Everyday Agile #5 Trust
Moiken Feddersen
Agilist | Lean Practitioner | Finance Professional | Operations Manager
There are 12 Agile Principles, and I dedicate one post to each of them. When quoting the principle, I am replacing "software" with "solutions" to include areas outside of software development.
Agile Principle #5: Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
For every one of the articles in this series, I pick one or two words that summarize the Agile principle. My first thought for this principle was to use "Motivation", but then I realized that the real essence here is "Trust". Trust is a two-way street: We can earn somebody else's trust by our actions (not words!), and we need to let go of control to trust others. The higher the level of trust, the faster the work is done (see Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey for more) and, I would add, the happier everybody involved.
Within the context of the remodeling project of my apartment, I am gradually losing trust in the construction company, because their actions (or lack of) make me doubt their motivation to advance the work. To be clear, I am sharing my perspective here, and I fully acknowledge that my assumptions can be based on miscommunication or even cultural differences. However, this lack of trust is causing anxiety at my end, and frustration with my increasing need for information among the construction team.
The work started two months ago, and the initial forecast of the construction company was to finalize the project in under three months. As of today, there is still groundwork being done, not a single tile or piece of flooring has been laid. It is highly unlikely that the remodeling will be finished in one month. Since the beginning, I have regular meetings with the project coordinator, asking for next steps and how I can support. On several occasions, things didn't happen the way they were discussed ("the missing material will be delivered in a few days" - took more than 3 weeks; "from tomorrow on, there will be two workers on site" - no work was done for the following week; "I call you back in a bit" - called 5 hours later, after several reminders), which made me lose trust in the company. I started wondering if my project is not important to them, maybe because it is less profitable or because I am being too nice and patient, compared to their other projects. I am now second-guessing their information and follow up closely to be sure that things happen the way they were presented. This is an unpleasant situation for both sides, and I am hoping to re-gain trust by positive results, so work gets done smoothly, without interference.
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Trust and motivation also play crucial roles in the division of household chores. Personally, I have received extensive training and insight on how to run a household efficiently—cooking, cleaning, organizing, and caregiving—throughout my life, making me more comfortable with these tasks than my partner. Nevertheless, we both want to share the work equally and support each other without restrictions, meaning each of us should be capable of performing any task. Therefore, whenever I feel anxious about the way my partner handles household duties, I remind myself that we share the same motivation: to live in a cozy home and enjoy delicious meals. I trust him to do the work in the way he deems best. I can even learn new methods from him and, if his approach proves ineffective, I can offer my experience to help him improve. By doing so, we eliminate a potential source of conflict and reduce stress, knowing we can rely on each other when one of us feels overwhelmed.
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What is your example of teamwork based on trust and motivation, rather than pressure and control? If you are familiar with the Agile Principles, do you recognize Principle #5 in my examples? I am curious to hear from you.
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Did you miss any of the previous articles of this series? Here they are: