Processes and teamwork - Introduction

A few words as an introduction. I’ve always struggled with whether it’s really necessary to write about obvious things. Obvious, because knowledge — or more precisely, access to it — is at our fingertips in today’s world, often completely ‘free’. All you need to do is read, learn, and take advantage of it — with caution, of course, because not everything on the internet is true. But how many people actually take the time to do just that: to read, verify, and understand? To reflect, even briefly, giving themselves the chance to absorb and digest this information… Why is common truth so rarely common? Why do we so easily settle for an easy and pleasant message (because it’s easy and pleasant?) sold by pop culture? I don’t know, I can only guess, but…

The article is intended to be about processes in the context of a team, but it also applies perfectly to self-development. This text is just a small piece, but I’m taking the liberty to gather some of my thoughts and beliefs — backed by several years of practice (sometimes very painful) in leading a team of over 30 people. I hope that what you find here will be useful to you.

Quotes

Let’s start with a few quotes, more or less related to the topic, to build a broader context. It’s worth taking a moment to pause and reflect on them.

First, something that can be connected to setting goals, taking action, and daily routines or practices

“If a man knows not to which port he sails no wind is favorable.” — Seneca

“You become what you give your attention to” — Epictetus

“Good luck is when opportunity meets preparation, while bad luck is when lack of preparation meets reality” — Eliyahu Goldratt

Second, a few words about us, humans:

“ The major difference between rats and people is that rats learn from experience.” — B.F.Skinner

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” — commonly attributed to Abraham Maslow

“We’re pattern seekers, driven to seek out rhythm in all aspects of our lives.” — Jeff Sutherland

“Tell me how you measure me and I will tell you how I will behave.” — Eliyahu Goldratt

And maybe I’ll add a little something more, but in a broader context — organisations:

“Software developers are human and that, the job of managing them is 80% psychology and only 20% technology.” — De Luca’s First Law

“94% of the performance of organization is dependent upon the conditions of the system, and only 6% is dependent upon the employees.” and “Individuals can only work as well as the system in which they operate allows them to.” — W. Edwards Deming

Here you’ll find the next part of this text.