Team effort š
Be part of the collective, make friends, communicate, lead by example, equal voice, disagree and commit.
What this means in practiceā
Collective intelligence: Like bees in a hive, our individual contributions combine to create something greater than the sum of our parts. A data scientist's insights + a beekeeper's domain knowledge + an engineer's implementation = revolutionary solutions.
Distributed leadership: Leadership isn't about titles - it's about stepping up when your expertise is needed. The person closest to a problem often has the best solution.
Productive conflict: We welcome disagreement because it leads to better decisions. The goal isn't harmony, it's finding the best path forward through honest debate.
Shared ownership: Team victories and failures belong to everyone. When we succeed at helping a beekeeper save their hives, we all celebrate. When we miss a deadline, we all take responsibility.
Behavioral expectationsā
- Assume positive intent: When someone disagrees with you, assume they want the same good outcome but see a different path
- Make others successful: Actively help teammates achieve their goals
- Share credit generously: Highlight others' contributions in team meetings and communications
- Communicate across boundaries: Don't let departments become silos - actively collaborate with people outside your immediate team
- Commit fully: Once a team decision is made, support it even if it wasn't your preferred option
Examples in actionā
- A junior developer spots a critical bug that senior engineers missed ā the team celebrates the catch and improves the review process
- Marketing and engineering collaborate to create educational content that both attracts customers and showcases technical expertise
- Product disagreements are resolved through user testing rather than internal politics
- Remote and in-person team members get equal voice in decisions through structured communication
Collaboration patternsā
- Swarm problem-solving: When facing complex issues, multiple people contribute different perspectives
- Knowledge pollination: Regular cross-team presentations to share learnings
- Mentorship circles: Senior members actively develop junior team members
- Retrospective improvement: Regular team reflection on what's working and what isn't
Alsoā
Do not be an egoist Do not ruin people's day