Tending the Garden of Team Dynamics

When people ask what I do as a Senior Engineering Manager, they often expect to hear about architecture, deployment pipelines, or delivery metrics. I can talk about DORA scores and CI/CD all day, but the real work happens elsewhere. It happens between the lines of code—in the conversations, silences, friction, and breakthroughs from people working together as a team.

Over the years—at Fidelity, eSure, and now Sainsbury's—I've led teams through growth, transformation, and change. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's this: outcomes don't come from process alone. They come from people, and people are complex.

Each person brings their thinking style, experience, motivation, and sometimes even a bit of fear. I used to approach team building like a hiring checklist. Now, I see it more like tending a garden—balancing light and shade, giving people what they need to thrive, and stepping back when the conditions are right.

成長 (Seichō) – Growth | 調和 (Chōwa) – Harmony

Frameworks like MBTI and business chemistry helped me shift my thinking. At first, they seemed academic. But over time, I saw how understanding someone's personality type or working style made me a better leader. I learned that introversion isn't a communication problem—it's often a source of profound creativity. Some of the strongest engineers I've worked with rarely speak up in meetings, but give them space to reflect, and you'll get some of the most thoughtful insights.

In one team, I had a group of primarily introverted developers. Our stand-ups were quiet, and our Slack/Teams threads were long. However, the ideas that emerged through sync collaboration were brilliant. I started adjusting how we shared feedback, ran retros, and celebrated success to create space for everyone to be heard. After completing a facilitation academy, I learned how powerful structured conversations can be—especially for creating equity in voice.

Not everyone thrives in traditional group settings. Some of the most thoughtful contributions come from those who speak less but think deeply. Tools like Mural/Miro have been especially helpful. They allow quieter team members to share ideas visually and asynchronously, giving them time to process and contribute. Whether through silent brainstorming, virtual sticky notes, or collaborative frameworks, these methods invite diverse perspectives and reduce the pressure of speaking up in real-time. It's made our retros more inclusive, our feedback richer, and our team stronger.

I've also found the Business Chemistry model incredibly helpful. It describes four dominant working styles:

• Pioneers – Love new ideas and spark imagination

• Guardians – Create structure and value stability

• Drivers – Push for results and thrive on challenge

• Integrators – Build connection and foster collaboration

  
  

Most teams include a mix of these styles. But it's all about balance:

• Too many Drivers, and you risk burnout

• Too many Integrators and decisions may be delayed

You can create something compelling with the right blend—and a bit of awareness. The real challenge comes during change. During the pandemic, we shifted overnight to remote-first models. I saw people go quiet in Slack. Some were juggling kids, and others were dealing with isolation. I realised I had to lead differently. I started asking more questions, sharing when I needed a break, and reminding people they weren't expected to mirror anyone else's hours or energy. I didn't just manage tasks—I managed emotional bandwidth.

One of the most meaningful shifts I made was learning to spot when someone's silence meant something more than focus. Sometimes, it meant stress, fatigue, or just needing a bit of space. I started checking in—not just on deadlines but on people.

I've learned that team dynamics aren't just built within the team. They're shaped by the broader organisation—its structure, culture, and even its physical spaces. At eSure, the culture was competitive, with room for experimentation and risk. At Fidelity, it was more consensus-driven, focused on harmony and alignment. Both have strengths. The key is to recognise your environment and protect your team's values.

Even team structure plays a part. I now lead a cross-functional team of nine — eight engineers and one tester — into a broader group of 11. While I work closely with my immediate team, building strong relationships and alignment across the whole group is just as critical. We operate with a flat structure where every voice matters, and decisions are made through conversation, not command. This approach fosters shared ownership and trust — essential for high-performing, resilient teams.

Speaking of systems, one model I return to often is Tuckman's team development stages: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing.

Every team I've led has moved through this rhythm. You can't rush trust.

In the "storming" phase, things often get messy—ideas clash, tensions rise, and it's easy to feel like the team is falling apart. But this phase is part of the process. If you can hold space and keep the mission clear, the team will move through it—and come out stronger on the other side.

What helps most is knowing what dynamic is at play—and responding, not reacting. Organisational consultant Sandy Bryson describes five: dependency (following a strong leader), fight or flight (conflict or withdrawal), pairing (trust beginning to grow), oneness (complete cohesion), and me-ness (siloed focus). I've seen them all, and I've learned that trust is the one force that helps teams move forward—or keeps them stuck.

So, what does it mean to lead a team? For me, it means seeing the invisible forces at work: the working styles, personality types, burnout signs, and tiny rituals that build connections. It means shaping conditions where people feel safe, trusted, and seen. That's when the actual performance shows up. Because the difference between a group of people with a shared goal and a true team with a shared mission is invisible—but you can feel it.

If you're a leader trying to grow your team, reshape your culture, or connect more deeply with the people around you, I hope this reflection offers something useful.

As with any healthy garden, it's not the quick fixes but the steady care—the patient pruning, the attentive watering—that bring a team into full bloom. Growth takes time; the smallest, most consistent efforts often lead to the biggest transformations.