Swearing, Nudity and Other Vulnerable Positions
an exploration of Safety with
John Le Drew // @antz29
John Le Drew
Consultant, Agile Coach, Software Engineer
17 years
Lean Agile Scotland 2016
Safety
is
the word.
I thought
this would
be easy. (it's not)
30+ Interviews
~60 Hours Audio
Alex Harms Amitai Schleier Arlo Belshee Barney Hanlon
Bob Marshall Chris Pepper David Marquet
Diana Larsen Esther Derby Gitte Klitgaard
Jerry Weinberg Joshua Kerievsky Linda Rising
Lineke Kerckhoffs Mark Delgano Attila Burtula
Michael "Doc" Norton Tim Ottinger Woody Zuill
Yitz Schaffer Yves Hanoulle Andrew Longshaw
Louise Elliott Sallyann Freudenberg Ryan Ripley
Heidi Helfand Mark C. Crowley Stefan Koopmanschap
Troy Magennis Christopher Avery Richard Sheridan Phelim McDermot Mary Poppendieck
Before we dive in:
I quit! You _________
Complete this sentence, as dramatically as you like.
What is an "effective" team or organisation?
Google's Project Aristotle
"the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" - Aristotle
- Psychological Safety
- Dependability
- Structure and clarity
- Meaning
- Impact
Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes.
Amy Edmondson Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams,1999
Improvisation
im∙prov∙viy∙say∙shun
noun
something that is improvised, in particular a piece of music, drama, etc. created spontaneously or without preparation.
"Responding in the moment, to the stimulus of our immediate environment and our inner feelings. ... We are all improvisers, we all have to improvise every day. "
Jennifer Hunter, TEDxLSSU
No blocking
Work with what you are given, and add to it.
Yes, and...
The interactive bit. 😃
(Possibly not anything you have ever done at a professional work related meet up before)
Human Mirror
Split into pairs
ideally someone you don't know
Face each other
staring romantically into each other's eyes
Start, by smiling at each other
yes, really, go on, you can do it
Then, without speaking, both of you slowly move, watching and mirroring one another.
arms, eyes, eyebrows, wiggly ears, flared nostrils, are all game.
Keep it balanced, no one person should be leading all the time.
String of Pearls
We will tell a story, one sentence at a time.
It might even make sense! (from certain angles)
Volunteers will tell the start, and end.
The start of the line is to the far left, the end of the line the far right.
Then, we fill in the gaps. Bit by bit.
Work with what's there, and add to it. Yes, and!
We repeat the story with each new sentence.
Sometimes, it transforms a little. Sometimes, people forget it. Sometimes, that can be funny. We keep going until we have connected the start and finish.
That is, when we decide it makes sense to us. (normally followed by a cheer!)
Discussion
String of Pearls
Safe to contribute ideas without embarrassment.
We all have autonomy on our contribution, and anyone can contribute (or not).
It's safe to fail, an idea might work, it might not, as a team we will work with what we are given.
Would this work in your environment?
With your team?
I quit! You $¡@%!
Two volunteers
Stand opposite each other.
What's the scene?
Pick a scene that would involve a simple conversation.
Customer service phone call? Returning a damaged item to a shop? Booking a holiday?
End each sentence with an insult.
Use the words that came from your imagination earlier. (un oh)
Act out the scene.
How do you react to the insult? How does your character feel being insulted?
Discussion
A safe team?
You're safe when you can speak your truth, raise your concerns and give and receive constructive feedback without humiliation, rejection or punishment.
What can you do?
Demonstrate engagement
Show understanding
Be inclusive in interpersonal settings
Be inclusive in
decision-making
Show confidence and conviction without appearing inflexible
An environment for success
The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.
Robert Henri
To finish
Safety is the number one indicator of an effective team.
Can't bring up new ideas.
Can't ask questions.
Can't raise risks.
Can't make mistakes.
Launching soon!
www.agilepath.fm
The Agile Path
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@agilepathfm // @antz29