Focus on efficacy and esteem takes cares of itself

I was thinking about Coding Dojos... and how the most interesting part was how we improved dramatically by introducing a point of reflection and adjustment in the middle... and then about how retrospectives should be about problem solving, not therapy... and then about problem / countermeasure boards... and then about how -5 to 0 thinking is not the same as 0 to +5 thinking, that is, just removing problems is not the same as defining perfection and removing what prevents you from getting there... and then about how effective it is to use direct observers focused on detecting problems with a process, even if the people working should also be observing... and then how observation could be focused on what is working rather than what is not... and then I remembered Randy Nelson from Pixar University talking about improv and the concept of "plussing"... and then I thought...

Wouldn't this be an interesting way to run a Coding Dojo?  We have one or more people assigned to observation of problems and one or more people assigned to observation of things done well.  At the mid point, those observers along with the other participants go through the problems and identify countermeasures, and go through the things done well and identify pluses.  And then I thought...

Why should this be limited to a Coding Dojo?  I've been in situations in projects where work is drying up and people don't really know what to do so they fill their time with miscellaneous activities.  Why not deliberately, take on a role of observer?  Why not do this throughout a project as a rotating role?  Or perhaps we train each other to all take on this role as well as our normal one, use tools like problem / countermeasure boards and worked well / plus boards to continuously improve.  And then I thought...

Maybe we don't even need to start too unconventionally?  Maybe we just adjust how we approach our retrospectives.  I then remembered Matt's comment asking me to expand upon why retrospectives should not be about sharing pain but rather about getting better which make me think about what I'm suggesting that is different.

This comes down to the difference between self-efficacy (belief in one's capability) and self-esteem (belief in one's worth).  It turns out that building self-efficacy is much more important than building self-esteem which is devoid of self-efficacy.  Self-esteem is better seen as a result of self-efficacy.  When I say that "retrospectives should not be about sharing pain but rather about getting better", what I'm really saying is that if we focus on efficacy, esteem will take care of itself.  Focusing on problems and countermeasures, worked well and plusing, is surprisingly effective in leading to immediate and sometimes dramatic improvement in efficacy and this has an incredible effect on feelings of one's own capability and of one's self-worth.