Setting Up Daily Stand-Up Meetings

One of the toughest tests of your leadership isn't how you handle success. It's how you navigate disagreement. I noticed this in the SEAL Teams and in my work with executives: Those who master difficult conversations outperform their peers not just in team satisfaction, but in decision quality and innovation. The problem? Most of us enter difficult conversations with our nervous system already in a threat state. Our brain literally can't access its best thinking when flooded with stress hormones. Through years of working with high-performing teams, I've developed what I call The Mindful Disagreement Framework. Here's how it works: 1. Pause Before Engaging (10 seconds) When triggered by disagreement, take a deliberate breath. This small reset activates your prefrontal cortex instead of your reactive limbic system. Your brain physically needs this transition to think clearly. 2. Set Psychological Safety (30 seconds) Start with: "I appreciate your perspective and want to understand it better. I also have some different thoughts to share." This simple opener signals respect while creating space for different viewpoints. 3. Lead with Curiosity, Not Certainty (2 minutes) Ask at least three questions before stating your position. This practice significantly increases the quality of solutions because it broadens your understanding before narrowing toward decisions. 4. Name the Shared Purpose (1 minute) "We both want [shared goal]. We're just seeing different paths to get there." This reminds everyone you're on the same team, even with different perspectives. 5. Separate Impact from Intent (30 seconds) "When X happened, I felt Y, because Z. I know that wasn't your intention." This formula transforms accusations into observations. Last month, I used this exact framework in a disagreement. The conversation that could have damaged our relationship instead strengthened it. Not because we ended up agreeing, but because we disagreed respectfully. (It may or may not have been with my kid!) The most valuable disagreements often feel uncomfortable. The goal isn't comfort. It's growth. What difficult conversation are you avoiding right now? Try this framework tomorrow and watch what happens to your leadership influence. ___ Follow me, Jon Macaskill for more leadership focused content. And feel free to repost if someone in your life needs to hear this. 📩 Subscribe to my newsletter here → https://lnkd.in/g9ZFxDJG You'll get FREE access to my 21-Day Mindfulness & Meditation Course packed with real, actionable strategies to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.

Early in my career, I worked with two very different leaders within the same company. Under the first, team meetings were silent affairs where new ideas were often met with criticism. We stopped contributing. When I moved teams, my new manager actively encouraged input and acknowledged every suggestion, even the imperfect ones. Our productivity and innovation skyrocketed. This experience taught me the power of psychological safety. That feeling that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns. Here are three concrete ways leaders can foster psychological safety in meetings: 1. Practice "Yes, and..." thinking. Replace "That won't work because..." with "Yes, and we could address that challenge by..." This simple language shift acknowledges contributions while building on ideas rather than shutting them down. 2. Create equal airtime. Actively notice who's speaking and who isn't. Try techniques like round-robin input or asking quieter team members directly: "Alyzah, we haven't heard your perspective yet. What are your thoughts?" 3. Normalize vulnerability by modeling it. Share your own mistakes and what you learned. When leaders say "I was wrong" or "I don't know, let's figure it out together," it gives everyone permission to be imperfect. AA✨ #PsychologicalSafety #InclusiveLeadership #WorkplaceBelonging

“I’m working on it. No blockers.” My go-to standup update when I first joined as a new engineer 😅 I thought I was being efficient. Turns out… I was being vague. And the result? 🌀 Follow-up questions from my team 🌀 Too much technical detail when it wasn’t needed 🌀 Feeling clueless when I had questions, but didn’t know who to ask 🌀 And worst of all, coming across as less confident than I actually was Looking back, I wish someone had told me: Standup isn’t a status dump. It’s a chance to show progress, ask for help, and get aligned. What helped me get better? ✔ Listening to how experienced teammates shared updates ✔ Separating technical deep-dives for 1:1s or dev-only chats ✔ Asking specific questions, to the right people ✔ Sharing blockers early instead of silently struggling Now my standup updates sound more like: 🧠 What I did 🔍 What I’m doing 🚧 What I’m blocked on (and who I’m syncing with) And surprise: I started getting better help, faster feedback, and more visibility for my work. If you’re new and feel awkward during standups, you’re not alone. But this is your space to be seen, supported, and unblocked. ✨ Take a couple of minutes before standup. Think through what your team needs to know. Then speak up. You’ve got this. 💬 What’s the most awkward or funny standup moment you’ve had? 🔔 Follow me for more insights you won’t find in tutorials. #SoftwareEngineer #StandupTips #EarlyCareer #DevLife #EngineeringGrowth

