Inspired Retrospectives

Inspired Retrospectives
by Dr. Steven B. Wolff
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© 2022, Steven Wolff --steve@stevenwolff.com

Think about the last few retrospectives
you have participated in.
• What were the main issues the team
discussed?
IN CHAT
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Dr. Steven B. Wolff
Team Researcher
https://linkedin.com/in/stevenbwolff
steve@stevenwolff.com
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• 3 Key mindset shifts to use your retrospective to
create an Inspired Team
• Principles for creating an Inspired Retrospective
• Tools for operating with a new mindset
• Implications for Inspired Retrospectives
AGENDA
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• Not necessarily fun and exciting (although it
could be).
• Team knows where to pay attention to create an
Inspired Team.
• Team has an energizing and meaningful
discussion that builds an Inspired Culture.
• Everyone is involved and responsible not just the
leader.
What is an Inspired Retrospective?
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• An Inspired Team thrives in the most complex
and fast-paced environments. They are
emotionally committed to support each other to
achieve a shared vision and breakthrough
performance.
• Team members find their work joyful, they are
passionate, excited to try new things, and they all
feel empowered and responsible for each other's
success and the success of the team.
What is an Inspired Team?
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3 key mindset shifts needed
to use your retrospective to
create an Inspired Team

Mindset Shift #1
You are the problem
We are the problem
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• We tend to focus on individuals.
• A group looks like a bunch of individuals.
• We overestimate the importance of
internal factors (personality, character)
and overlook external ones:
“Fundamental Attribution Error”
Shift from Seeing Individuals to Seeing the
Context Created by the Team
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Which line
matches the
reference line?
Human Systems Shape Our Behavior
Asch, 1951
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1. When you see disruptive
behavior, ask:
What context has the team created
that may draw out that behavior?
2. Emotion can be information
about the team. Ask:
What might the emotional energy from
an individual tell us about the team?
Practical Implication
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At regular intervals, the team reflects on how
to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts
its behavior accordingly.
Agile Principle #12
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What is the first thing you would do?
Suppose I said to you, there is a treasure and the key to getting it
is you need to do three things:
1. Go to Whynot and pick up clue 1
2. Then go to Why and pick up clue 2
3. Finally, the last clue is in Zzyzx
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You Need a Map
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• Know where you should focus attention
• Inspired Teams™ Framework allows you
to see the landscape
• Key leverage points for culture change
Inspired Teams
Principle #1
Don’t Fly Blind
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Removing the Blindfold
Here is a possible map
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• Have a discussion and come to
agreement on the team’s values
• Make it your own
• But be careful
Implications for Inspired
Retrospectives
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Challenges
Energy Innovation Execution Transparency
● Conflict
● Dysfunctional
members
● Quiet members
● Misalignment
● Lack of
engagement
● Risk Averse
● Blaming
● Limited
Learning
● Few
breakthroughs
● Coordinating
with other teams
● Inter-team
Communication
● Repeating same
behavior
● Not discussing
how to improve
● Too many
meetings
● Senior
developer
dominates
discussion
● Some people
quiet
● Not asking for
help
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Mindset Shift #2
It’s the leader’s job
It’s everyone’s job
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• We tend to think it is the leader’s job to
build the team.
• The leader can’t control every
interaction.
• The leader can initiate discussion.
• The leader can influence values.
Shift from putting responsibility on leader
to everyone being responsible
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Implications for Inspired Retrospectives
• Check in on team
values
• Choose one
• Take Inspired
Teams Survey
• Create your own
questions

But we watered it two weeks ago!
Mindset Shift #3
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Two weeks later

• Every interaction affects the team’s
culture.
• When an interaction goes against the
desired team values, it erodes the
culture.
• If left unaddressed, the wound
festers.
Shift from thinking you can build your team once
every two weeks to tending to it continuously
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• Know the values you want and live them in every
interaction
• When a team member notices a value being
violated but says nothing, the team suffers
• Small steps lead to big change – each observation
matters
• Translate what you sense into an observation about
living the team’s values
Inspired Teams
Principle #3
Be Intentional
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Useful??
Uh! What exactly should I do and say?
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“Hey team, what’s up with that?”
BETRAYAL
Observe
Thank You!

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Anatomy of a “Hey Team”
observation
1. Attention getter: “Hey team, I notice…”
2. Observation: “…we don’t show up to our
meetings on time.”
3. Invitation to a discussion: “What’s up with that?”
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• Energy: “Hey team, I notice we don’t show appreciation for
one another. What’s up with that?”
• Innovation: “Hey team, I feel great we just celebrated a
failure we learned from, way to go! Do you feel the same
way?”
• Execution: “Hey team, I notice we aren’t keeping our
promises to one another. What’s up with that?”
• Transparency: “Hey team, I feel great we just had a
substantive discussion raising issues that are difficult to
talk about, way to go! Do you feel the same way?”
Examples
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• Make “Hey Team…” a thing. Use it and
have fun with it – especially outside the
retrospective
• Empower team members to make
observations outside the retrospective
• Use retrospective to consolidate gains
and create new focus going forward
Implications for
Inspired Retrospectives
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Symptoms You Need to Focus on Culture
• Changes don’t stick
• Deal with same problem
• Work is not joyful
• Performance issues
• No Time
• Firefighting
• Stress
• Burnout
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3 Key Mindset Shifts to Create Inspired Retrospectives
• Don’t fly blind – need a map of what values create effective teams
• Everyone is responsible for the team’s values
• Be Intentional – The team needs constant care
Tools to Make the Keys Useful
• Inspired Teams framework provides a map
• ”Hey team…” provides a way to help everyone take responsibility
Summary
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Implications for Creating Inspired Retrospectives
• Get an agreement on the values the team wants to live by
• Don’t fly blind
• Use the retrospective to have a discussion around the desired
values
• Choose a value important to you
• Use the Inspired Teams Survey on Comparative Agility website
• Empower team members to take responsibility for team culture
• Encourage observations in the retrospective
• Don’t wait two weeks – team needs constant care
Summary
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Email me at
If You Want to Know More
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Questions
Comparativeagility.com
stevenwolff.com (tips and tricks)
InspiredAgile.Team/Masterclass

Inspired Retrospectives

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