Fostering Team Health: The Importance of One-on-One Sessions
The health of your team is paramount. Day-to-day activities can be draining: meetings, refinement sessions, interruptions, production bugs... Additionally, each team member has their own personal life, and their individual contexts can vary significantly compared to those of their teammates. This context can have a significant impact on the team's health and, consequently, its performance.
That's why I conduct one-on-one sessions with team members. These sessions, where I sit down with one team member, provide an opportunity to discuss work-related matters, but they are also good moments to get to know the person better. These sessions are entirely voluntary; I always ask if it suits them or if they feel like having them, and I strive to make them relaxed, as if we were in a bar having a casual conversation.
Understanding each individual's context will strengthen the trust between us and enhance the overall health of the team. There's a saying: "unity is strength," and I would add that unity backed by trust amplifies that strength!