To my fellow EAs - let's talk meeting minutes. A few tips below: 🛠 Before the Meeting: - Know the agenda: Get a copy ahead of time. You'll anticipate key points. - Set up a simple template: — saves you from scrambling. - Clarify roles: Know who’s leading the meeting and who the key decision-makers are. 🗒 During the Meeting: - Capture major points, not every word: Focus on decisions made, key discussions, and assigned tasks — not side conversations or exact quotes. - Use bullet points: They're faster to write and easier to read later. - Identify action items clearly: Write what needs to happen, who’s responsible, and by when. - Mark follow-ups: If something is undecided, flag it for next time. - Stay neutral: Don’t add personal opinions or interpretations. 🛠 After the Meeting: - Clean up right away: Don’t wait — fresh memory = better notes. - Summarize clearly: Reword any messy notes into clean, short sentences. - Send it out quickly: Ideally the same day or the next morning, while things are still fresh for everyone. - Highlight key decisions and tasks: Bold or bullet them so people can skim easily. 🧠 Bonus Quick Tips: - Bring a laptop if you type faster than you write (I prefer writing) - If you’re unsure about something (like a decision), ask during the meeting: "Just to confirm, are we agreeing to [this decision]?" - Develop shorthand: "AI" for Action Item, "D" for Decision, "F/U" for Follow-Up. What would you add?

🚨 A Hard Truth: Nothing has been abused more than the Daily Scrum 👉 The Daily isn't open mic night for managers, Product Owners, and Scrum Masters. It’s supposed to be for the Developers to plan out the next 24 hours so they get a step closer to the Sprint Goal. Over the years we’ve: - Forced people to stand up - Made people answer the 3 infamous questions like zombies - Turned it into a status meeting for managers, Scrum Masters, and Product Owners - Stretched it into a 30 to 60 minute problem-solving workshop - Endlessly reviewed Jira tickets one by one - Scheduled it at a time that works for others, not the Developers - Crushed self-management as Scrum Masters by facilitating it for the Developers - Let stakeholders "observe" silently, turning it into surveillance - Treated it as optional, with people wandering in late or skipping entirely 🦃 Guilty as charged! I'm truly sorry I was part of that. Here’s a story from the trenches: A few years ago I was invited to consult with an organization that thought they only needed to "make a few small adjustments." For 45 minutes, a team of project managers sat in front of the team during the Daily, interrogating them, taking notes, and updating Microsoft Project plans in real time. That wasn’t a Daily Scrum, it was a daily status interrogation disguised as Scrum. Here are several ways to make your Daily Scrum effective: ✅ Protect the 15 minutes: ask managers, Product Owners, and even Scrum Masters to allow Developers to have this time without interruption. ✅ Keep it simple: 15 minutes, same place, same time. ✅ Always work toward a Sprint Goal. Stop committing to a fixed number of PBIs. ✅ Use the time to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal, adapt the Sprint Backlog, and move forward together. ✅ Don't use a Sprint Goal? Start next Sprint. ✅ The three questions are not required. Drop them if they don’t add value. ✅ Scrum Masters, stop inventing "cute" replacements for the three questions. You are impeding self-management. Let Developers design their own structure. ✅ The Daily is not a synchronization meeting. Synchronization should be happening all day long. ✅ Impediments should not wait for the Daily. Raise them as soon as they appear. ✅ Scrum Masters are not required to attend or facilitate the Daily. ✅ If you do attend as a Scrum Master, observe quietly. Stand back, stay silent, and let the Developers own it. ✅ If the Daily is off the rails, use the Retrospective to figure out how to get back to it's purpose and make it healthy. Share your observations and ask Developers how they want to improve it. ⚠️ A plea to all Scrum Masters: For the next week, do not attend your team’s Daily Scrum. 🚪 Seriously, stay out. Hand it back to the Developers. 🤸 If they stumble, good. If it feels awkward, even better. 💡 That is how self-management grows. I promise you this: the world will not end, and your team will survive without you.

