People and Teams
People and Teams
People and Teams Stories
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Don't Be Fooled by StatisticsStatistics provide numbers that confer credibility to ideas, recommendations, and conclusions. But we do ourselves a disservice if we unthinkingly accept reported statistics without understanding how to interpret them—and without realizing that sometimes they are presented with deliberate deception. | 
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Make Your One-on-One Meetings More EffectiveOne-on-one meetings between managers and the people on their teams can be a very powerful tool, but it's also all too easy for these meetings to become routine, simply turning into regular status reports. One-on-ones should address career development, identify obstacles, and look at the big picture. | 
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The Importance of Giving Others a Sense of ControlIt's important to give people some sense of control over their circumstances, especially during times of stress. This is good to keep in mind when dealing with clients. Feeling a sense of control is a very deep need, so it would be smart to ask clients' opinions and let them influence how some things happen. |
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Flattery Can Get You (and Everyone Else) EverywhereThe difference between flattery and a compliment seems to be a matter of motives. A compliment represents a genuine acknowledgement of another person, while flattery, by contrast, is driven by the desire to gain some advantage. This is important to keep in mind when you’re on the receiving end. |
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Overcoming Resistance to Change in Agile TeamsFor agile software developers, acknowledging that change is inevitable is a core principle in how we work. Yet we often resist change—for a variety of reasons. By understanding human nature and being systematic about how we evaluate decisions, we can give ourselves a way of identifying changes that add value. |
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Are You Doing the Important Work, or Do You Just Think You Are?“Playing work” is when we do activities that look like work—they may even feel like work—but deep down, we know we aren’t being productive. These diversions are dangerous because they don't actually generate value and distract you from real work. Have you fallen victim to any of these deceptive time-wasters? | 
Matt Heusser |
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Give Yourself a Boost with Laughter—whether Real or Not So MuchLaughter has health benefits similar to a workout, including increased heart rate, stretched muscles, improved blood flow, and enhanced respiration. What’s really interesting, though, is that faking laughter can cause your body to respond as though the laughter is real, thereby gaining similar benefits. |
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3 Ways to Foster Enthusiasm in a Software Team Enthusiasm can’t be forced on you. If you’re not passionate about software, it’s difficult for someone to get you to the point where you wake up in the morning excited to develop a mobile application. However, the conditions of your software team can change your level of enthusiasm drastically. |
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