Humanizing Work

Effective delegation goes beyond assigning tasks—it’s about setting your team up for success. Join us on Jan 22 to learn how to empower your team with greater decision-making authority while maintaining alignment and accountability. https://lnkd.in/g7p8XARz #LeadershipSkills #Delegation

"Mapping learnings from the session into clear next steps has transformed my coaching—and our team." Only $79 to join us and gain valuable, practical insights you can apply to your work immediately. Register now 👉 https://lnkd.in/ghDeyAvF

The Hidden Power of One-Way Giving ‘Tis the season when we all scramble to maintain gift-giving equilibrium. “He gave me something last year, so I need to give back.” “Her gift was about $50, so mine should be too.” This instinct runs deep—behavioral scientists have long recognized reciprocity as one of the fundamental principles driving human behavior. But some of the most powerful giving happens when we deliberately break free from the short-term reciprocity trap. Early in my career, a senior developer spent several hours helping me understand a gnarly debugging technique. I tried to reciprocate immediately: “That was super helpful. Is there something I can help you with?” He just smiled and said, “Nah, I’m not keeping score. Someday, when you’re in my position, help someone else learn something you know.” He was pointing to what sociologists call generalized reciprocity, where benefits flow forward to new recipients rather than back to the original giver. This pattern turns out to be crucial for building strong professional communities and organizational cultures. Adam Grant, in his research at Wharton, has found that the most successful professionals often follow this pattern—they’re givers who help others without keeping score, rather than matchers who carefully maintain reciprocity ledgers. Think about your own career. Chances are, someone invested time in you when you couldn’t possibly give equal value back. A mentor who shared hard-won wisdom. A colleague who taught you crucial skills. A leader who took a chance on you before you’d proven yourself. These asymmetrical investments create something more valuable than a transactional exchange—they build what organizational scholars call generalized exchange systems. When we help others without keeping score, we: - Create psychological safety (no one fears being “in debt”) - Encourage learning and growth (junior team members can focus on absorbing rather than repaying) - Build long-term relationships (genuine gratitude lasts longer than obligation) So as you start the new year, consider looking for opportunities to practice generalized reciprocity in your professional life: - Spend time mentoring someone who can’t yet help you back - Share your expertise without expecting immediate returns - Make introductions for people early in their careers - Give credit and visibility to junior team members The beautiful thing about generalized reciprocity is that while it doesn’t guarantee direct returns, it strengthens the entire professional ecosystem you’re part of. Those junior developers you help today become tomorrow’s technical leaders. That startup founder you advise might create your next career opportunity. The knowledge you freely share enriches your whole professional community. And our world needs strong, healthy, generous communities now more than ever!

Backlog refinement is essential, but it's easy to fall into the trap of overloading the backlog with too much detail—or not enough. This week, we tackle one of the most common and painful mistakes teams make: detailing work too early or too late. We also share actionable tips to eliminate churn and restore calm to your backlog refinement process. Check it out! https://buff.ly/4gCzuHF #backlogrefinement #product

Year-end retrospectives often suffer from recency and peak-end biases, turning into shallow reviews or Q4 gripe sessions. In this episode, we share a structured approach to help teams and orgs conduct sessions that drive real improvement. https://lnkd.in/gBM6j8Zi #retrospectives #facilitation #continuousimprovement

Breaking Free from the Delegation Trap: A Leader’s Guide “I know I should delegate more, but...” Sound familiar? Many leaders find themselves caught in a paradox: simultaneously burning out yet unable to let go of work. Here’s why this happens and how to break free. The most common challenges to breaking free from the delegation trap: 1. Identity Our sense of self-worth is often connected to personally getting things done. The fix? Try reframing success from “I need to write this proposal” to “This proposal needs to be excellent.” Your job isn’t to do everything—it’s to ensure everything gets done well. 2. Fear of failure When stakes feel high, delegation feels risky. The solution? Think of delegation as a dial, not an on-off switch. Start by having someone shadow you, then let them draft while you review. Gradually increase their autonomy as confidence grows. 3. No time to delegate If you’re too busy executing to create clarity for someone else, you’re overcommitted. Look at your priority list—what’s at the bottom? That needs to pause while you invest in delegation. Yes, it feels counterintuitive to stop doing something when overwhelmed, but it’s the only way out. 4. No one to delegate to If you don't have anyone to delegate to, you may need to hire someone or get someone added to your team. Whether this means hiring or outsourcing, it requires upfront investment. The math is simple but uncomfortable: at 100% capacity doing the work, you’ll never find space to build the team that could help you do more. Start small: pick one easy task this week to hand off. Begin with something simple and just turn up the delegation dial a little bit. If even that feels overwhelming, look at what needs to pause at the bottom of your priority list to buy some space. Remember: Great leaders don’t gauge success by how much they personally get done, but by what their team accomplishes together. What’s your biggest delegation challenge? What makes it hard? 

A beautifully detailed plan feels great—until reality intervenes. This week, we share hard-earned lessons about annual planning from working with hundreds of organizations. Listen in to hear why most companies should spend less time on detailed strategies and more time clarifying vision. https://buff.ly/3ZoAw3g #annualplanning #strategicgrowth

⏰ Last Chance to save over 50% on The Everything Bundle. 🎁 Give the gift of learning: 6 high-leverage online courses to help the team have a bigger impact. Don’t miss out—sale ends today! 👉 https://buff.ly/41mK8OD #ProfessionalDevelopment #ContinuousImprovement #BacklogRefinement#TheoryOfConstraints #GoalSetting #BlackFriday2024

💡 Why choose one course when you can have it all? With the Everything Bundle, you get 6 in-demand self-guided courses at over 50% off! Act now to snag this exclusive Black Friday offer before the sale ends today 👉 https://buff.ly/41mK8OD #ProfessionalDevelopment #ContinuousImprovement #BacklogRefinement#TheoryOfConstraints #GoalSetting #BlackFriday2024

⏰ Black Friday Countdown! The Everything Bundle: 6 courses | $299 | Ends today! Don’t miss out on leveling up your skills at a deep discount (more than 50% off!) during our Black Friday Sale 👉 https://buff.ly/41mK8OD #ProfessionalDevelopment #ContinuousImprovement #BacklogRefinement#TheoryOfConstraints #GoalSetting #BlackFriday2024