A short guide on how to know your team better

As experts in the IT world who have transitioned into a leadership role, we tend to stay focused on the technical aspects of the project, as that is something most of us enjoy. We often forget about the soft or personable side of the role. When getting acquainted with our team, we often concentrate on their technical skills. Sometimes, we try to inspire others by comparing them to ourselves or convincing them to do things the same way as we do. I have learned that there are better ways to build a strong team.

How do you build a strong team? In my experience, you should start the moment you join a project or get promoted to a leadership role. You want to make sure that your teammates develop their capabilities for the future, so the first step would be getting to know them well. The more characteristics you identify for each individual, the more accurate a description you can build for each team member. These descriptions will make it easier for you to provide support as they grow.

Important to note:

I purposely used the word “description” as it is a crucial identifier when getting to know someone, and it can easily be mistaken for “judging”. A description is a mindful focus supported by factual information that you have received. On the other hand, judging is viewing another person based on your own experiences, comparing another to a hierarchy of your values, or trying to explain a person’s behaviour based on familiar patterns. Here’s a classic example to make the difference between describing and judging easier to spot:

The description:

The picture above shows a man lying on a couch. His eyes are closed. He keeps a remote in his right hand and a newspaper in his left. He is dressed casually.

The potential judgement:

The picture shows a man sleeping on the couch in front of the TV. He was so lazy that he didn’t make the effort to remove his shoes or put the newspaper down before falling asleep.

An alternative judgement:

The picture shows an exhausted man who fell asleep on the couch after a difficult day. He was so tired that he didn’t have the energy to take his shoes off or put down the newspaper.

While the alternative judgement is quite positive, and there are no bad intentions to it, it is still a judgement. It is not backed by any facts that can be gathered by simply viewing the picture provided.

Consider the following example from the IT world:

The description:

Leon regularly expresses his opinions during team meetings. He works remotely, and he works from the office. He divides his tasks into smaller ones whenever he’s working on large projects and prioritises the order in which he will address them. Leon chooses the tasks that the team does not have full knowledge of. He uses more time for each task than I would require.

The potential judgement:

Leon never lets others speak, and he talks too much during meetings. He goes to the office whenever he wants to chat with others while drinking coffee in the kitchen. He’s never in a hurry to accomplish any of his tasks. I think it is due to the coffee breaks or the time he wastes creating dozens of tasks on the board, which he deliberately chooses to blame for his laziness.

There are many different ways to say something about a person. The first of the above, the description, gives you a solid foundation to build upon and cultivate. The second one, the judgement, gives you a solid foundation to further your frustration as time goes by. It is wise to avoid letting first impressions become a permanent blemish on another’s image. Instead, invest time getting to know your colleagues so that you can create a clearer picture of who they indeed are.

Within the first few days or weeks, I propose listening and observing the people around you to better understand them. How long this takes is determined by the size of your team. This is especially important for members of the development team, but don’t forget about other people involved in the project along the road, such as the business team or critical members of other organisations, such as those that interact with API clients.

Take advantage of every opportunity to listen and observe. Here are some suggestions:

• One on one
• Daily stand-up
• Retrospective
• Lunch together
• Going out for a beer
• Company events

When you survey or interact with your teammates, pay attention to what they need, their tasks, collaborations, and how they organise assignments. It is much simpler to encourage their growth when you align yourself with their internal motivation rather than trying to inspire them to think and behave as you do. Remember, mindfulness is critical, and your focus is better served when directed at others instead of yourself.

You gain more from listening than speaking. A further tip is to listen for keywords that connect with a person’s behaviours. Sometimes these words or phrases will have a higher value than the surface of what the person is trying to say. For example, it is not unusual for a person to find it challenging to identify their own needs or feel uncomfortable when sharing about themselves. Others might tell you what they think you want to hear. It is up to you to read between the lines because one person’s need or desire might benefit others in your team.

If you’re stuck, these questions can be used to get the conversation moving again:

• What is important for you when you …?
• What do you want to achieve by …?
• What are you going to gain when … happens?
• What are you going to lose when … happens?

“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still,” — Lao Tzu

There is a final tip remaining before I leave you. To get to know people better, start with knowing yourself. What are your dominant traits, needs, desires, and motivators? Then, think about your life experiences and how they influence how you perceive and judge others. It will make it easier for you to figure out the differences between yourself and others. It will help you avoid judging and getting frustrated because somebody does something in a different way than you would do it.

The bigger the diversity of traits you have in your team, the more you gain from that, as you can be sure that somebody in your group will cover all types of tasks. If everyone were like you, who would do the jobs that don’t give you satisfaction to work on? ;)

Separating description from judgments is one of the biggest lessons I have learned, and I recognize that it is also one of the most critical skills to achieve as a leader. Reading people and discerning their varying profiles is a challenge. It will not always feel like you have made a big difference in your team’s growth, but that is perfectly fine. You have made the first step in your journey, and it is impossible to leave empty-handed. In the future, you will have a better understanding of how to motivate your teammates instead of trying to get them to perform as you do. This type of knowledge produces success and a dynamic future for you and those you lead.

Further, read:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias_blind_spot
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_effect
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_effect
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_effect

In the following two articles, I’ll present you with my view on the following topics:

• A tool that helps identify others’ motivators.
• How to support individuals from your team in their growth.