MyScrumMaster Diary- Scrum Master be aware of your values

"Having values" means having principles that we believe in. These principles go beyond our own needs to the larger picture of humanity. Knowing one's values and working toward them is essential to one's balance. Managers and employees must think differently to fully benefit from the Agile method. The Agile method refers to a Manifesto that advocates these four core values

- Putting people and their interactions ahead of processes and tool

- Prioritize software rather than exhaustive documentation;

- Cultivate collaboration with stakeholders rather than contractual negotiation;

- Focus on adapting to change rather than following and sticking to a plan;s        

Dear Diary, as a Scrum Master, it is often very important to become aware of your values and to write them down. Because values are the foundation of our personality, they define what we believe in, the themes that carry us and give us the energy to move forward. Values define our relationships with others, they constantly permeate our lives. The 5 Scrum values often used in an agile team are:

- Respect

- Courage

- Commitment

- Focus

- Openness, and not to forget

- Customer orientationt        

I wonder if simply identifying them is enough to bring about a transformation within a team or company? Does the simple fact of presenting them and having them recited mean that we really live them? Or that productivity and transparency is achieved?

I think, and you can correct me, that it takes much more than identifying values, meeting about them to change the habits, the mindset or the culture of a non-agile company or team. Moreover theories are validated in my opinion only in practice. That is to say, to go from "saying" to "doing", which is a real challenge. Why is this so??

Because being agile is more than implementing methods, agile is a philosophy. Project teams must change their mindset and get rid of their old reflexes to be agile beyond doing scrums, sprints and other tools... Project teams, managers and employees must change their way of being and think differently. I know, easy to say, less easy to do...

Despite the values, we often tend to fall into old habits (mistrust, intransparency, micromanagement, etc.). In addition, communication between management and the team often gets unintentionally lost in the day-to-day work. Throughout my career I have noticed that many of these values are often overlooked and not lived by employees. But how can you, as a Scrum Master, with the help of the management, make sure that these values are lived? My answer: Organisation, Management, Scrum Master and Team must work hand in hand.

-The project can be managed successfully and purposefully if all members of the agile project team refer to their chosen values and assimilate these points

-It must be ensured that everyone is working in the same direction and above all that the company supports its project participants and provides the necessary resources to adhere to the values. Because it is not about hierarchy, but about cooperation at the team level.        

Also i think that every Scrum Master should ask himself about his personal values and check if they match the company or team values, or at least ask himself how they fit together.?

- Do my values as a Scrum Master match the values of my company or team?
- Or have i put my values aside and subordinated those of my company or team?        

The approach of putting as a Scrum Master your values aside and subordinating those of your company may work for a short period of time, but in the long run it will have consequences: namely, the inability to reach your full potential. If you have put your own values aside, you need to find a way to put them back in the forefront.?

As you can see, even as a Scrum Master, it is important that you get to know your values and strengths so that you can use them profitably in your professional life and also align your training and development accordingly and save time. After identifying your strengths and values, you can answer the following questions:

- Which of my strengths/ values have i neglected in the past?

- How can my identified strengths/ values help me become an even better Scrum Master?

- How can i use my strengths to compensate for my weaknesses?        

Finaly as already described in the first ScrumMaster Diary article, the only way you can grow as a Scrum Master is by questioning yourself and asking the right questions. It is not important to aim for perfection, but becoming a better version of yourself than you were yesterday is perfectly sufficient. The important thing here is that you continue to develop yourself by frequently challenging yourself.?