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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Building genuine relationships at work improves collaboration, decision making, and product outcomes.
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Trust is cultivated through knowing coworkers personally, like their families and hobbies.
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The 'three in a box' approach aligns product, design, and engineering for cohesive solutions.
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Assuming good intent makes disagreements less personal and encourages open communication.
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Bringing your whole self to work, including quirks and emotions, fosters authenticity and workplace happiness.
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Tailoring communication styles to different audience types (analytical, amiable, expressive, driver) improves understanding and buy-in.
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People outside design also make design decisions; expanding the definition of your design team leads to better products.
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Feedback should focus on problem solving, not personal preference, and requires emotional control.
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Debate is essential for pushing ideas forward if it stays respectful and issue-focused.
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Introverts can excel by leveraging listening skills and building strong one-on-one relationships.
Notable Quotes
"The key is of course trust, but in my house the magic word is please."
"Just because they have a different opinion doesn’t mean they’re bad people."
"Work is your real life. Friendships make the office a safe, happy, fun place to be."
"Bring people along on a journey. Lead people towards your side by focusing on the future state."
"People outside of your design organization are making design decisions; they are also designers."
"Feedback isn’t about liking. Helpful feedback needs to be, is this solving your problem or not."
"Debate isn’t a bad thing. Challenging each other’s thinking helps you find a better approach."
"Most introverts are really good about cultivating personal relationships and listening."
"Kill them with kindness. Be professional no matter how you’re feeling."
"When we have genuine relationships and we trust each other, it leads to so much goodness."
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