Two Scrums Up

Powerful Praise and The Pitfalls of Prizes

Sarah Rose Belok & John Ragozzine, Certified Scrum Masters Season 2 Episode 208

Beware the default mode of prizes and back-pats lest you drain the power from praise. Trite and nonspecific praise can at best offer minimal value, and at worst create a system of winners and losers. We know it’s common to under-communicate genuinely positive, appreciative, and admiring regard for our coworkers in a powerful way. That's why Sarah Rose and John are jumping into the deep end of the praise pool and focusing this episode on sharing 3 tactical checkpoints to examine, reform, and transform your team’s practice of praise.
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Referenced this week:

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Show Norms

  • Be transparent about where we're at. Only record show when we're both ready.
  • Tell me where your head is at. This will help us adapt to our moods and tones. 
  •  Share the mic. Push for equity of voice in recording and editing.
  • Respect each other's privacy. 
  • Use 'I'. Avoid broad generalizations.
  • Speak your truth. Stay positive, but honest.
  • Ask WHY. If something's unclear, we push each other to clarify.
  • We make decisions together. Nothing goes live unless we are both happy.
  • We will make mistakes, tell me when so I can learn.

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