10 ways to enable your whole team to shine
Zalando product design community members share insights embracing the spectrum of introversion, extroversion, and ambiversion to bring out the best in your team.
Cultivating a team culture that enables everyone to thrive not only makes us all happier and healthier but leads to better business results. It is not news to the modern workplace that diverse teams are the most innovative. Reflecting on a 2016 body of research, the Harvard Business Review pointed out that “Working with people who are different from you may challenge your brain to overcome its stale ways of thinking and sharpen its performance.” Enriching teams with representatives of different genders and cultural backgrounds, and supporting them with inclusive practices, is fundamental. However, as great team leaders understand, catering to diversity in the workplace goes even deeper.
As human beings, we exist on many spectrums, but within the team dynamic, perhaps the most noticeable is our tendency towards extroverted or introverted behaviour. Where we land on the continuum might be influenced by how our brains are wired. Neurodiversity and cultural upbringing are strong contributors. It may also fluctuate depending on our mood or how comfortable we feel within a specific group. As Principal Product Designer Alecio Calixto notes, “Some introverts can emit extroverted behaviour in certain situations. It often depends on the composition and energy of the group.”
To support effective collaboration, inclusive practices must encompass the wide range of personal strengths and working styles we all bring to the table. And rather than pigeonholing individuals, it should provide a safe space for flexible expression and growth.
How do Zalando product design community members enable their team members to shine, whatever their leanings or preferences? Read on for ten ways to bring out the best in your team.
Work with traits, not types
Understanding ‘introvert’ and ‘extrovert’ as extremes on a continuum, rather than as fixed personality types, can provide a foundation for balanced team interactions. Introverted traits typically include introspection, high self-awareness, and the need to recharge after social situations. Conversely, extroverted traits include being talkative, action-orientated, and gaining energy from social interactions. Knowing that the team will likely display all of these qualities as a whole, we can design teamwork around them without stereotyping individuals as one or the other. This is especially vital considering that, according to research by psychologist Adam Grant, two-thirds of people fall somewhere in the middle, classifying them as ambiverts.
“Being typically introverted or extroverted does not have any bearing on the impact someone has on the team, the quality of the work they deliver, or how they influence team spirit,” asserts Principal Product Designer Andrea Brinkmeier.
As such, “Fostering a team environment that appreciates the diversity and variety of each team member is crucial,” says Senior Product Designer Oluwatobi Akindunjoye. “Building teams that go beyond one-size-fits-all personality types allows us to leverage the full range of strengths and viewpoints each person brings to the table. This, in turn, unlocks the collective potential of the team.”
Understand your team as people
Rather than acting on assumptions based on the behaviour of team members, seeking to understand their strengths, struggles, and working style is essential.
Product Design Manager Anna Skorobogatova’s team initiated a collaborative workshop to define the team profile. “We performed some tasks to get to know each other better and set out our communication preferences. This has benefited our collaboration and helped me to optimise well-being and performance.”
Similarly, Senior Product Designer Sophie Nothnick designed a successful team-bonding workshop that provides a safe space for participants to open up about their personality traits, working styles, strengths, and where they might need support. “The next step is to act on those insights,” she says. “If you’re facilitating a workshop or leading a team, it’s a matter of giving each person the space to express themselves in their own way.”
“Thanks to Sophie’s workshop,” explains teammate, Product Design Manager Joao Ramos, “whenever I need to initiate a pressing conversation, I typically hop on a call with some, but opt for asynchronous written conversations with others. My lead also inspired me to link a Work With Me document in my email signature. It includes bullet points on my communication and collaboration preferences, as well as some of my strengths and traits. I recommend it as a way to show vulnerability and create psychological safety with collaborators.”
Alecio advocates organic team bonding through play. “The best way to come out of our shell within the group is to solve problems together through fun activities.”
Balance group activities
As Sophie says, “Some people work best coming up with ideas in the moment, but for others, that can be intimidating as they need more time to think.” Structuring group activities and general teamwork with a mixture of focus time and exchange encourages a balanced input from everyone.
“Simply giving everyone two minutes to write a sticky note at the start of a meeting allows everyone to contribute equally,” says Oluwatobi. “It also makes it easier for quieter people to voice their ideas.”
Product Designer Kolianey Ang likes to do this throughout the session to “encourage reflection on comments or questions while giving everyone the same amount of time to read them out.”
Visual formats are another way to diversify communication. “We often use Figjam to facilitate activities and workshops,” says Anna. “This allows everyone to contribute in their own way, be that through writing or pictures.” For balanced discussion, Anna recommends pairing people off before exchanging as a wider group.
Product Design Manager Esin Isik says she aligns with her team to ensure everyone feels comfortable asking for breaks in conversation or contributing via the chat if they are in a group call. “People have given me the feedback that this empowered them to participate.”
Of course, if participation does become a little one-sided during a group session, it is up to the facilitator to be conscious of involving everyone. “I often ask people who have kept quiet for some time about their opinion or thoughts, without pressure or putting them on the spot,” says Andrea. “Some sensitivity is required to understand if a colleague would appreciate support and encouragement to enter into a lively conversation. If they would prefer to stay a listener and observer, their safe space should be respected.”
Another way to look at it is as a balancing of energies. “Different activities use more energy for some than others,” Alecio reflects. “Those who feel drained by social activities, discussions, or presentations need opportunities to rest. Others need social interaction to fuel their best work. As well as planning regular breaks, I seek to understand the energy levels of different people so that I can create harmonious groups.”
Set an agenda
“So that people can plan how they will distribute their energy over the workday,” Alecio explains, “I find that it helps to create rituals where everyone knows beforehand what they are expected to contribute.”
