We can iterate, nimble, agile, push, ship daily and continuously improve as much as we want, but if the team isn’t catching up you’re doing more harm than good.
This doesn’t mean you give up, this means you find the breaking points, you find what is holding people back and you zone in on them. Doing the basic math, if they are stuck on Step 1, then you know they are going to be stuck on Step 5, so going ahead to Step 5 will not do them any good.
You know that feeling you have in a meeting, when everyone is gathered around and someone asks a question that you thought was put to rest two months ago?
That’s when they’re lost, and if others are chiming in, that’s when you need to take a step back and figure out how to get them up to speed, get them on board and get them back in the game.
If you’re looking to avoid getting to the point where you’re on Step 5 and they are on Step 1… ask that hard question every time – “What do you think?” – and listen to the results.
It could mean stoppage, but it might mean they’re also ready for more.
