Your product is getting worse, not better, and everyone's too busy bailing water to notice the boat isn't even the problem. Hunter Strategy's Greg Vanore, Scott Hiland, and Jeff Segal break down the Team Death Spiral: the slow, often invisible slide from a healthy team into one buried in tech debt, low morale, and busted trust. They get into why "tech debt" is the wrong word to bring into a leadership conversation, what it actually means when a team isn't allowed to lead, and why more money or headcount rarely saves a struggling team. Spoiler: the fix usually has nothing to do with the budget.Episode Chapters:

00:00 Understanding the Team Death Spiral

03:30 Identifying Warning Signs

07:18 The Role of Leadership in Preventing the Spiral

13:36 Communication and Team Dynamics

18:03 Tech Debt: A Deeper Dive

21:50 The Necessity of Automation in Agile Development

22:49 Challenges in Team Automation and Ownership

25:14 Leadership's Role in Preventing Team Death Spirals

27:11 Effective Communication and Empathy in Leadership

29:31 Balancing Fun and Seriousness in Team Dynamics

30:11 Empathy Towards Non-Human Factors

34:54 Navigating Difficult Conversations with Stakeholders

37:18 Understanding Profitability and Team Efficiency

39:09 The Importance of Maintenance Over Replacement

48:02 Agency and Resource Allocation in High-Performing Teams

54:48 The Impact of Resources on Team Performance