Healthy Discussions

During a dev team discussion:

Junior Developer: What do you folks think about this solution?

Senior Developer: I think the client would throw rocks at us if we implemented it

Junior Developer: Ok (feeling insulted and vengeful)

Nowadays there is a good amount of visibility on how a discussion should not become a debate. Ideas and solutions cannot be validated in a debate as the participants wouldn't be open to suggestions. Instead they would be looking to win.

But how do you create a culture of having healthy discussions between the team regardless of seniority?

You make everyone feel valued.

If a teammate's suggestion feels incorrect, instead of striking their idea down (like the above exchange), try to understand why they suggested it. Maybe they didn't understand the problem or a constraint. They may even be aware of a constraint that you didn't know of.

Making sure every teammate feels respected and safe to contribute is the best way to ensure a fruitful discussion and in extension a great team culture.

Ignoring this would lead to teammates either not participating or thinking that they have to belittle others' ideas to win.

If you've experienced this, let's discuss.

Healthy Discussions > Debate

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