Too much cavalry

Is there such a thing as “too much help”?

We’ve talked before about how to “call the cavalry” on teams, to offer help and support when needed.

But cavalry can be overused.

By our definition of A+B players, team members grow (B-to-A) rather than regress (B-to-C).

  • Growth means getting cover when needed, ensuring the calls are both rare and unique.
  • Regression means not asking for the call when it’s needed (thus dropping the ball) or repeating the same mistakes.

Fire-drills are supposed to be common. Fires are supposed to be rare.

Having cavalry enables teams to keep better promises, providing everyone on the team uses it wisely.