Kolianey agrees that setting an agenda for group sessions primes smooth collaboration. “Thinking about the before, during, and after of any meeting or workshop is really important. As much as I can, I try to clarify in meeting invites why I invited someone, how they can contribute, and the expected outcome. In workshops, I will use the first minutes for this. It helps people prepare while giving a good structure for collaboration.”
“I tell people they can already start thinking of ideas before a session, but there is no pressure,” Oluwatobi explains. “I try to accommodate everyone, and some people are very spontaneous.”
Value icebreakers
Andrea believes that “every approach where you plan some time, where everyone in the room is requested to answer a question or say something, is the best way to give everyone space. Warm-up and introduction rounds are great. On Monday mornings, my team each shares a brief highlight or lowlight of their weekend and their top three priorities for the week. This level of authenticity helps us understand each other and our moods better, bringing us closer together. It also gives transparency about the topics everybody is working on. For the more introverted people, it’s a chance to open up and feel more comfortable within the group setting.”
“I rarely skip icebreakers,” Oluwatobi explains. “I prefer icebreakers that help us understand people more personally, like their favourite book or movie, or their weekend plans. It sets the mood for the workshop and ensures overall participation.”
“In online sessions, the icebreaker is a good time to introduce reactions like stickers or emojis,” Kolianey adds. “Encouraging everyone to add hearts or a thumbs up if they like ideas creates a more approachable and interactive atmosphere.”
Support each other by sharing skills
While it is so important to consider everyone’s preferences and strengths, the invitation to step outside of our comfort zones is often where the magic happens.
“In Zalando’s product design community, we commonly rotate leadership and facilitation responsibilities,” says Anna. “It takes the pressure off of certain people to always be at the forefront of activities while giving others who would not usually raise their hand the chance to shine.”
At the same time, it is crucial to ensure everyone feels comfortable to ask for support to overcome challenges. Sophie advocates buddying up with teammates to share skills. “A colleague and I gave each other tips and tricks. For example, he didn’t like presenting and wanted my advice. My trick was to treat it as a performance, rehearsing it beforehand and acting it out. He started doing that and immediately became such a good and funny presenter. We should never write people off based on what we think they are capable of.”
For their weekly Design Critique, members of Kolianey’s team can each sign up for the agenda with their own topic. “We are encouraged to reach out to our teammates for co-facilitation so that we have support and reassurance before and during the session.”
“As a manager, I offer to co-present with those who would like a little extra support with a share-out,” says Esin. “Having a trusted person alongside them boosts their confidence to be on stage. Before a Design Critique, I will always go over the structure the designer is comfortable with and find a way to balance with expectations.”
Establish a common language
Integral to an inclusive approach is establishing a shared vocabulary. “Different team members might have different names for the same design elements — especially within a cross-functional setup,” says Oluwatobi. “For instance, marketing, engineering, and product teams may refer to the same element as either a popup, overlay, or modal if the naming convention isn’t integrated into the workflow. By dedicating time to building a common language, and reinforcing it in documents and presentations, we ensure everyone is on the same page, feels empowered to contribute, and ultimately achieves better outcomes.”
Cultivate psychological safety
Psychological safety at work comes from having deeper conversations and showing vulnerability with our colleagues. Rather than bottling up frustrations or keeping our struggles to ourselves, cultivating openness within the team enables us all to feel heard and progress healthily together.
“It’s important to ensure team members know they can take up the space they need while respecting timelines,” says Sophie. “Some people might say they need quiet time to figure things out and ask to put their head down for a couple of days. They shouldn’t feel guilty about expressing themselves or working differently from others. It makes such a difference for leadership to acknowledge their working style.”
“I’ve had situations where we finished a group call and someone sent me a message saying that they couldn’t catch everything or needed more context,” Oluwatobi explains. “We have the kind of relationship where they know they can reach out for more information, enabling them to contribute meaningfully moving forward. They also feel supported to request a one-to-one call if needed.”
As Anna points out, team retrospectives provide a safe space for the open communication essential to a healthy team dynamic. “We ask how we are all doing and whether our rituals and ways of working still resonate. Everyone is encouraged to open up about their thoughts or feelings without judgement. Then we figure out together what needs improvement.”
Guide teamwork through principles and processes
Many teams or companies have a set of principles that guide how they work together towards certain goals. Alluding to different working styles within these aspirational tenets indicates to team members from the get-go that multiple approaches are valued.
“The ‘Fly high, dive deep’ principle from Zalando’s Founding Mindset encourages both the typically extroverted and introverted approaches,” says Andrea. “Another principle of ours is ‘share early, share often,’ which invites all team members to share their work and ask for feedback. This way, the more introverted people get used to proactively seeking feedback in the early project stages before working out solutions in detail.”
Kolianey believes defining clear processes and rules of engagement lays the groundwork for balanced and fair group activities. “One example is during group decision-making. In a workshop setting, everyone gets three votes for their favourite ideas and the chance to share their thoughts. This prevents more outspoken or action-orientated people from swaying the outcome too quickly.”
Make an effort to acknowledge everyone
Finally, beyond giving team members equal opportunities, we should also strive to recognise them equally.
“Some people are not so ready to put themselves or their work out there,” says Sophie. “It’s important to acknowledge the less outspoken ones and give them the credit they deserve. Just because someone is less visible does not mean they are doing less work or work that is less worthy of recognition.”
As Kolianey suggests, a great way to do this is to routinely celebrate each other’s achievements. “In my team, we try to regularly share our individual successes. It’s an integral part of a culture of positive communication.”
How do you ensure inclusivity and encourage a balanced dynamic within your team? Feel free to share your tips in the comments! Next, read how a DesignOps mindset can help you reach your design community’s highest potential.
