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Yes, thank you very much! Hi, everybody out there in the world. It's unfortunate that there's no coffee.
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So I'll get a few of the formalities out of the way. My name is Adam Cuppy, if you didn't read it from the program or hear it from Jeff. I come from a company called Zeal. We're a consultancy, and more specifically, we sell certainty.
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I'm going to get into a little bit about what that means and how it relates to trust. But before we get too far, since there wasn't any coffee, could you all stand up for me real quick? Just stand up. Alright.
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The thing is, we want to get some blood flowing, right? Like, we gotta have the blood flow. What's the time right now? Oh, I mean, it's like 2 o'clock. So here's what I want you to do. I want you to look around. Teams, face each other at your tables. This is good; you're doing so well.
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Now, I want you to reach your hands out to the right and gently touch the shoulders of the person next to you. Give a nice gentle coffee massage. That's right, you can do it. Don't worry about it; it's a nice, gentle coffee massage.
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And I want you to gently whisper into the ear of the person next to you, 'I am your caffeine.' Very gently now. If you were someone else's caffeine, I want you to say 'yes.' Say yes! Outstanding!
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You can take a seat, but do it with that caffeinated hand-shoulder love from the person next to you. Before we get too far, I want to remind you that this is my Twitter handle; you can send all your appreciations there. I also want to remind you if you need to check with an anti-harassment policy, it's on the top of the website, the top link.
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If you have any questions about that, thank you Jeff for trusting me. So the nature of this talk is about trust, and I know you've heard a lot about that today, so we're going to go a little bit further into a few different components, more specifically how you can bring trust into a team.
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You've heard a lot of that as well. Our organization has a unique perspective because the type of work we do, while we are software developers just like most of you, the nature of how we work is a little different.
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We work with many teams throughout the year. In fact, our company might work with a dozen different companies on upwards of 15 to 20 different projects across various tech stacks. Therefore, trust is a huge part of what we must provide.
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The way we think about it is in terms of certainty. At the end of the day, the only thing that holds value is the certainty that something will happen, right? And I believe, and I will show a little bit of evidence, hopefully, you will believe with me too, that trust is a big part of that certainty.
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But how we build that trust is really important, and I'm going to get to this in the end. Spoiler alert: trust is not something you can guarantee from someone else, but you can absolutely work to encourage it and foster it. That's exactly what I'm going to talk about.
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This topic of trust is quite unique, so I want to share a little story of mine. Actually, I've decided to change my story on the fly because taking the risk of putting a bunch of Americans on stage to do something from Shakespeare might make you twinge a little bit.
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Before I went to Australia, I got my talk accepted at RubyConf Australia, and I thought, 'Wow, right on!' The name of the talk is 'What if Shakespeare Wrote Ruby?' The nature of the talk is to call for volunteers to come on stage to perform a scene from 'Romeo and Juliet' blind.
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So I get this accepted, and an Australian friend of mine reaches out and says, 'That's awesome you got that talk done! Just so you know, the number one thing Australians hate is being called on stage.' Great! I’ll just fly to the other side of the world; this is awesome!
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A few months later, the talk gets accepted again, this time in Taiwan. I’m like, 'Okay, wow!' But just to be clear, I only speak English, and I want to make sure that this talk is going to be delivered in English.
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We're talking about Old English, specifically a more traditional version, and I asked if they thought that was going to be a concern. Their response was, 'Yeah, we think it's going to be a total concern, but it will be fun to watch!'
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So on the fly, I made a decision. I had trust in one thing: if I put the right intention behind it, whatever the outcome was, it would fulfill the ultimate purpose, which was to entertain and inform. I took one of the biggest risks I could imagine.
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I had the entire script they read translated to Chinese. I was the only person, other than my wife who was lucky enough to fly out with me, who had no idea where they were at in the script at all.
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The beautiful thing was that we took a risk, trusted in something that we couldn't prove would come out to be true, but we had the right intentions and purpose, and I think it paid off.
