Author: Andy Ingle

The power of positive feedback

Improve the morale and engagement of your team by providing the correct balance of positive feedback and constructive criticism.

The feedback ratio in a healthy relationship is 5:1. This means that there should be five positive interactions for every negative interaction.

For every time you dish out criticism (constructive or otherwise), people should also receive five pieces of positive feedback.

Positive interactions come in many ways, for example:

  • Recognising effort and achievement
  • Showing an interest in someone’s work or emotions
  • Listening and showing empathy
  • Expressing affection
  • Demonstrating that someone matters

If you work with people that you believe are low performers, try to find positives no matter how small. Highlighting what they’re doing well can help with managing problem employees.

Now ask yourself this: When was the last time you praised someone you work with?

Persuasion techniques for product teams

We’ve all been there. Perhaps you need to negotiate more time for your team. Perhaps you’re trying to convince your teammates to buy-in to your idea. Perhaps you disagree with your roadmaps’ priorities. 

You’re trying to get people to agree with you and you know they’re apprehensive. You can see it in their body language. You can hear it in their tone. What can you do to subtly convince others to buy into your thinking?

Here are a few techniques to help you.

How to post your Team Sterka certificate on LinkedIn

Congratulations on completing your Team Sterka programme. What a journey!

But what now? Well, we’re sure you’ll be wanting to show off your incredible knowledge of people skills. And what better way to do it than to add your certificate of completion to your LinkedIn profile!

When product teams need coercive leadership

“DO WHAT I TELL YOU AND DO IT NOW!”

Ever worked with a leader like that? Someone who leads by instruction, force and control – “it’s my way or the highway”.

This style of leadership usually leads to despondent teams with low levels of communication and engagement. Why challenge and debate when you’ll just get shouted down?

Teams that are based solely on this command-and-control leadership style are likely to develop a culture of non-acceptance, disengagement and regressive behaviour. Not great.

So, if coercive leadership is a negative leadership style then why would you choose to use it? Let’s consider three scenarios within modern product teams:

The key to high performing teams: Balance

In sports, you see it all the time. A collection of ‘elite’ players, often recruited at great expense, are beaten by a perceived ‘smaller’ team. Outrage follows, questions are asked, managers are fired… Where has it all gone wrong?

Often the answers are simple. People played out of position, players put into positions in which they’re uncomfortable, too many players with the same set of skills. What’s missing is a key ingredient of high performing teams: Balance.

It’s the same in business.

Teams stuffed with big thinkers will struggle to deliver. Teams full of analysers will struggle to extract themselves from the data and look at the bigger picture. Achieving diversity of background, outlook, skills, thinking and personality are key for 21st century leaders.

Don’t be a pushover: How to assert your opinion

Are you over-accommodating?

We’ve all been there – you don’t want to offend/it’s easier/you don’t want to argue – so you back away from any disagreement and accept someone else’s ideas, even though you might vehemently disagree with them. This is known as ‘being accommodating’.

Being accommodating can be a positive thing – accepting you’re wrong, preserving harmony and building social credit.

But being too accommodating can have its drawbacks. Society will often reward more assertive personalities who aren’t afraid to ask for what they want – ironically because they’re often asking people who are being accommodating!

Sometimes we need to assert our opinion for the benefit of ourselves and others.

Signs you might be too accommodating can typically include:

  1. You feel as though you’re always giving way to others (you probably are!)
  2. Your ideas or concerns aren’t taken seriously by your colleagues
  3. You’re surrounded by a general lack of discipline
  4. You feel nervous about what will happen if you say “no”

Being over accommodating will mean that others will get what they want often at your expense and can leave you feeling frustrated and disappointed.