Working effectively in a bad team

Below is a presentation I gave a few years ago to a coder academy class about working in bad teams as a junior developer. Whilst this is targeted at software development the lessons here are universal.

Bad teams happen for all different reasons and none of them are your fault. If you're in one get out. Life is too short and too full of other opportunities.

However there are plenty of times you can't just leave. Normally shifting jobs takes a considerable amount of your time and effort. Whilst you're working on leaving you can make the best of a bad situation. There's lots you can learn that will help you in your next job and also will help you get better at identifying bad teams in the future and that will help you avoid them.

We don't always get a of control over where we work or who we work with. We do have control over how we react and behave in those situations.

How to navigate being a junior member of development team that is not doing good work and/or is a bad team

What makes me qualified to speak on this?

In my career I have seen plenty of teams. They’ve ranged from excellent to outright toxic.
I’ve been in leadership and team member roles.
My opinion is based on my experience, your mileage may vary.

What makes a bad team?

To paraphrase a US judge: I can’t tell you exactly what a bad team is but I know one when I see one. You will too.
Continually ask others in your network how their teams operate and how they are enjoying working in them. 
If in doubt ask: Do I want to go to work tomorrow?

It happens to nearly everyone

It’s not your fault. Nearly everyone hits a bad team.
A bad team can significantly derail your career if not navigated effectively.
Try to learn about the root causes of the disfunction you see, that’ll make it easier to spot next time.

Why are you STILL working in a bad team!?

You don’t always get to choose the perfect team or organisation to work with or when to leave them.
Being able to work with a difficult team is a quality your next employers will appreciate
Bad teams sometimes get better, so maybe you’ll get lucky

Tip 1: Nail stand-up each day

Lead by example, be: Positive, Succinct, Attentive.
Practice your stand-up each time. It’s one of the few times you’ll have everyone’s attention.
Ask questions about other people’s stand-ups, people in bad teams often think no one cares about their work.

Tip 2: Do great documentation

Good documentation shows you take things seriously.
Bad teams don’t usually do documentation well or at all. It most likely is a sore point with management and newer team members. You have a chance to impress and connect with the people who are (most likely) trying to improve the team.

Tip 3: Keep asking questions

Good teams welcome questions. Bad teams discourage them.
Keep asking lots of questions. Don’t get discouraged if they’re ignored. People will be watching.
It’s not the person repeatedly asking for more information that is going to look like the problem.

Tip 4: Legacy is hard. And thankless

Legacy issues can breed bad teams. Understand the issues before judging. Be kind. In 10 years you could be in their position wondering why the junior dev doesn’t get it.
No one cares what Google did for their databases unless you’re building a search engine. There's probably a bunch of reasons ranging from reasonable to stupid you have the legacy problems you do.

Tip 5: Have a thick skin, but call out bad behaviour

Don’t take anything too seriously. Bad teams are not nice places to be and can make people who are not d***s act like d***s
But…
Call out bad behaviour. It’s a low risk chance to practice standing up to bad actors because you’re ultimately not staying. You don’t often get chances to stand up for better behaviour. Don’t let them slip by, you’ll regret it later.

Tip 6: Show you can learn from a mistake

You’re new. You will make lots of mistakes. Bad teams have little to no patience.
Call out how you’ve learned from your mistakes. Loudly.
Bad teams shift the blame all the time. Don’t get caught out being blamed as the reason the team missed a release date.

Tip 7: Take your time testing

As per Tip 6 you know you’ll make more mistakes than the existing team members. Catch as many of those mistakes in testing as possible.
Bad teams often skip testing. It really annoys their managers and people who work with them. Often it annoys team members who are not as vocal. It’s your chance to show you take the quality of the work seriously.

Tip 8: Practice writing well

So much of a team’s communication is written; Slack, Email, Documentation, JIRA, MS Teams etc.. If you write well then you significantly decrease the amount of time team members have to spend asking you follow up questions.
Become the easiest person to work with. Bad teams are filled with people who are difficult to work with. You stand out by being easy to work with.

Tip 9: Start looking for work straight away

Life is too short to work in a bad team. Leave as soon as you can. Be honest why you are looking to leave: It’s a poor culture and not somewhere you can develop your skills. People get it; many have worked in bad teams.
Do not personally defame your colleagues. Don't let them off the hook either. Bad teams sustain when people are too nice to call them out on their behaviour or warn others.