You’re Not That Special 🫶

Ever heard these statements in your team meetings?

➢ “For this project, it makes sense to have a long running branch because…”
➢ “It does not make sense to have automated tests for this code, because…”
➢ “We need to deploy this service manually because…”
➢ “The smallest possible deliverable here will take 12 weeks because…”

While there may be rare scenarios where these statements are valid, let’s face it - most of the time, they’re just spurious.

If these claims sound familiar, it’s time for a closer look.

Here are two patterns I often encounter:

👉 Lip Service to Principles: Teams might outwardly agree with a principle but internally resist it. The challenge lies in understanding the discrepancy in belief systems and finding alignment.

👉 Knowledge Gaps: Teams may agree on what needs to be done but falter in the execution. The path of least resistance often leads to ignoring rather than exploring the unknown. In such cases, coaching in relevant techniques can steer the team towards the desired outcome.

Question for Reflection 🤔 : Have you encountered these scenarios in your team? How did you address them?