Happy Friday,

Last week, I wrote about the team reset part of my exceptional team-building roadmap. Now, let's dig into the few weeks of holding the pattern.

This time period is probably the hardest for me to articulate since a lot of it is passive. All of the artifacts that define the team from the reset are made visible, and I have a discussion with the team about how they'd like me to remind them.

From then on, I try to, as gently as possible, remind the team of who they want to be when their old habits kick in. I try to rapidly decrease these interventions since they can't be dependent on me forever. I do this by modeling the behavior the team exemplifies and pointing out when other folks exhibit those qualities as well.

While this is going on, I'm also paying very close attention to things like their retrospectives. This meeting, as well as the sprint review, are often chores with little value, and during these few weeks, I have to change that. My goal is to give them a retrospective where they feel and see some improvement and change the sprint review to a meeting that showcases the team and builds trust in the organization.

I'm also starting 1:1 meetings. As a general practice, I do 1:1s with everyone I work with and in the blast radius. There are lots of styles to these meetings. I tend to take a default position in these meetings to try and help them accomplish their goals and help them work through whatever work issues they've got. These 1:1s are vital during this period because everyone on the team will be experiencing a lot of change, and these meetings give them a place to talk through things, ask questions they would not have publically, and be honest with me where I'm screwing up.

There are too many times to count that what has come up in the 1:1s changed my approach to certain issues with the team.

Lastly, I'm trying to work with leadership on their future engagement with the team and the upcoming changes and trying to establish a coaching relationship with them so they can change, too. This is easier said than done. But at this point, I know the clock is ticking, and I have to get leadership prepared.

So, if you look at my calendar during this time period and moving forward, I have the team meetings and 1:1s with everyone and folks adjacent and leadership. I can usually support 3-4 teams during this period with that workload.

When this time period is over, the team should have a sense that they really can be a great team. They're beginning to exhibit many of the qualities I outlined in an earlier email, and they've experienced some quick wins with the retrospectives.

Sincerely,

Ryan

PS: I'm looking to take on some more clients. While my expertise is creating exceptional teams, I've also had a significant impact on quality practices, technical coaching, product management, and technical leadership. Schedule a call with me if you'd like to talk!