Summary
How do we build genuine relationships with our cross-functional partners? How does that improve decision-making and build honest collaboration? We do it by building our trust muscle! Start by assuming good intentions, and then truly involve everyone in the design process. Working together builds trust and fosters strong relationships. And the more trust we build, the more we are able to have healthy debates, prompting us to better and better solutions. Because we trust that we all want the same results, we can be clear and direct with each other, and finally, we can be brutal prioritizers because we’ve spent a lot of time building our relationships. Trust is magic!
Key Insights
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Genuine relationships built on trust improve collaboration, decision making, and workplace happiness.
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The 'three in a box' model at PayPal includes design, product, and engineering working closely together for solutions.
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Personal connections, such as shared interests and knowing personal details, strengthen workplace trust.
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Assuming good intentions is vital to overcoming conflicts and poor communication.
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Respecting and valuing diverse skills and personalities enables better team problem solving.
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Bringing your whole self to work, including emotions and quirks, fosters authentic relationships and a fun environment.
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Tailoring communication style to different audiences (engineers, stakeholders, designers) is essential for alignment.
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Broadening your perspective to include roles outside design acknowledges that design decisions come from many sources.
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Feedback should focus on solving problems rather than personal likes or dislikes, and managing emotions is key.
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Debate is constructive when done respectfully; it uncovers better approaches and prevents unspoken assumptions.
Notable Quotes
"In my house the magic word is please."
"We’re about a five or a six on the maturity model, but some teams are more of a four."
"Because we can trust each other, we can do everything."
"A genuine relationship is like having a best friend who knows all the good stuff and the bad stuff and is still your best friend."
"Assume good intentions even when it’s hard, because disagreement doesn’t equal a flaw in character."
"Bring your whole self to the office. Work is your real life."
"The best idea can lose if you haven’t involved your stakeholders."
"People outside your design organization are also designing your product. They’re part of your augmented design team."
"Feedback isn’t about liking or not liking; it’s about whether it’s solving the problem."
"Debate is not a bad thing. Challenging each other helps find a better approach."
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