We Not Me

Organisational effectiveness isn't just about making team members more productive, but properly structuring teams and understanding how they work together.

Small teams with high trust can make decisions quickly and maintain better context of what they're building, while being mindful of the cognitive load placed on members.

Matthew Skelton is the author of Team Topologies. He developed patterns for team organisation and devops that were adopted by companies like Netflix and Accenture. His work focuses on how to structure teams effectively in organisations, particularly looking at concepts like team cognitive load and team interaction modes.

Three reasons to listen

• Learn how small teams can achieve faster results and deliver value more effectively to users
• Understand the principles behind Amazon's "two pizza team" approach, including how trust enables quick decision-making in small groups
• Discover how organisations often lack self-awareness and how this becomes a major obstacle to their success

Episode highlights

• [00:11:47] The road to Team Topologies
• [00:17:18] Why collaboration is not the only answer
• [00:22:05] Creating flow for small teams
• [00:23:34] Making work humane
• [00:28:10] The Uswith example
• [00:30:45] Alternative schools of thought
• [00:34:56] Impact on team leaders
• [00:37:31] Conway's law
• [00:40:48] Decoupling of teams and architecture
• [00:46:08] Matthew's media recommendations
• [00:48:59] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow –Matthew’s book
• The jazz ensemble: the ultimate team? – We Not Me
• Team Topologies’ Uswitch case study
• Conway's law
• Empowered Agile Transformation: Beyond the Framework, by Alexandra Stokes
• Architecture Modernization, by Nick Tune
• Frozen II (2019)
• Leave us a voice note

AI technology has the potential to enhance team dynamics and human relationships… if used thoughtfully. In this episode, Dan and Pia explore how AI can help with team communication and collaboration, while raising questions about finding the right balance between AI assistance and maintaining genuine human connection.

For this episode, Dan and Pia are joined by ChatGPT, using OpenAI's advanced voice technology to participate in the conversation and provide answers to questions. ChatGPT is assisted by Squadify’s Chief Technology Officer Ian Smith.

Three reasons to listen

• Explore the challenges of hybrid teams and practical strategies for maintaining effective communication when team members work from different locations
• Discover approaches for transforming groups from "Teams in name only" into truly collaborative teams that achieve shared goals
• See where ChatGPT excels and falls down when answering questions (and how well it can maintain accents)

Episode highlights

• [00:10:41] The challenges faced by hybrid teams
• [00:12:42] Teams in name only
• [00:15:11] Dealing with difficult team members
• [00:19:38] The ideal size of a team
• [00:21:07] Challenges faced by cross-functional teams
• [00:22:50] Qualities of high-performing leaders
• [00:24:18] ChatGPT's book recommendation
• [00:25:55] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization, by Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith
• Research by Richard Hackman
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni
• Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World, by Stanley McChrystal
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note

Nearly 60% of women are worried about job losses due to AI, but only 22% are actively adopting it. This reflects a broader pattern of workplace inequality, where tech revolutions risk leaving women behind.

The solution lies in leadership, embracing vulnerability and authenticity, focusing on short-term clarity, and not pretending to have all the answers. But does it also lie in Sheryl Sandberg’s “lean in” philosophy, or does this encourage women to behave more like men in order to fit in?

This episode’s guest is Sheela Subramanian, who has had an extensive career in tech leadership, including roles at Google, Slack, and Salesforce. She's the co-author of How the Future Works, a bestselling book about flexible work and teams, focusing on how leaders can navigate change. She's a mother of two young daughters and balances multiple roles including being a wife, mother, daughter, and speaker.

Three reasons to listen

• Learn about the gap in AI adoption between men and women
• Understand how leaders can navigate workplace uncertainty by embracing vulnerability and acknowledging when they don't have all the answers
• Discover perspectives on burnout in the modern workplace, particularly how it affects women trying to fit into systems that weren't built for them

Episode highlights

• [00:07:32] How the Future Works
• [00:12:45] Life through, and after burnou
• [00:18:14] The Personal User Manual
• [00:20:20] Team level agreements
• [00:21:22] Team rituals
• [00:22:40] Self-awareness in leadership
• [00:24:07] Non-negotiables for leaders today
• [00:26:04] Where to start
• [00:28:18] Sheela's media recommendations
• [00:29:44] Takeaways from Dan and Pia

Links

• Connect with Sheela via LinkedIn
• How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do the Best Work of Their Lives, by Brian Elliott, Sheela Subramanian, and Helen Kupp
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note

Effective leadership in tech means crafting a collaborative culture where growth happens through real-world challenges and strong interpersonal connections – not individual technical accomplishments.

