8 Benefits of Reaching Win-Win as a Tech Lead
In the work environment - but also at home - there is one behavior which will differentiate you from all others if done right. This is one of the skills that is worth practicing again and again as it will benefit you tremendously. Reaching Win-Win.
During the course of my career I recognized a trait that differentiates successful people from unsuccessful people. A trait that makes them grow their network, have fruitful conversations and allow them to deliver even when multiple stakeholders are involved. A skill that is important to acquire not only for Tech Leads, but any person in a leadership position.
Reaching Win-Win.
3 Strategies in relationships
In my experience there are three high-level strategies you can follow in a relationship. This could be a work relationship, a relationship with a friend or family member.
- Pushing through your agenda
- Pleasing everyone else
- Reaching Win-Win
Let's have a look at a concrete situation to understand them one by one.
Situation
Imagine you are a Tech Lead in a situation where you argue about a specific deadline for a project you and your team are working on. You think the deadline is too tight. This will stress your colleagues plus produce mediocre results, tech debt and you will not have time to look into the optimal usage of technologies.
You need to talk to the person in charge for the project. You need to explain that the current deadline is impossible to meet.
Pushing through your agenda
How could it look like when you push through your agenda?
You meet with the person in charge. You say that the deadline is impossible to meet and that you need more time.
The other party doesn't understand why. The person says the deadline is already communicated and customers are waiting for the feature. There is no way it can be changed.
You try a few times more to push the deadline back by saying it would not be possible to meet the deadline. The person in charge might say "That's not my problem. Make it work."
You go back to your seat, frustrated and thinking about how you can explain that to your team members.
Pleasing everyone else
Let's look at the conversation differently, where you tend to please everyone else.
You know that the deadline for this project is almost impossible to meet. However, you personally agreed to the date and promised to deliver. You do not want to look like an idiot and gamble with the trust you just recently gained from other people in the organisation.
You do not talk to anyone about the risk you see. You push yourself, work overtime, and add implementation work yourself. You do not want to be considered weak in the team.
In the end you and your team delivered on time. But for what cost? You know that the tech debt will eat up a lot of time in the coming months. Plus, monitoring is not set up, which means you have no idea how your system performs. Already now, one week after the launch, you see the system failing regularly and customers complaining.
You are not looking forward to the next feature implementation. You fear losing your reputation and eventually your job as you are the person technically responsible.
Reaching Win-Win
Finally, we look at the situation when our persona applied a strategy called Win-Win which I try to apply whenever I can.
You know that the deadline for this project is almost impossible to make. You meet the person in charge for the project and mention your concern.
The other party doesn't understand why and says the deadline is already communicated and customers are waiting for the feature, there is no way it can be changed.
You are open about the reasons why you think the project is at risk. Now that your counterpart understands the background ("where you are coming from"), both of you start thinking about ways to mitigate this problem together.
Together, you identify less relevant parts of the project that - after consulting them - the customers consider as nice to have. You agree to cut the scope a little bit which gives your team room to deliver a solid first iteration, learn from the release and add the nice to have parts regularly after. You tell the customers that you will incorporate their feedback with each iteration.
You go back to your team and explain the changes. Everyone feels relieved and is reassured that they can trust you and that you work for the benefit of the team. They already worried that the project would become a nightmare.
Benefits of Win-Win
The situation I have constructed above shows how reaching Win-Win has many benefits. I can identify the following benefits.
1. Better Relationships: When everyone benefits, people trust each other more, which makes friendships and partnerships stronger. Plus, talking openly and honestly helps avoid confusion and makes working together easier.
2. More Satisfaction: When both sides get what they need, everyone feels good and is more motivated. Additionally, finding solutions that work for everyone reduces arguments and keeps things peaceful.
3. Lasting Solutions: Solutions that work for both sides last longer because they solve the real problems, not just quick fixes. When both sides feel like they’ve gained something, they’re more likely to keep their promises.
4. Boosts Creativity: Together you can find solutions that lead to amazing breakthroughs that wouldn’t happen alone. Those solutions can result in new and creative ideas.
5. Improves Productivity: When people feel their needs are met, they are more excited and engaged in their work. Those constellations use time and resources best.
6. Better Reputation: People known for being fair are more likely to attract good partners and opportunities. They are seen as reliable and honest.
7. Fair and Ethical Practices: Making sure everyone is treated fairly is the right thing to do and helps promote justice.
8. Personal Growth: Working towards solutions that benefit everyone helps you understand yourself and others better, leading to personal growth. Also, it helps you develop important skills like negotiation, communication, and solving conflicts, which are useful in all parts of life.
Conclusion
Reaching a win-win situation is integral for developing strong, lasting relationships, fostering a positive and innovative work environment, and promoting ethical and fair practices. Win-win allows you to achieve sustainable success and growth.
This is especially important in your role as a Tech Lead. You need to be communicating between tech and non-tech. You can't assume that non-tech people have all the technical knowledge and understanding of the dynamics in your team. You are the translator and being transparent about the reasons you object will be tremendously helpful to build up a trustful partnership.
Did you apply Win-Win in the past already? How did it shape your relationships?