Stop dreading tough talks. Master them with these 21 phrases instead: I once snapped when a colleague questioned my timeline. My defensive reaction created a week of tension. That day I realized emotional responses solve nothing. They only create new problems. We've all been there: Feeling defensive Reacting without thinking Watching a simple disagreement turn into a lasting conflict But I've learned the shift from reactive to constructive changes everything ✨ 21 ways smart people handle difficult conversations: 1) Lead with Curiosity ↳ "Tell me more about your perspective on this" ↳ Questions defuse tension faster than statements 2) Name the Energy ↳ "I notice there's tension here, let's address it" ↳ Acknowledgment creates safety 3) Find Common Ground ↳ "We both want what's best for the project" ↳ Alignment before action 4) Set Clear Expectations ↳ "Here's what I need, what do you need?" ↳ Clarity prevents future conflict 5) Pause the Escalation ↳ "Let's take a step back and break this down" ↳ Breathing room creates solutions 6) Mirror Their Language ↳ Use their exact key words when responding ↳ Matching builds instant connection 7) Acknowledge Impact ↳ "I see how this affects your priorities" ↳ Understanding beats defense 8) Own Your Part ↳ "Here's where I could have done better" ↳ Accountability creates trust 9) Focus Forward ↳ "How can we prevent this next time?" ↳ Solutions beat blame 10) Check Understanding ↳ "Here's what I'm hearing - am I getting it right?" ↳ Clarity prevents escalation 11) Create Space ↳ "Let's revisit this when we're both fresh" ↳ Time transforms tension 12) Stay on Topic ↳ "Let's focus on solving this specific issue" ↳ Boundaries keep talks productive 13) Express Confidence ↳ "I know we can figure this out together" ↳ Belief shifts energy 14) Share Context ↳ "Here's what led to my decision" ↳ Understanding reduces resistance 15) Invite Solutions ↳ "What ideas do you have for this?" ↳ Collaboration beats control 16) Set Timelines ↳ "When should we check in on this?" ↳ Structure creates safety 17) Validate Concerns ↳ "That's a legitimate worry - let's address it" ↳ Recognition reduces defense 18) Stay Factual ↳ "Here's what the data shows us" ↳ Evidence beats emotion 19) Close with Action ↳ "Let's clarify next steps together" ↳ Progress prevents repeat issues 20) Follow Through ↳ "As we discussed, here's what I've done" ↳ Action builds credibility 21) Document Growth ↳ "Here's how we'll work differently now" ↳ Learning beats repeating Difficult conversations aren't obstacles to success. They're the moments where true connection happens ✨ Which strategy will you try in your next challenging conversation? -- ♻️ Repost to help your network transform difficult conversations into opportunities 🔔 Follow Dr. Carolyn Frost for more practical tools to succeed with confidence

I've sat through thousands of standups over my 25+ years building software companies. Elite tech leaders don't listen for status updates, they listen for these 3 warning signals: 1️⃣ The Timeline Explosion When you hear: "I thought it would take a day, but it's been three days already..." This isn't just a delay—it's a warning that your entire project timeline is built on fantasy. Smart teams immediately recalibrate ALL connected deadlines, not just that task. 2️⃣ The Silent Dependency When someone says they're "almost done" for the third standup in a row. This reveals hidden technical debt or dependencies nobody wants to admit. Top teams create a "blocker buster" role with authority to eliminate these roadblocks immediately. 3️⃣ The Integration Blindspot When two developers describe the same feature completely differently. This misalignment guarantees integration chaos later. Successful leaders pause immediately for alignment—even if it means a longer standup. Want to transform your standups? ☑️ Track patterns across days, not just daily updates ☑️ Make "What's blocking you?" more important than "What did you do?" ☑️ Create consequences for repeated blockers ☑️ Measure success by problems prevented, not updates given Your standups should prevent disasters, not just report on them. What warning signs do you look for in your team's standups?

This one checklist made my life 10x easier (Save hours later by following these steps now!) Over the last 22 months, I’ve attended 184 walkthrough meetings. Trial. Error. Frustration. Fixes. And through all of that, I created this simple system. A checklist that every auditor should follow after the walkthrough ends. If you’re tired of scrambling for screenshots, losing notes, and chasing follow-ups days later, Save this post. Share it with your team. Use it every time. Post-Walkthrough Checklist: The SOP I swear by 1. Segregate your screenshots (Immediately) - Use Windows + Print Screen to capture quickly. - Create a new folder right after the meeting using this format: [Date]_[Control_ID]_[ControlName]_[AuditName] - This makes it easy to find everything later. 2. Store in two places - One local folder on your laptop - One shared folder (e.g., Teams) so others don’t need to ping you 3. Summarize your notes - Right after the meeting, take 5–10 minutes to clean up your notes. - Capture who said what, any key clarifications, and system flows. 4. Save notes smartly - Again one local, one shared. - Use the same naming format for consistency. 5. List out all follow-ups in one place - Don’t rely on memory. - If something needs clarification or additional evidence, document it immediately. 6. Assign owners and due dates - Use a tracker to assign each follow-up to a control owner with a clear timeline. - This alone will save you days of back-and-forth. 7. Update your main control tracker - Capture the status of the walkthrough and all pending items. - If your team doesn’t have a control tracker, create one. (And if they do make sure you’re using it daily.) Bonus: I personally keep a tracker with separate tabs for each audit I’m working on. Every control I’m assigned gets listed with deadlines, dependencies, and current status. This isn’t just a checklist. It’s a habit. Follow it after every walkthrough and your future self will thank you during wrap-up week. Have your own post-walkthrough system? Drop it below! I’d love to see how others do it.

