はじめに

I joined KTC in November 2020, developed the front end and API of KINTO Web, and am currently a developer on the mobile Android app team.👋🏾
"I was asked to write my thoughts and experiences on being a woman in IT, but honestly, I do not think there is any gender difference,
nor it should be! Since this article is one of five articles in a series exploring diversity,
delving into various work styles and perspectives at KINTO Technologies,
I would like to share my thoughts and personal progress regarding leadership at the development team I am responsible for at KTC.

Here's a quick summary about me:

• 😊 career history:
• 💡 Fun fact: Started working in high school with a personal business for 10 years.
• 🌱 I came to Japan to study game programming and have 15 years of development experience.
• 💼 Previous Job: Mobile app Engineer, Software(SmartTV) Engineer, WEB Engineer (Full stack),Digital signage startup.
• 📫 Joined KINTO in 2020.

What is a good leader?

When I first became a team leader from a developer, the first question I asked myself was “What makes a good leader?”
The senior who gave me the role of leader for the first time explained the difference between a leader and a boss, and it was then that I thought I should become a leader like this.

A leader is a person who leverages the power of members to work together, create outstanding results, and share them.

In order to do that, I think I lead the team from the front and act as a support guide behind the scenes to push the team to move in a good direction.

The development team's ultimate mission is to utilize the resources we have to create the services we need as quickly and completely as possible.
Additionally, the goal of the development team is not only to develop well, but also to create maximum value through development.
In the end, this shows up as a good result of the team, and the idea is that this is a good team and the leader who supports this is a good leader.

The importance of ‘teamwork’

So, how can we create a good team that produces results?
What does a good team need most? How can you get your team members to focus on one goal? I think the driving force behind this is teamwork.
Below, I will share what I did with my team members to encourage teamwork.

All team members become leaders

We share the current team goals through the “Team Goal Task Content Sharing Meeting” and allow people to choose their own tasks.
In general, leadership is only necessary for team leaders and group leaders, and unless you actually hold a position in an organization, you don't see many people who think that leadership is their role.
I think a leader should help team members have a sense of leadership in their own work and a sense of “leadership” responsibility for the tasks they are assigned to.
And I think this plays an important role in the team.
I believe that when there is autonomy, one is motivated and plays a role in raising an individual's capabilities to the highest level.

Work is created by development culture

I believe that the reason a development team does a good job is not because of the “work,” but because of the team’s “culture.”
For example, creating work processes, creating documents, and clearly communicating specifications These are the basics of “work.”
I think that successful development teams believe that the team's "culture" makes things work well.

How do team members communicate with each other?
How do we come together?
What do I do after the decision is made? Do you express opposing opinions, do you support them, do you criticize them behind your back? Etc.

This is the development culture and this is the team culture

Recognizing and embracing diversity

Team members each have their own strengths.
I think the most important thing is to make the most of its strengths and create maximum value.

So what is our team doing?

Daily Scrum Leader: Everyone on the team becomes a daily leader

Our team holds a meeting every morning at 11am where team members gather together to briefly share what they did yesterday, what they will do today, and work-related blocking issues.
What is different from a regular team meeting is that team members take turns to facilitate in a horizontal atmosphere rather than a vertical reporting format.
We proceed in a “sharing” manner.
If a team member has a problem and cannot proceed with the task,
after the Daily Scrum is over, we have a “mutual help meeting” to resolve the problem.
Also, since you may not remember all the work you did yesterday, you can write it down in Confluence so your team members have time to see it, schedule and plan what they need to do.

This is how the KINTO ONE Subscription Team conducts Daily Scrums.
Today’s Daily Scrum facilitator explains the agenda of the Daily Scrum.
'In the first week, we start by sharing what our team needs to improve or try for the next two weeks.
Although it is a short period of time (about 10–15 minutes every morning), by having everyone take turns to lead in this way,
leadership can be practiced in daily work, and team members can take the lead in sharing the team's current tasks and goals and contributing to the tasks.

I believe that by understanding the importance, you can improve your “Leadership Mindset” and eventually it will become your internal motivator that leads to better results.

Code Review: Motivation and Autonomy

Many developers are highly “motivated” by their creativity.
Developers aspire to share their work and expressions with people who appreciate and value them.
Likewise, I enjoy seeing what other people have done, immersing myself in the code, and being shocked by other people's ingenuity.
Through Code Review time, we can share our work with each other and learn from each other.
If there is a better method than the current method, I will share it and make bold changes.
Of course, any change must be agreed upon by the entire team.
Through this, we grow day by day through discussing good code and exchanging code reviews.
I believe that great colleagues and excellent collaboration experiences continue to strengthen trust within the team.

Brainstorming: Let’s focus on one goal

We take time to think about why we need to do this work and why we need to provide this service to users.
We think deeply about how to create, how to communicate, and how to make things happen, and the level of value that the service we will create will give to users.
By considering the lifespan of the code, scalability of components, and overall design from the user's perspective,
Each developer team member can make technical decisions independently as a development leader for each purpose and function.

Our team's brainstorming proceeds according to these rules.

1. Let’s focus on the topic
2. Let’s freely express ideas
3. Let’s combine ideas
4. Come up with as many ideas as possible
5. Don’t evaluate ideas
6. Let’s visualize
7. Decide on an idea

If you have decided on your own, the goal is to autonomously create a “prototype” without a complicated communication process and then deliver it to the planning team to turn it into a product.

Staying flexible for development culture growth

I believe that in the process of taking small actions for the growth of myself, my team members, and everyone, a good development culture will be born and we will all grow together as a result.

Personally, I am always grateful to be part of a team with good colleagues.
Since our development culture is a means and tool for us to create good services, not the goal, I believe that our team's culture will continue to change and move in a good direction in the future.

Lastly, in my opinion, the philosophy of a good leader is to push and support the growth of team members and rather than controlling it, and to establish a good development culture in the team where we help each other.
Building a good team like this may not necessarily guarantee greater success, but I believe it can increase the chances.