Thread by @jamgregory

It's the last day at #agilemanc, but we can't use Agile as a noun, so now it's called something very long that I can't type fast enough...

Welcome!

The keynote this morning is the changing face of teamwork by @alisoncoward.

First, a check-in:

What's one think you've learnt at #agilemanc that you want to take back to your team?

Everybody comes to a meeting with baggage. A terrible journey in, a phone call with a customer, excitement for the day ahead.

The check-in is a micro moment where you can focus before you start at work. It can also help activate someone's ability to speak up later.

#agilemanc

The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande goes into more detail about this:

amazon.co.uk/Checklist-Mani…

The example given is the team in a surgical ward talking before an operation can help those speak up later if things look wrong

#agilemanc

There's a mismatch between our need to collaborate and our ability to do that effectively.

Even with all the tools and technology, up to 80% of our time is used responding to emails, in meetings or on the phone 😭

#agilemanc

We've got all this technology that allows us to collaborate, but the human connection can't be lumped in with "all that other stuff"

#agilemanc

It's not just one team that we are necessarily working in.

95% of us are also working across multiple teams!

How do you encourage a teamwork culture which takes into account the differences across those different teams?

#agilemanc

Your teams can only thrive if you're able to:

Build awareness of what makes great teams, and

Build the "muscle" to talk about HOW we work together.

#agilemanc

Does your team have a fixed mindset or a mindset where you can adapt and learn new skills?

How do you design experiences where your team can work better together?

What's the most important lever for motivating individuals? The answer is progress.

#agilemanc

Even just a small step forward every day can be motivating for an employee.

Your managers need to be there to facilitate this progress. They should be clearing the road ahead of you so that you can make progress on your tasks.

#agilemanc

"Can't see the wood for the trees"

Every now and then, the team needs to be able to step back, refocus and decide what they want to tackle next.

The team needs to know what their purpose is.

This book has come up several times now:

amazon.co.uk/Drive-Daniel-H…

#agilemanc

Perhaps a good way to imagine teams is as a jazz band.

Each member of the jazz band is a musician in their own right, they have their own role, but the team is moving together in generally the same direction.

#agilemanc

A good start is to think about the teamwork user manual:

How do you get your best work done?

What kind of work do you thrive on?

What's your communication style? How do you like to be communicated with and to communicate with others?

#agilemanc

One of the ways we can make the most impact is to make meetings matter!

In the UK this year, we're estimated to waste £58bn on unproductive meetings.

58 billion pounds!

🥺

#agilemanc

To make successful meetings, two things are required beforehand:

Define the purpose of the meeting

Choose the format that is right for that purpose

Once you get a feel for those, you can build a heartbeat for your meetings. Is it weekly? Monthly? Once in a while?

#agilemanc

Some tips from workshops we can apply to our meetings:

Have a facilitator - not a chair. They shouldn't be a participant in the meeting.

Make it a dynamic meeting - post-its, felt pens, etc.

Make time for individual thinking to reflect.

#agilemanc

Etsy has a policy of sharing mistakes.

They don't want to shame colleagues, but by encouraging psychological safety and sharing of mistakes, they can avoid making the same mistake again.

#agilemanc

How can you build more _communication_ and _trust_ in your teams?

Don't copy someone else's ideas (use them to inspire yours) but discuss this amongst your team and decide what is going to work best in your situation.

#agilemanc

This should be a cyclical process:

Design how your team will work.

Test this in your team. If it doesn't work, throw it away and design a new process.

Iterate on that process. How will you change it in your next iteration?

Repeat this again!

#agilemanc

Start small - what is the small change you can make that will be low effort but will have a large impact?

Be intentional about your implementation. If you write down what you are going to do, how you're doing it and when, it can help it happen.

#agilemanc

The last slide from @alisoncoward describes a list of how to build better teams:

Growth mindset
Big picture
Start with the individual
Designing new ways of working
Facilitation
Team habits and behaviour change

Lots to take away and think about!

#agilemanc

@threadreaderapp please unroll this :)