A presentation I gave at CipherHealth in 2018, about fulfillment in the workspace, and how to foster collaborative environments where a team can contribute its very best, while feeling safe, happy, and motivated.
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK JOY IN WORK ▸ The sense of fulfillment that results from meaningful work ▸ Allows each one of us to contribute our best to the team ▸ Fostered by a work culture that enables and inspires us to participate and take the company’s vision even further
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK BY CULTURE I MEAN ▸ Our values – those we state with words and those we exhibit through our actions ▸ Our mission & vision – the goal we’re driving toward and the force behind that goal ▸ Our hiring, firing, and reward criteria – the reasons we bring people onto the team, the reasons we let them go, and the reasons we reward them
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK BURNOUT ▸ Mental exhaustion and lack of emotional strength ▸ Cynicism and withdrawal ▸ Lack of a sense of personal effectiveness ▸ Associated with increased errors
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK BURNOUT - ACCELERATED WHEN ▸ Time, energy, and goodwill are gone to waste ▸ Effort is not publicly recognized ▸ Incivility or disrespectful behavior is tolerated
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK 1. PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY ▸ Feeling secure and capable of change ▸ Free to focus on team goals rather than self-protection ▸ Confidence that others will respond positively to questions, concerns, feedback, admitting a mistake, and ideas
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK 2. MEANING & PURPOSE ▸ The foundation of well-being, happiness, and ongoing success ▸ Feeling our work matters and is aligned with our personal values ▸ Able to see the impact of our work and find meaning in what we do ▸ We are at our best when motivated
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK 3. CHOICE & OPTIMISM ▸ The sense that our future can improve if we just understand our needs better and create a plan for ourselves. ▸ Thinking about our goals makes it easier to go after them ▸ Achieving our goals and self-improvement help us to remain driven ▸ Turn your opinions into actions ▸ Keep your eyes open, seize the opportunities around you
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK 4. FRIENDSHIP & TEAMWORK ▸ Meaningful relationships make work more enjoyable ▸ You are not alone, reach out when you need to ▸ Assume others have the best intention ▸ Offer to help your teammates
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK AN AWESOME ENVIRONMENT IS ▸ Encouraging people to ask for help ▸ Allowing people to take risks, mistakes are not held against ▸ Enabling team members to bring up problems, concerns, and tough issues ▸ Addressing disrespectful behavior rapidly and consistently – no matter who
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK BEING KIND ▸ Is compatible with being candid ▸ Increases the impact you have, it scales better ▸ Makes it easier for people to reach out for help ▸ Mistakes will be made, no finger-pointing ▸ Bring the best out of your teammates, be encouraging
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK NOT THE SAME AS “BE NICE” ▸ It’s not about superficial praise ▸ It does not mean dulling your opinions ▸ It should not diminish the passion with which you present them
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK REVIEWS ▸ Allow us to learn from each other and grow ▸ Critique is an opportunity for dialogue ▸ Take the time to help your teammates
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK REVIEWS ▸ When in doubt, ask ▸ Don’t be shallow, take the time to review ▸ Big disagreements are better solved on Slack ▸ Never take it personal, we share the same goal ▸ Reviewing takes effort, respect everyone's time
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK TRUST ENABLES KINDNESS ▸ When we trust each other: ▸ As a reviewer, you don’t have to speak strongly to know your message will be heard ▸ As a pull request author, every comment is worthy of investigation and review
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK PULL REQUESTS ▸ Are the history of the project ▸ Serve as the documentation of the work being done ▸ Primary mean to communicate our work to the team ▸ Also an excellent mean to learn, teach, and improve
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK PULL REQUESTS ▸ An empty description wastes everyone’s time ▸ Use the template, Luke ▸ Don’t make your teammates do the work, help them understand why, what, and how. ▸ Ask yourself, I visited this pull request next year, would I be able to understand why I did it? ▸ Describe the root cause, and why it’s fixed
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK PULL REQUESTS ▸ Don’t cut corners, go the extra mile ▸ Quality is vital, a good pull request serves as a hub for: ▸ Communication ▸ Documentation ▸ Knowledge Exchange ▸ History Tracking
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK TEAM EXERCISE ▸ Remember that thing you wrote about enjoying work? ▸ Use a few words to share it with a teammate sitting nearby ▸ Find the root cause, why was it joyful? ▸ As a team, let’s pull together a summary of stories
THE JOY OF GOOD WORK TEAM EXERCISE ▸ Remember that thing you wrote about being frustrated? ▸ Use a few words to share it with a teammate sitting nearby ▸ Find the root cause, why was it frustrating? ▸ As a team, let’s pull together some stories (no finger-pointing or naming names) ▸ Find possible solutions
SUCCEED. FAIL. ASK FOR HELP. GET ENCOURAGEMENT. REDESIGN. BE HUMBLED. TOY WITH NEW CONCEPTS. ENJOY WHAT YOU DO AND BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF. GENTLENESS AND KINDNESS ARE STRENGTHS! TAKE PRIDE IN SHOWING THEM. THE JOY OF GOOD WORK Code & Coffee Manifesto
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