The confident team – Part I

It is only when we take chances that our lives improve.

The initial and the most difficult risk we need to take is to become honest.

~ Walter Anderson

Consulting different companies gives me a unique perspective into different approaches people take to setup their company and the teams working within.

One interesting aspect of this is that you start seeing patterns and strategies of things that do actually work independent of the environment and context they are used in. These strategies are, in my humble opinion, those which seem to be timeless (I’m stealing that description, “Timeless” from Christopher Alexanders: A timeless way of building).

In this series of blog posts I am going to talk about makes a team confident, and how you might take these ideas and implement them with your team.
If you do send me an email telling me how it went!.

This article explores one of the aspects of a confident team – Decision making.

The ability to make confident decisions is crucial for delivering successfully. Many teams struggle with decision making, often relying too heavily on senior members or managers to make all the important calls. This approach not only creates bottlenecks but also stunts the growth of junior team members.

Many junior developers aren’t confident in their decision-making simply because they were never given the opportunity to practice. In traditional hierarchies, decisions are often made at the top and passed down, leaving little room for lower-level team members to exercise their judgment (deciding what work needs to be done in this iteration, the roadmap of the product, which design approach to embrace, etc.). This can lead to a team where only a select few feel empowered to make decisions, while others always wait for instructions.

To address this issue, senior team members, team leaders and managers should actively delegate decisions to junior members to help them grow, instead of always dictating what needs to be done. This should not be left to only technical decisions, but also decisions having to do with the direction of the project itself.

This approach has several benefits:

• Skill development: By making decisions, junior developers learn to consider various factors, weigh options, and think critically about the impact of their choices.
• Increased engagement: When team members feel their input matters, they become more invested in the project’s success.
• Faster problem-solving: With more people capable of making decisions, the team can address issues more quickly and efficiently.
• Preparation for leadership: This practice prepares junior developers for future leadership roles by giving them experience in decision-making early in their careers.

How do you start implementing confident decision making in your team?

Start Small. Begin by delegating smaller, low-risk decisions. This could involve choosing a coding style for a new module, selecting a testing framework, or deciding on the structure of a minor feature.

Provide Context. When delegating a decision, ensure the team member has all the necessary information. Explain the broader context, any constraints, and the potential impact of the decision.

Encourage Reasoning. Ask the team member to explain their thought process behind a decision. This helps them develop critical thinking skills and allows you to provide guidance if needed.

Allow for Mistakes. Create an environment where it’s okay to make mistakes. Treat errors as learning opportunities rather than failures. There is rarely a situation where a mistake is catastrophical for the company or project.

Offer Support. Make it clear that you’re available for consultation if needed, but resist the urge to jump in and make the decision yourself. It might help, at the beginning to work alongside junior developers as they start gaining more confidence.

Gradually Increase Responsibility. As junior members demonstrate good judgment, progressively delegate more significant decisions to them.

Cultivating confident decision-making in software development teams is not just about empowering junior members—it’s about creating a more effective, adaptable, and innovative team overall. By allowing juniors to make decisions, we’re not just preparing them for future leadership roles; we’re building a stronger, more resilient team today.

Remember, every senior developer was once a junior who needed the chance to grow.

If you need help in creating a confident team don’t hesitate to contact me and I’ll help you and your team succeed!