Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth

The art and wisdom of changing teams | Heidi Helfand (author of Dynamic Reteaming)

January 18, 2024

AI Summary

5 min read

Heidi Helfand explains reteaming as the natural, inevitable changes teams undergo in growing or shrinking companies, countering advice to keep teams rigidly stable. Drawing from her experiences at startups like Expertcity (which pivoted to GoToMyPC), AppFolio, and Procore, she outlines five patterns of change and practical ways to handle them, emphasizing the "people layer" alongside product delivery.

Five Patterns of Reteaming

Teams change through one-by-one (people joining or leaving the company), grow-and-split (a large team divides as work diverges and meetings lengthen), merging (teams or companies consolidate during downsizing or acquisitions), isolation (a side team tackles innovation or emergencies with process freedom), and switching (people move between existing teams for learning, fulfillment, or redundancy). Reorgs typically imply top-down, large-scale shifts, unlike smaller, ongoing reteaming. Each involves problem-trading—solving one issue creates others, like new dependencies after splitting—and no structure is perfect, just the best idea at the time.

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What you'll learn

1 **[03:45] (00:05:28) Why study reteaming?**
2 **[07:38] (00:08:21) Transparent reorgs for career opportunities**
3 **[11:56] (00:12:58) Frameworks for successful change**
4 **[17:10] (00:17:32) Five reteaming patterns overview**
5 **[19:39] (00:20:14) Isolation pattern: stories & mechanics**
6 **[27:39] (00:28:00) Isolation success tips & risks**
7 **[34:33] (00:34:56) Other patterns: tips & activities**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Heidi Helfand is the author of Dynamic Reteaming, which outlines practical strategies for orchestrating successful team and company org changes. Her work is informed by more than 20 years in the tech industry at notable companies like AppFolio, Procore, and Expertcity/GoToMeeting. Today, she dedicates her efforts to sharing her knowledge through workshops, comprehensive courses, and consultative services, helping organizations navigate and optimize their team structures. In this episode, we discuss:

• The importance of reteaming and reorging

• The benefits of embracing reteaming

• The five patterns of reteaming: one by one, grow and split, merging, isolation, and switching

• Examples of successful reteaming

• Why stable teams are not always ideal

• How change can lead to great career opportunities

• The RIDE framework for decision-making

• Advice on how to set up isolated teams for success

• The anti-patterns of reteaming and the challenges that can arise

• Tactical tips for becoming a better listener

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