Rob Dinsmore has an extensive background in leadership and team development, particularly in technical organisations like Cisco. He built a highly regarded programme for top engineering talent, helping these specialists expand their leadership skills and integrate them across the company to produce meaningful, business-driven outcomes.

Three reasons to listen

• To find out how to enable technical leaders to work effectively as a team
• To learn why leadership for technical experts is as much about collaboration and influence as it is about technical proficiency
• To hear how Cisco integrated senior technical leaders across departments, forming partnerships that transformed business initiatives

Episode highlights

• [00:09:34] Leadership at Cisco
• [00:14:39] Global Tech Leader Program
• [00:20:26] Using data to save the rhinos
• [00:25:27] Helping technical leaders build interpersonal skills
• [00:29:42] Learning the business and how to pitch it
• [00:32:18] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• Connect with Rob via LinkedIn
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note

Effective teaming requires intentional design and can’t be achieved simply by putting people together on a project.

Teaming by Design emphasises the importance of embedding team effectiveness skills within the context of real work, rather than teaching it as a separate subject.

This approach recognises that valuable teaming skills are often developed through practical experience and reflection, rather than through theoretical instruction alone.

For this episode, Dan and Pia are joined in-person by Sara Beckman, who developed the concept of "teaming by design" while teaching MBA students. Sara works on integrating team effectiveness training into various courses, particularly in innovation, design, and new product development, and has conducted research on team dynamics, including studies at Hewlett Packard.

Three reasons to listen

• To discover a unique approach to teaching teamwork called which embeds team effectiveness skills into project-based courses
• To explore goal congruence and its critical role in team performance
• To learn about the challenges of bringing about psychological safety in teams and how it relates to conflict management

Episode highlights

• [00:09:29] Teaming by design
• [00:14:42] Teaming in corporate vs academia
• [00:19:00] Conflict
• [00:19:59] The University of Unlearning
• [00:25:59] The importance of shared goals
• [00:29:55] How students view leadership
• [00:32:11] What is the future of teaming?
• [00:36:22] The benefits of teaming by design
• [00:38:05] Sara's book recommendation
• [00:40:07] Takeaways from Dan and Pia

Links

• Connect with Sara via LinkedIn
• Books by Claire Keegan
• Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
• Rough Sleepers, by Tracy Kidder
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note

Agile isn’t just for software teams – its principles can be effectively applied to HR and other business teams, offering a pragmatic approach to improving workflow and efficiency.

It goes beyond flexible working or nimble decision-making, representing a philosophy and set of principles for getting work done more effectively.

Nebel Crowhurst is the Chief People Officer at Reward Gateway, and has extensive experience in HR. She’s worked across a variety of industries, helping teams understand and transition to Agile.

Three reasons to listen

• For a pragmatic approach to implementing Agile principles in HR and business teams
• To discover how Agile can help teams prioritise work, reduce friction, and improve efficiency in meetings
• To explore the benefits and potential challenges of applying Agile methodologies outside of traditional software development

Episode highlights

• [00:08:46] Revisiting engagement surveys
• [00:13:40] What Agile is and is not
• [00:17:30] What Agile looks like in practice
• [00:22:08] Handling Agile scepticism (including your own)
• [00:24:55] Transitioning your team to Agile
• [00:31:53] Taking your first steps into Agile
• [00:33:17] Nebel's media recommendation
• [00:35:51] Takeaways from Dan and Pia

Links

• Connect with Nebel via LinkedIn
• Books by Natal Dank
• The Multi-Hyphen Method, by Emma Gannon
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note

International assignments in business require careful preparation, adaptability, and a focus on making a positive impact rather than just “making your mark”.

Success in foreign assignments often comes from reinforcing and amplifying existing strengths within an organisation, rather than attempting to overhaul everything.

Kevin Asher is a leader, strategist, and innovator in healthcare. He’s worked primarily in the pharmaceutical industry, including medical communications, data generation, and patient group support. He’s a self-described problem-solver, and he joins Dan and Pia to discuss his recent assignment in Italy.

