rarely gathered informally. We decided to have monthly dinners to connect with each other outside of work. Additionally, we held retrospectives after the completion of any large feature to discuss what went well and what could have gone better.
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We also brainstormed team-building activities, considering the ease of gathering in-person. We concluded that having fun, sometimes through games, helps break down barriers and foster connections. Play allows people to open up and express different parts of themselves.
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While I don’t advocate becoming best friends with everyone, getting to know each other better can ease communication and collaboration, even among people with differing personalities. I came across a quote from DHH that resonated with me: 'Nothing can replace direct human contact.' We should invest in gathering our teams in person whenever possible.
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We also aimed to define our company culture, establishing rules for how we work and grow together. A lot of companies consider themselves one big family. I find this comparison problematic because families can sometimes be toxic, leading to unhealthy work habits. However, we introduced a four-day working week in summer as a measure to prioritize mental health.
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I highly recommend the book 'It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work' by Jason Fried and DHH. The authors emphasize that long hours and excessive workloads shouldn't be a badge of honor since they rarely result in enhanced productivity. I found an empowering quote in which the authors state, 'The best companies aren’t families; they are allies of families.' They work to cultivate a work environment where employees feel able to be their best selves.
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To further our development, we adopted a template called 'Ways of Working' from the xls.com website. I will share a QR code at the end of this talk for you to access this template. It contains various sections with prompt questions to facilitate discussions about communication, conflict resolution, and feedback within the team. We took our time with it, dedicating one week to each section, which encouraged discussions and ultimately improved our communication capabilities as we overcame the fears ingrained in our team.
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In conclusion, if you want to enhance your teamwork, I encourage you to explore 'The Five Dysfunctions of a Team' to identify and address dysfunctions in your team. Organize formal and informal meet-ups to foster connection and understanding among team members. Work consciously on effective communication, and embrace debates as opportunities for growth. Lastly, collaboratively defining a company culture helps set the right expectations and strengthens your team as a cohesive unit.
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Remember, although these suggestions may seem simple, they address fundamental issues that significantly impact team dynamics.