Scrum Master Should Dance with Team Together

Many Scrum masters have an obsession with quickly turning their teams into what they want to be. Once the expectations are not met in the expected time, or someone comes out against their idea, then the fight begins. "Come on, I don't believe it", they muttered.

But the fight is energy-consuming. Most of the time the fight helps nothing on problem-solving, and it may even worsen the problem. Reflection is needed in such a situation.

Source: Freepik

1. What the Scrum master thinks is a problem, the team may not think so

Only when the team thinks it is a problem will they be willing to make changes and accept help from others. Otherwise, the Scrum master is only responsible for being a mirror, providing the team with enough information and professional tips. As for whether it is a problem and whether needed to change, the team will make decisions, as long as the decisions are made based on sufficient information and deep consideration. Don't force the team to accept your suggestions.

2. What the Scrum master thinks is a high priority, the team may not think so

Even if the team agrees that a problem is indeed a problem, however, the team's eyes and energy may be focused on what they perceive to be the most significant conflict at the moment. If the Scrum master asks the team to make efforts to the secondary conflict, the team will most likely think that the scrum master is unwise and will not pay attention to him. Normally, if it is not violent resistance, it will be nonviolent noncooperation.

3. Don't be stubborn about making your company what you want it to be

Some Scrum masters want to make the company look the way they want according to the common models or methods in the industry, and they even want to openly confront the top managers, most of which is unwise.

Top managers are very smart, they have more comprehensive information and more open horizons. What's more, each manager will seek a dynamic balance among the various favorable and unfavorable factors, and the whole company is in an overall dynamic balance under many constraints.

Therefore, a Scrum master trying to challenge a huge system unilaterally is like an ant trying to topple a giant tree.

Source: Freepik

Conclusion

In conclusion, the word "dance together" can describe this kind of relationship between scrum masters and teams exactly. Scrum masters take harmonious steps with teams without stepping on each other's feet or tripping anyone up, and nobody thinks that they are fighting with each other.

As a scrum master, you need to reflect on yourself all the time: whether you want to fight with anyone. If there are signs of a fight, it means that something is wrong, actions are required to change the situation, and don't forget to adjust your mood.

Scrum masters need to follow the trend and take advantage of it. Most of the time, scrum masters have to wait for the right person to go to the right place at the right time, or wait for an opportunity and wait for a certain policy, and then secretly integrate the Agile methodology into the team to drive changes.

Source: Freepik

The other thing is that most of the time scrum masters serve the management purpose of the top managers and the business objectives of the company, so they have to understand more and ask for more advice about the top manager's intentions and expectations. Scrum masters help top managers to achieve their goals with expertise, and sometimes top managers play the of scrum masters to carry out work, which needs to be noticed by scrum masters.

Most of the real Agile Transformation in real enterprises is very slow. It's absolutely not a fast and furious battle. The scrum master has to step on the rhythm of the enterprise and master a dynamic balance in the process of dancing together. Not too slow, not too fast, especially not to pursue perfection in everything, not to pursue the ideal effect in everything. What's more, It's important to scrum masters that don't do unnecessary self-blame, you need to keep a stable mind and catch the opportunity at the moment when it arises.

Scrum masters are suggested to talk more with senior colleagues and managers, learn more about the history of the company, the interesting stories behind it, the causes of the current situation, the entanglement of various interests, and various interpersonal relationships. And then when you look back at Agile Transformation, maybe your point of view will be different.