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Now, I want you to take a moment to close your eyes. Just for a moment, think of a time when you lost the first bit of trust in your life. Can you remember that moment?
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Okay, now open your eyes. I can remember the first time I lost trust in anybody. There are so many moments where we might lose this sense of trust, but not all of them are equal.
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Whether or not you believed in Santa Claus or if that was a part of your family, I won't comment on that. But there are things where we build trust, build expectations, and then, at some level, that expectation is violated. So what do we do about that? Because ultimately, we don't want to lose trust.
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We work toward creating and maintaining that trust. Here's something I discovered; unfortunately, over time I feel that I am someone who is hard to please but easy to disappoint. Raise your hand if you feel like you are hard to please but easy to disappoint.
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There are more of you out there! This is very commonplace, and I don't think it's necessarily problematic, but it indicates an opportunity for us to dig deeper and figure out why that is.
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Regardless, let’s talk about why it's hard to please. The conclusion I can come to is that I’m afraid. Afraid of what? I could come up with a laundry list of reasons, but at the end of the day, it's fear.
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I’m afraid that whatever happens on the other side will define me. I'm afraid of the judgment that will be passed back to me, and I don't want to extend too much trust out there.
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Because if I do, and if I fail at something, then I’ve lost not only that credibility but also a sense of my identity and my sense of self. Does that resonate with anyone else?
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The reality is that failure is a big part of this. But interestingly, if you look at it, I am learning about Stoicism.
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Some core principles are very attractive to me, like working diligently to stay in the present. Trust, by nature and definition, is only tied to the past. The definition of being hard to please has nothing to do with the present or distrust. Trust has its root in the culmination of past events, perceptions, and decisions.
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That doesn't mean it’s bad, but many Stoics believe we want to strive away from that because it can bring a lot of pain into our lives. And like I said before, I’m fearful, and that's real.
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The easy to disappoint aspect is similar; if I am hard to please and easy to disappoint, ultimately, it falls back on maintaining control over my ego. If I can be easy to disappoint, it makes it easier to protect my ego. This is the danger.
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So, what if I moved away from this compliance mindset? What if I became easy to please but hard to disappoint? What would change?
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Here’s what I found: I transitioned from a certainty mindset, feeling the need for certainty, to a growth mindset. Being easy to please meant I had a low bar; it didn't mean it was negative. It meant that my bar was low enough that I was often excited to learn and improve.
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Interestingly, when I was hard to disappoint, it created a sense of autonomy for everyone else. They felt empowered to think past the hurdles they might be struggling with. They felt free to approach discussions without fear of my demands.
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As a business owner and team leader, I am aware that I can help others think beyond their concerns about compliance. Instead, be easy to please and really hard to disappoint.
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Now, let’s talk about how we could do that. I was thinking about trust stacks. We've got development stacks and technical stacks, but what is the difference between the certainty side and the growth side?
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This applies to various organizations, whether a team of one or a thousand. I found that teams that are heavily result-focused often focus too much on the past and easily find themselves in an unpredictable future.
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They end up in a compliance-oriented mindset. The challenge is that we can never control other people's perceptions, emotions, and outcomes.
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This was something I struggled with, even to this day. I've had to work through trying to rationalize it. Okay, wait a second. If I cannot control the outcome, then why am I doing this?
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If I’m not focused on results, what should I focus on? The answer is intention. I can control my intention and the ultimate purpose behind it. I need to let go of whatever the outcome may be.
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This doesn't mean we can't produce great outcomes; it's about shifting to a contribution mindset. If I stay intention-focused, the net effect is empowering the team.
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Instead of worrying about complying with my expectations as a leader, they can figure out how to achieve the goals together. The process we follow becomes more positive and constructive.
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Now let’s talk about measuring compliance versus growth. As a consultancy, we often help organizations struggling with this. They measure team compliance: Do you show up on time? Do you never have problems?
