How to Overcome Negativity Bias in Your Agile Retrospectives

Turning negatives into positives in retrospectives.

👋 Hey, Carlos here! Welcome to “The Holistic Leader”, your weekly source of simple and honest leadership, Agile, Management & team insights.

Today's Overview:

In this edition, we're tackling a common challenge in Agile teams:

“Negativity bias in retrospectives”.

Negativity bias makes us focus more on what went wrong than what went right, which can leave team meetings feeling like a list of just complaints.

• Reflect on past improvements and balance feelings with facts.

• Rotate facilitators and give constructive feedback.

• Start with positives and use structured formats.

• Practice gratitude and set clear goals.

Plus, I’ll share a personal story about how these changes transformed our retrospectives from negative to positive experiences.

Let’s get started!