Are your meetings dominated by the same voices? Are brilliant ideas left unspoken? You're not alone. Many leaders struggle to ensure every team member feels heard. Here's a harsh truth: If the same 2-3 people dominate your meetings, you're hemorrhaging innovation potential every single day. The culprit? Your inability to embrace silence. Most leaders ask a question and wait 1.8 seconds before moving on or calling on the usual suspects. The cost? Every breakthrough idea from your quieter, more thoughtful team members. Try this tomorrow: The 7-Second Rule. 👉Ask your question 👉Shut up (completely) 👉Count to 7 in your head 👉Watch what happens Why 7 seconds? It allows for reflection, encourages diverse input, and empowers quieter team members. Impact: - Empowerment: Every voice matters, not just the loudest. - Quality Ideas: Unearth deeper insights and creative solutions. - Cultural Shift: Signal that thoughtful contributions are valued. The hardest part? Resist the urge to fill the silence! Instead: - Ask engaging questions. - Embrace the pause. - Observe and reinforce positively. Leaders, your silence speaks volumes. It creates space for innovation and builds an inclusive culture. This deceptively simple tactic transforms meetings instantly. 👍Your quick thinkers still contribute 👍Your reflective thinkers finally speak up 👍Your junior staff stop self-censoring 👍Your discussions become exponentially richer I've watched leadership teams implement this one change and unlock ideas that were buried under years of "only the loud survive" culture. Great leaders don't just make decisions – they architect environments where the best decisions can emerge from anyone, regardless of title or temperament. If you try it and it works, please reach out and share your story.

Struggling to get value from daily standups? They don’t have to be a time suck! Here are 8 tips to make standup meetings more meaningful and productive: 1️⃣ Stick to the script: Avoid going into problem-solving mode during standups. Keep it short and address issues afterward. Focus on the 3 questions: ➡ What did you complete yesterday? ➡ What will you work on today? ➡ Are there any blockers? 2️⃣ Timebox it: Limit the standup to 15 minutes. This encourages brevity and ensures people stay engaged. Have a visual timer or someone to keep time to stick to the limit. 3️⃣ Same time, same place: Establish consistency and build a habit by holding standups at the same time and place. This makes it easier for team members to plan their workday around the standup. (And limits missed meetings) 4️⃣ Stay remote-friendly: For distributed teams ensure video conferencing is seamless. Mute when not speaking and stay on camera for better engagement. Focus on maximizing value and don't multi-task. It's 15 minutes that can save hours of time elsewhere. 5️⃣ Use Visual Aids Whether it’s a Kanban board, sprint board, or task tracker, visuals give context and focus to what’s being discussed. Great for documenting conversations and keeping the whole team in the loop. (Especially when there's an unavoidable absence.) ➡ Atlassian (Jira, Trello), Notion, monday.com, Asana, Canva, Miro, and Mural are some (mainly FREE) digital options to try. 6️⃣ Get team buy-in: Rotate responsibility and encourage everyone to contribute. Let different team members take turns leading the meeting or collect feedback to generate ideas. It empowers everyone and keeps the standup from getting stale. 7️⃣ Focus on collaboration, not status updates: The goal is to identify blockers and ensure the team is aligned, not to report to a manager. Keep it goal-oriented and build a psychologically safe environment where everyone feels like they can contribute meaningfully. 8️⃣ Find some fun in it: Novelty goes a long way, especially when teams get comfortable. Try changing up visual themes, experiment with facilitation methods, and incorporate team interests. Everyone has a fun hat or wig laying around, right? 🌟 Remember, the keys to a successful standup are to keep it short, relevant, and collaborative to ensure your team stays aligned and productive! ❓ What would you add? Would love to hear other ideas for making standups more meaningful. Let me know in the comments! --- ♻ Like this post? Please react, comment, or repost. 🙌 I'm Melissa, a #PMP, #CSM, and #CSPO that posts about #projectmanagement, #Agile, #education, and life. Follow or connect for more!