Welcome to another episode of the Testing Peers podcast. In this episode, Simon, David, Chris and returning host, Dan Ashby explore what makes a high-performing team and how leaders can intentionally create the right environment for teams to thrive. The conversation builds on both shared experience and real-world examples of navigating complex team dynamics.

Topics Discussed

• Psychological safety
How teams understand it, how fragile it can be and the different forms it takes, including inclusion, learning, contributor and challenger safety.

• Purpose and direction
Why clarity of mission anchors decision making and helps individuals see their contribution to collective outcomes.

• Skills, proficiency and growth
Understanding a team’s starting point, enabling learning opportunities and how building capability strengthens trust and accountability. Dan also introduces his High-Performing Teams Framework, which provides a structured model for these elements:
https://evolvingleadership.uk/the-hpt-framework/

• Trust and ownership
The importance of follow-through, transparency and what Chris refers to as decisive humility when leading in uncertain or inherited contexts.

• Joy and community
How internal communities, shared testing sessions, social connection and small rituals can support morale and cohesion, especially in remote environments.

• Real-world leadership experiences
Chris shares an example of challenging expectations from leadership by gathering context, sense-checking with peers and approaching difficult conversations with evidence and respect.

Also in this episode

Burnout, remote working dynamics, and the role of workplace friendships in supporting sustainable performance.

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nFocus are a UK based software testing company. They’ve been supporting businesses for 24 years by providing services that include burst resource, accelerated test automation, performance testing and fully managed testing services. In 2021, they launched a Test Automation Academy to create amazing testers and they’ve now created jobs for 48 people in our industry in just under three years!

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