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Do you stay within the boundaries of time off? Or do you comply with how we’ve defined our processes? Instead, what is the ultimate purpose? Are you working towards your intention? Are you evaluating growth collectively?
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I've heard multiple speakers talk about putting focus back on measuring growth. How have we progressed? How have we settled? When do we need to spice it up? This focus leads to growth and contribution versus simply seeking certainty.
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This is why agile principles are very attractive to me. Dogmatic versus pragmatic principles exemplify compliance over growth. We often see companies that dogmatically follow agile principles.
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Companies say, 'We pair program 100% of the time, period!' They don’t always ask whether this drives our intentions. They treat agile techniques as rigid rather than flexible.
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What supports the idea of culture being an asset? If an organization prioritizes compliance, they effectively value loyalty over contribution.
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If everyone must contribute in the exact same way, that’s just a fancy way of valuing loyalty. Contribution can manifest in multiple forms, and agility is always pragmatic.
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On the left side, we find a compliance-oriented mindset: result-focused, measuring compliance, and valuing loyalty. On the right side, we find a growth-focused approach: intention-focused, measuring growth, and valuing contribution.
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This ultimately creates trust. Most of the problems we encounter as consultants stem from clients believing their size protects them from similar issues experienced at the larger scale.
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But how do we address the topic of uncertainty? The key is measuring and creating certainty amidst these uncertainties.
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We must let go of trying to control perceptions, emotions, and outcomes. Instead, we can create processes that offer certainty, allowing individuals to function positively and constructively.
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So the fundamental way we tackle this at Zeal is through cycles of feedback. Raise your hand if your organization practices some form of agile principles.
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Awesome! In our organization, we talk a lot about cycles of feedback. As you implement tools like pair programming, consider how it creates a layer of certainty.
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Shortening feedback cycles is essential. The more uncertainty you face, the shorter the feedback cycles you should try to create.
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When we come onto new projects, there's often a lot of uncertainty because we don’t know the domain or codebase, and we’re unfamiliar with the team dynamics.
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The first step is to ask, 'Can we pair program with your team?' That creates the shortest cycle of feedback possible. If that doesn’t mesh, we might try daily stand-ups or retrospective meetings.
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These meetings vary in frequency and can help reduce uncertainty while fostering a positive environment. The goal is to identify the right tools for your unique team dynamics.
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Recently, as I've dealt with aging family members going into hospitals, the discussion of dealing with uncertainty has become relevant.
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I talk to my parents once a month or two, but I'm realizing that in times of uncertainty, I want to reach out more frequently. This principle of tightening feedback loops is natural and important.
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Asking questions is a powerful form of feedback. This exercise can help identify how you currently handle uncertainty and how you can significantly improve it.
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Now, take a moment and illustrate this on your notepad by drawing a graph representing certainty and uncertainty.
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On the left, write 'uncertainty.' On the right at the top, write ‘certainty.’ On the bottom, write 'long cycles of feedback,' and on the top right, write 'short cycles of feedback.' You can place items on the graph to reflect this concept.
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In this exercise, consider what you currently do as software developers that speak to cycles of feedback. Think about pairing programming, sending updates, or having one-on-ones.
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Essentially jot down as many items as you can. Once you do, rank each item based on where it falls on the spectrum of certainty and feedback cycles.
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Determine if it creates certainty or uncertainty and what the cycle looks like. Share these items with your groups and identify if any of these could be modified to enhance certainty.
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This simple exercise can inform you about how you handle feedback cycles and help guide you in improving those processes.
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Trust is something you can encourage within your company but can’t always guarantee. It’s all about recognizing what you do control.
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If you create processes that allow you to identify what creates certainty, you will foster trust. Trust breeds certainty, and certainty breeds trust.
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When working in a team or organization, these principles are often not about hierarchy. They can often be introduced at a micro level by identifying what you have control over.
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You’ll be amazed at the difference this makes. When teams go through this process, the need to comply often melts away and allows for more organic collaboration.
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If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. Thank you very much, everybody!
