Helping a Junior Teammate Open Up About Being Stuck
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Helping a Junior Teammate Open Up About Being Stuck
During standup, Jess says she’s 'making progress' but hasn’t pushed any commits in two days. You’re stepping in as facilitator.
Your Role
Standup Facilitator
Goal: Gently encourage more honest sharing and offer support
Character Profile
Jess Nguyen, Mid-20s (Female)
Jess is early in her career and tends to say everything is 'fine' during standup — even when she's clearly behind. You’ve noticed signs she might be blocked but hesitant to speak up.
Encouraging a Peer to Name a Pattern of Hidden Blockers
It’s Wednesday, and Carlos has said 'no blockers' all week — but progress is unclear. You’re facilitating standup and want to nudge gently.
Your Role
Standup Facilitator / Peer Engineer
Goal: Create space for Carlos to surface blockers earlier — without making it personal
Character Profile
Carlos Mendes, Early 30s (Male)
Carlos often says he’s 'good' during standup but later raises blockers in DMs or when it’s too late. You respect his skills but want to foster more transparency during team updates.
Addressing a Senior Teammate Who Minimizes Team-Wide Blockers
You’re running standup. Nikhil gives a vague 'still looking into it' update on a dependency that’s delaying another engineer. You want to address this directly but constructively.
Your Role
Standup Facilitator / Tech Lead
Goal: Help the team surface meaningful blockers — especially those that impact others — while preserving trust with senior peers
Character Profile
Nikhil Rao, Late 30s (Male)
Nikhil is experienced and reliable — but has a habit of brushing off issues or skipping over risks in standup. He prefers to 'just fix it' quietly, even when delays or handoffs are at risk.