Sometimes stand ups are soooo boring.

The stand up. That once a day meeting where you: say what you did yesterday, say what you are doing today, say what is blocking you, and then tune out.

It makes sense, we operate in a a world filled with deadlines, deliverables, data and procedures to make things work. We have procedures and checklists to make the team work and make the software work and make the deadlines work. The problem is that the stand-up lacks something that is lacking from many programming meetings: real interactions between real people.

Without these interactions we are missing something that we should be building: an esprit de corps. Esprit de corps refers to the feeling of pride, fellowship, and common loyalty shared by the members of a particular group. It’s a French term that literally translates to “spirit of the body,” implying the collective spirit or morale of a group as a whole. In a professional setting, esprit de corps is about more than just working together; it’s about fostering a sense of unity, mutual respect, and dedication towards common goals among team members.

This sense of camaraderie and mutual respect among team members isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the lifeblood of long-term success. And yet, amidst the whirlwind of daily stand ups and other knowledge transfer meetings, finding the space for genuine human connection is difficult.

So, how have I seen it done in the past?

Game time!

I recently had a manager who had a pretty unique quality among managers I have worked for. He was willing to change things. In fact he did change things all the time, even when they were working.

It wasn’t the frenetic, hectic scramble of someone who didn’t know what was working and was desperately searching for an answer. Instead it was a calm, collected search to try out new things even when the current things were working and then change a bit more based on the feedback he got from the team.

Where it led us this time was to group game time. Many of us had met before at an onsite but keeping up the human connection week after week while working remote was difficult. The standup wasn’t really doing it. So our manager switched us over to once or twice weekly team game time.

The Reasoning Behind the new Game Meetings

Our journey towards a more connected team began with a simple realization: meetings, in their conventional form, often missed the mark in fostering real understanding among team members. People wouldn’t really get what someone else’s standup was about if they hadn’t helped work in the same area. When this happened they would naturally tune out until it was their turn to talk. The usual rituals of reciting what we’ve done and what’s next did little to reveal the person behind the programmer. Recognizing this, our manager decided to make our meetings more fun.

From Monologues to Engagement

Codenames is a fun game. It takes a couple people and a while to play it and is hard to explain so you should just go try it out. The point is that each team is competing against the other in a way that reveals how their team members think. You get to know the personalities behind the pull requests.

The game sessions were more than just a break from the routine; they were a bridge to understanding our colleagues beyond their professional roles. In the strategy, laughter, and light-hearted competition, we discovered facets of our teammates’ personalities that had previously been veiled by the formalities of work.

The Impact: A Stronger, More Connected Team

The effects of this simple yet innovative approach were profound. Not only did we look forward to these meetings, but we also found ourselves more engaged and connected with our teammates. My manager’s willingness to experiment and try out whole new meetings really paid off here. The games provided a context for interaction that traditional meetings never could, allowing us to socialize, share a laugh, and strengthen our bonds in a way that remote work typically inhibits.

Lessons Learned: Try new things and value the human connection

My manager’s willingness to experiment with the meeting format taught me valuable lessons about leadership and team management. He demonstrated that trying new thing out and prioritizing the team’s well-being could foster a more vibrant and cohesive work environment. It was a reminder that sometimes, the best way to move forward is to pause, play, and connect on a human level.