#09: How to build team connection through C- work

I am going to explain to you how to increase team connection and accelerate tasks by asking for C- work.

Prototyping is a vulnerable act

For most workplaces, Sharing unfinished work to your team or boss can be daunting at best and be risky to your job security at worse.

Paradoxically, in modern product-led organizations we are asked to “fail fast” and to launch unfinished products using names like minimum viable products, beta tests and pilots.

Leaders and teams want the outcome without practicing the behavior.

The good news?

We can be those leaders to create that change by adopting a prototyping mindset in the team meetings we lead. Be vulnerable. Go first.

Vulnerability is the birthplace of connection

Brené Brown is a researcher and storyteller who's spent two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. After years of research, she concluded that “Vulnerability is the birthplace of connection and the path to the feeling of worthiness.” If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend her TED talk

In the workplace, we understand the philosophy that connected, high trust groups are needed as a baseline to create a high performing team.

But how do we create those deeply connected teams? I have found it in an unlikely place: prototyping.

I learned this the hard way 12+ years ago 

I was working at a high pace, boutique consulting firm and I had an important client presentation to the next day.

My default behavior, that I exhibited over and over again early in my career, would have been to spend 10+ hours late into the night trying to think my way into making the perfect deck.

Instead, my old boss Tim, set clear expectations for me:

"David, spend no more than 1 hour on this. Show me your best C-work...because you will probably do it wrong”

And then he found 10 minutes later that day to help me evolve that C- version, side by side.

A funny thing happened that day. Instead of feeling fearful of my boss or stuck in my head whether I was going to do a good job, I got to work. My only goal was to make a shitty first draft! The freedom! The ease! And I felt trust knowing my team and leader had my back to help me make it better.

I felt more connected.

From A+ to C-

We all want A+ work. Most of us grew up in an education system that demands it. If you brought a C- report card home, would your parents celebrate it and put it on the fridge?

I am not saying that the end work outcome shouldn't be A+ work. It should. I am saying the path to get there should start with C- work and continuous iterations. Problems are too big and too hairy to think our way out of them. We need new team behaviors of sharing unfinished work quickly and often with each other.

Building team connection through C- work

The old way: Assign Tasks

1. Leader assigns a teammate a task.
2. Teammate works on it for an undefined amount of time until it is hopefully A+ work
3. Then, there is an “update meeting” or a “review meeting”, probably in a week
4. Teammate crosses their fingers and hopes the review goes well
5. Leader gives feedback on what to change for the next update meeting

The old way creates disconnection between the people and the work

We are waiting to give feedback. Leaders aren't rolling up their sleeves. There are also other problems with this way of working.

• Teammates can be confused on what is being asked of them the first time and are afraid to ask
• Update meetings can feel nerve-wrecking like big thumbs up/thumbs down events causing more of a focus to look good in the meeting vs. offering critique of the work
• Wasted time with a task moving in the wrong direction without early feedback
• Leaders not sharing their own vulnerability in not knowing the right answer, causing even more disconnection

There is a better way.

The new way: Co-create with C- work

1. Leader assigns a teammate a task
2. Leader asks for a C- version of the task. (Bonus points if you each make a quick C- version in the room)
3. Leader asks teammate to evolve the work for a very short, defined time
4. They continue to co-create until it's an A+.

Benefits of the new way:

• Builds team connection by making and creating together. Prototyping is a vulnerable act and vulnerability leads to connection.
• De-risks an idea, presentation or work artifact
• Creates a more collaborative environment
• Provides a safe space to practice prototyping mindsets, a critical behavior for modern product development
• Gives confidence to the team on how quickly work can get done

Do you have the courage to share C- work?

It starts with you. Be vulnerable by sharing C- work and watch your team get more connected and accelerate their work.