Last Thursday night we hosted the third Fast Flow NL meetup in Amsterdam. A small but vibrant group of practitioners shared their ideas and passions about how teams get better together and how architecture finds a way.

More than that, we had a lot of fun and laughter and we shared a lot of war stories.
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Afterwards during mingling this quote for me stood out:

"I love being in a room where you can say 'mob programming' and everyone is nodding their head"
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One important revelation of my evening was that people say more interesting stuff if you don't record it. Sometimes, we think it's important to project a professional image into the world and share the experience with those who couldn't be there. But being in the moment and being able to talk without fearing who is watching or judging is very powerful. By sharing these stories in person, we also build strong connections.

This translates directly to work, too. We should be able to say what we think, but we sometimes don't want to overshare or step outside of the boundaries of what is considered acceptable. And 'acceptable' is different for a lot of people. Cultural cues are different for us all, so being mindful of what we're saying and to whom is something we can do to make our workplace conversations honest and yet comfortable.

What tips do you have for keeping an open conversation at work without it feeling like work and personal life aren't overlapping too much? Or is this fine for you?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. How much do you let work and your true feelings overlap? Just reply (in complete confidence) to this email if you feel like sharing. And yes I do realise the irony of asking this question in writing!

Have a great weekend

-- Richard

​Being Nice Asynchronously: The Discipline of Remote Working​

Published on March 19, 2024

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