The document discusses 5 things the author wishes they had known sooner about scaling teams and culture. The key points are: 1) Important messages need to be repeated consistently for effective human communication. 2) Scaling teams is about creating an environment where people feel purpose, autonomy, mastery, and inclusion. 3) Different challenges emerge at different growth stages, so focus on the right problems. 4) It's important to observe impact and ensure it matches intent, using retrospectives. 5) Diversity should be embraced, focusing on how people's differences complement each other rather than expecting uniformity.
5. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
“DON’T REPEAT YOURSELF” IS A NICE
PROGRAMMING PRINCIPLE
IT IS A TERRIBLE HUMAN COMMUNICATION
PRINCIPLE
YOU NEED TO REPEAT IMPORTANT THINGS
CONSISTENTLY (7 TIMES)
8. Meri Williams, ChromeRose @Geek_Manager
BE CLEAR
BE CONSISTENT
REMEMBER OTHERS STILL NEED TO HEAR
BEYOND THE POINT WHEN YOU ARE
WORRIED YOU HAVE BEEN REPETITIVE
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
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?
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
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
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?
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.
They were consistently recognized as one of the best places to work, and produced more leaders of companies than almost any other company
Sometimes it’s just about helping people realise they don’t know what they don’t know
The only thing that under-informed engineers produce more of than code is conspiracy theories
They were consistently recognized as one of the best places to work, and produced more leaders of companies than almost any other company
If you record context, then it’s possible in future for people revisiting the decision, or puzzled by the design, to start by going “Are the same things true now as were true at the time this decision was made?”
Great, now I’m drowning in questions to ask myself all the time! Thanks Meri!!
Different ones are easier and harder at different inflection points – it’s not hard to keep 10 people aligned around a clear purpose
It is incredibly hard to keep 150+ people aligned around a shared purpose AND to enable autonomy
Under 10 people, everyone knows everything, for free!
Over 10 people, suddenly people get confused or lost or get the wrong end of the stick
Over 50 people, you need to have career paths for people to understand their place in the group, how they can grow their careers. Specialisms emerge. Efficiencies happen in having people become more expert in certain areas
Over 100, most people don’t know most other people – they struggle to trust each other’s intent
Over 150, Dunbar number – most people literally cannot hold that many relationships up / know that many people
Sometimes we get too focused on the problems that are on the far horizon
Often because those might be more comfortable for us to solve – they feel less real, urgent, sticky, challenging – or maybe we just know more about how to solve THOSE problems
As your organization grows you encounter different problems – each new fishbowl has a new set of watchouts
Under 10 people, everyone knows everything, for free!
Over 10 people, suddenly people get confused or lost or get the wrong end of the stick
Over 50 people, you need to have career paths for people to understand their place in the group, how they can grow their careers. Specialisms emerge. Efficiencies happen in having people become more expert in certain areas
Over 100, most people don’t know most other people – they struggle to trust each other’s intent
Over 150, Dunbar number – most people literally cannot hold that many relationships up / know that many people