Leading as a Scrum Master - Embracing Success The Mindset

Congratulations! You've been selected for the role of Scrum Master in our company. What are the next steps?

Being a Scrum Master is one of the most fulfilling careers in the current job market. However, many Scrum Masters have not been able to make the most of this special opportunity for personal development and contribution to their organizations. The failure of many Scrum Masters to show their worth and meet the demands placed on them has raised doubts about their role in helping teams deliver value incrementally to customers. This may be because they lack the knowledge of what it takes to become valuable to their organization. As a consequence, they may not invest enough in the skills and capacity required to effectively deliver what is expected of them.

Beyond Event Facilitation

Many Scrum Masters in the job market only see themselves as good event facilitators. This limits their potential to be valuable by building the right skills to fully help their Scrum team.

The Importance of Leadership

As a mentor in an agile environment, I have talked to many people who want to be Scrum Masters or who are already doing the job. Many of them are unhappy that they cannot fully help their Scrum teams deliver the desired value. Often, they think that their teams are demanding too much from them or pushing them to be more technical than what a Scrum Master should be. This feeling may come from not fully grasping the importance of their role. The Scrum Master is expected to become a servant leader for the team. However, many Scrum Masters pay more attention to the "servant" part and ignore the "leader" part, which can make them feel less appreciated in their environment.

Building Trust and Influence

A working Scrum Master once told me, "Why don't my team members ask me for help and instead go to my manager and product owner?" This usually happens because they have not shown themselves as the leaders their team wants to follow. It's important to realize that as a leader, people don't come to you just because of your role; they come to you because you have something useful to offer. If the people you are supposed to coach are not reaching out to you, it's a sign that you may not have what they are looking for.

Adopting a Leadership Mindset

To be a leader or a Scrum Master who can fully coach and support your team, you need to have the mindset of a leader. This is the key element that many Scrum Masters miss when they have difficulties supporting their Scrum teams well. Your technical knowledge is less important than your interpersonal and leadership skills for influencing a group of people. These skills help you to comprehend how people interact and how to use those interactions effectively.

Understanding Individuals and the Unique Value

To be an effective Scrum Master, you must commit to being a lifelong learner. Continual learning is key to growth, and unfortunately, this isn't always prioritized by many Scrum Masters. To be a true servant leader, you need to adopt a growth mindset—a mindset that focuses on continuous development and welcomes challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. To stand out in a competitive market, you must consistently seek knowledge beyond the norm.