Respect as a Lean Agile Lens

When we use respect for people as a lens, we are constantly asking ourselves, “How is the individual impacted by this system?” “How are these professionals able to grow in this system?” “How does the system improve under the influence of these people?”

We are respecting capability - that the professionals in the system can and should be excellent participants in and caretakers of the system we are creating. 

We are respecting judgement - that they are adults and can make good decisions, as long as we don’t put obstacles in their way.

We are respecting their impulses - that they are human beings and subject to the same cognitive biases and triggers as everyone else and that our visual systems should be designed to provide actionable information in a useful way.

We are respecting humanity - that our relationships and communication directly impact people’s ability to perform.

We are respecting their individuality - their unique perspectives, different daily routines, and different lives lead them to come to different conclusions that provide deeper discussing while coming up with ideas, problem solving, or supporting other team members.

We are respecting their drive - some days we come to work excited and ready, other days we don’t. Our colleagues are no different. We also all have different interests, different focuses, different things we “geek out” on. Those interests are motivators. It’s particularly important to respect what, in every professional, makes them that professional.

We are respecting their ability to grow - in nature there are two states, growth and decay. All team members will thrive as long as they are learning, improving, and giving a damn about what they are doing together. Are you surprised to find “give a damn” in there? Well, unless you are mold, you tend to have to care about something in order to actually grow.