Meri Williams — Five Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner About Scaling Teams & Culture (Turing Fest 2018)

In engineering we (rightly) talk a lot about how to scale our systems and our infrastructure. Yet some of our very hardest challenges come when scaling the people side of things. How do you survive your team doubling, tripling or perhaps even a 10x growth in a short period of time? What does it take to grow fast AND retain the bits of your culture as a team or organisation that made you great to begin with? How do you know when to change how you do things, without just cargo culting? Having scaled a number of teams at different speeds, Meri will talk through some of the inflection points you'll experience, how to navigate them, and reflect on all the things she wishes she'd known just a little bit earlier..

Transcript

1. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager 5 Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner About Scaling Teams & Culture Turing Fest August 2018
2. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
3. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/3667608102/
4. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager #1: DRY DOESN’T WORK FOR HUMAN COMMUNICATION
5. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager “DON’T REPEAT YOURSELF” IS A NICE PROGRAMMING PRINCIPLE
 
 IT IS A TERRIBLE HUMAN COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLE
 

6. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager https://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/9613972159/
7. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TinFoilHat002.jpg
8. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager BE CLEAR
 
 BE CONSISTENT
 

9. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager REMEMBER WE DON’T JUST COMMUNICATE IN THE PRESENT
 
 USE ARCHITECTURAL DECISION RECORDS TO COMMUNICATE (TO FUTURE FOLKS) WHAT YOU WERE THINKING WHEN YOU MADE A CHOICE
10. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager #2: SCALING TEAMS IS ABOUT CREATING CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS
11. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager WE ALL HATE BAD BOSSES WE DESCRIBE THEM AS • Clueless • Empty suits • Pointless • Seagulls
12. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
13. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager https://twitter.com/Caterina/status/6715084157
14. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager Across industries, across countries, the best performing teams answer certain questions positively
15. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager Predictors of High Performance 1. Do I know what is expected of me at work? 2. Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right? 3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? 4. In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for good work? 5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? 6. Is there someone at work who cares about my development? 7. At work, do my opinions seem to count? 8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important? 9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work? 10. Do I have a best friend at work? 11. In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my development? 12. At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?
16. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
17. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager UNDERSTAND MOTIVATION • Purpose • Autonomy • Mastery
18. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager MOTIVATION = + PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?) + AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?) + MASTERY (Am I proud of HOW?) - ANY NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT DETRACT
19. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager Predictors of High Performance (remix) PURPOSE • Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important? AUTONOMY • Do I know what is expected of me at work? • At work, do my opinions seem to count? MASTERY • Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right? • At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? • Is there someone at work who cares about my development? • Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work? • In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my development? • At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?
20. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager And What Else? OTHER FACTORS: • In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for good work? • Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? • Do I have a best friend at work? ESSENTIALLY, AM I RESPECTED & REWARDED HERE? CAN I BE MYSELF AND SUCCEED HERE?
 I CALL THIS INCLUSION.
21. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager Predictors of High Performance (remix) PURPOSE • Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important? 
 AUTONOMY • Do I know what is expected of me at work? • At work, do my opinions seem to count? INCLUSION: • In the last 7 days, have I received recognition or praise for good work? • Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? • Do I have a best friend at work? MASTERY • Do I have the materials & equipment I need to do my work right? • At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? • Is there someone at work who cares about my development? • Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work? • In the last 6 months, have I talked with someone about my development? • At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?
22. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager SPACE TO BE AWESOME = + PURPOSE (Do I believe in WHY?) + AUTONOMY (Do I get a say in WHAT?) + MASTERY (Am I proud of HOW?) + INCLUSION (Do I BELONG HERE?) - ANY NEGATIVE FACTORS THAT DETRACT
23. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager EVERY 
 PERSON IS CAPABLE OF VIRTUOSITY
24. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager #3 INFLECTION POINTS Semper in excretum, sed altuit variunt
25. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager DIFFERENT THINGS COME “FOR FREE” AT DIFFERENT INFLECTION POINTS
26. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
27. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
28. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager FOCUS ON 
 THE RIGHT PROBLEMS 
 AT THE RIGHT TIME
29. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager #4: WITH PEOPLE, OBSERVABILITY > TESTING
30. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager SOMETIMES HOWEVER WELL WE PLAN, HOWEVER HARD WE TRY, OUR IMPACT MAY NOT EQUAL OUR INTENT
31. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager REGULARLY CHECK WHETHER WHAT YOU INTENDED MATCHES UP TO THE ACTUAL IMPACT
32. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager https://speakerdeck.com/madtypist/retrospectives-look-back-to-move-forward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIU6P9HRYzo
33. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager https://labs.spotify.com/2014/09/16/squad-health-check-model/
34. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager https://speakerdeck.com/thesambarnes/people-are-weird-im-weird-the-lead-developer-london-2015 https://vimeo.com/139910836
35. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager #5: CULTURE ADD 
 MATTERS A LOT MORE THAN CULTURE FIT
36. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager https://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/8451589322/in/set-72157633230231221
37. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager “DO I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO WHAT I DO BEST EVERY DAY?”
38. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager WE NEED TO STOP LEVELLING PEOPLE OUT TO EQUAL CONSISTENT MEDIOCRITY 
 
 AND INSTEAD 
 FOCUS ON GETTING THE MOST OUT OF DIFFERENCE
39. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager WE JUST NEED A SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE
40. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
41. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager WE ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE RESOURCE UNITS
42. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager WE ARE COLOURS … OR FLAVOURS
 
 WE ARE BETTER IN COMPLEMENT, IN CONCERT WITH EACH OTHER
43. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
44. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager WHAT IF WE THINK OF PEOPLE AND ROLES AS A MATTER OF CASTING?
45. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager HOW DO WE ASSEMBLE A GREAT TEAM WITH COMPLEMENTARY ABILITIES?
46. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
47. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager CRAFT INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS 1. Am I EXPECTED here? 2. Am I RESPECTED here? 3. Can I BE MYSELF and BE SUCCESSFUL here?
48. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager IN SUMMARY…
49. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager 5 Things I Wish I’d Known Sooner About Scaling Teams 1. DRY Doesn’t Work for Human Communication – repeat, consistently, 7+ times. ADRs rock. 2. Scaling Teams is About Creating the Conditions for Success – Purpose, Autonomy, Mastery, Inclusion. 3. Inflection Points Exist – focus on the right problems at the right times. Borrow solutions from folks facing YOUR problems. 4. With People, Observability > Testing – use tactics to check whether you impact is matching your intent (and adjust!). Retros rock. 5. Culture ADD Matters a Lot More Than Culture FIT – cultivate inclusion, outperform the homogenous teams Every. Damn. Day.
50. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager