This list had been long brewing in my mind (for years), but the spark to enumerate my thoughts came after a business dinner where we were discussing the ins-and-outs of good communication practices in business. People forget, I feel, that "business" is a world away from our personal lives, at least in terms of how we interact with one another, yet all too often I find people taking things too personally when at work.
(and yes, I know, this has very little to do with sprints directly)
Easily the biggest hindrance to a successful project is in-fighting and finger-pointing. This isn't a game, nor is it life-or-death. It's a project. We're very smart people trying to solve some very complex problems. Mistakes will be made. No one will die. Money, on the other hand, may be lost. Let's not let it get to that. Paychecks are nice.
I missed my very first payment of rent at my new apartment. Imagine my surprise when I found a notice to vacate on my door. I quickly fixed the problem with the property managers; apparently the auto-pay system didn’t go through, despite my double-checking all the numbers. They forgave the late fee [“just this once!”] and moved on.
I didn’t move on, at least for twenty or so minutes. I felt mildly guilty and very embarrassed. What a way to start living in a new apartment complex! I was blaming myself for a mistake anyone could have made.