Three reasons to listen

• To learn how to successfully navigate international assignments and make a positive impact
• To understand the importance of effective communication and bridging gaps between global and local teams
• For new approaches to add value quickly in new, challenging situations – even when facing language barriers or unfamiliar systems

Episode highlights

• [00:09:10] Preparing to go on an assignment
• [00:12:34] Making your mark
• [00:14:36] Improving communication in a restructured team
• [00:21:21] What Kevin would do differently
• [00:23:07] Finding the right time to make a big decision
• [00:25:15] Re-entry
• [00:28:53] Kevin's advice for starting a new assignment
• [00:30:44] Kevin's media recommendation
• [00:33:29] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• Connect with Kevin via LinkedIn
• Why Motivating People Doesn't Work--and What Does, by Susan Fowler
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note

Employee engagement is in crisis, with staggeringly low levels of engagement across the workforce, particularly among younger employees.

This lack of engagement is not only affecting workers' wellbeing, but also has significant economic impact, with an estimated $8.9 trillion lost annually in global GDP due to low engagement.

This week's guest is Juliet Owen, business analyst at Squadify. Juliet has a background in economics and works with a database of 2.5 million data points, analysing engagement and team dynamics.

Three reasons to listen

• Discover alarming statistics about the current state of employee engagement, including how it has stalled and declined in recent years.
• Learn about the significant financial impact of low engagement on global GDP and various business performance metrics.
• Explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected leadership styles and workplace dynamics, leading to shifts in employee engagement.

Episode highlights

• [00:08:48] What is an engagement survey?
• [00:15:43] The desire for engagement vs its presence
• [00:21:14] Some good news on engagement
• [00:27:20] Moving from distressed to flourishing
• [00:32:50] Juliet's media recommendation
• [00:35:01] Takeaways from Pia and Dan

Links

• Connect with Juliet via LinkedIn
• Pivot, with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway
• Burn Book, by Kara Swisher
• Track and improve your team performance with Squadify
• Leave us a voice note

It’s time for a new approach to teamwork: one that minimises distractions, reduces time-blocking communication, prioritises mental health, and promotes independent and efficient work.

This management style can lead to more productive teams, with fewer managers and more individual contributors, with everyone focused on their core competencies.

Liam Martin is the author of a bestselling book and the founder of a conference focused on remote working, which he believes is crucial for scaling organisations. He advocates for a new management style for remote teams, emphasising the importance of communicating effectively without unnecessary interaction.

Three reasons to listen

• Explore asynchronous management and its potential to revolutionise remote work practices
• Discover the challenges organisations face when implementing asynchronous management and how to overcome them
• Learn about the importance of documentation and effective information sharing in scaling remote teams

Episode highlights

• [00:11:55] What is asynchronous management?
• [00:17:51] Where companies fail to implement asynchronous management
• [00:22:15] Case Study: GitLab
• [00:23:30] Entrepreneur operating system
• [00:27:53] Be an of your organisation
• [00:29:20] Getting the information flowing
• [00:32:44] Remote work in 2024
• [00:37:43] Try an asynchronous week
• [00:39:16] Liam's book recommendation
• [00:43:18] Takeaways from Dan and Pia

Links

• Running Remote: Master the Lessons from the World’s Most Successful Remote-Work Pioneers – Liam’s book
• Running Remote on YouTube
• The Entrepreneurial Operating System
• Slite
• Notion AI
• Flex Index
• Flow: The Psychology of Happiness, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Leave us a voice note

To bring specialists into teams with different skill sets takes good communication and a knowledge of the history of the team you’re integrating. Doing this well means everyone can point their skills at solving problems.

Ash Winter is an experienced software tester who has a particular interest in how teams and organisations work. Ash has been a software tester for over 15 years, and has experience as a consultant, helping organisations improve their testing processes.

In his role he’s seen a wide range of team structures and sizes, and he’s particularly focused on the challenges and opportunities of being a specialist within a team.

Three reasons to listen

• Understand the unique challenges and opportunities of being a specialist in a cross-functional team
• Explore the impact of team history and dynamics on integrating new specialists
• Learn about the evolving role of software testers and their influence in modern development teams

Episode highlights

• [00:09:14] Testing teams
• [00:14:29] The problem with "embedding" into a team
• [00:16:30] The Spotify model
• [00:19:48] Communities of practice
• [00:22:57] Agile methodologies with multidisciplinary teams
• [00:28:05] The benefits of a coaching qualification
• [00:30:19] Ash's book recommendation
• [00:31:42] Takeaways from Dan and Pia

Links

• Connect with Ash via LinkedIn
• Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow, by Matthew Skelton & Pais Manuel
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni
• The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement, by Eliyahu Goldratt
• The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win, by Gene Kim
• Leave us a voice note