Jean Coetzee: Breaking Free from the Proxy Trap And Reclaiming the Essence of the Product Owner Role

The Great Product Owner: Breaking Free from the Proxy Trap And Reclaiming the Essence of the Product Owner Role

In this episode, Jean addresses some anti-patterns in the role of a Product Owner, with the most detrimental being when they become mere proxies for business owners or sponsors. He laments the recent disregard for the essence of the PO role, emphasizing that it should not serve as a mere intermediary. When POs are placed in proxy positions, they are set up for failure, relegated to the role of translators rather than empowered owners. Jean advocates for a reevaluation of the PO role to ensure they have the autonomy and authority necessary for success.

The Bad Product Owner: Empowering Teams, Lessons from an Exceptional Product Owner

In this episode, Jean shares a compelling story of a Product Owner who excelled without formal training in Agile or Product Ownership. This PO approached the role with a fresh perspective, free from preconceived notions. They embodied true ownership of the product, prioritizing vision-setting and supporting the team’s end goal. The distinction between ownership and management was evident, as the PO focused on protecting the team from interference while also holding them accountable. Importantly, this Product Owner struck a balance by empowering the team to take ownership of their purpose, ultimately leading to a highly successful and self-sufficient team.

The Ultimate Guide to Supporting Product Owners as a Scrum Master

Are you having trouble helping the team work well with their Product Owner? We’ve put together a course to help you work on the collaboration team-product owner. You can find it at bit.ly/coachyourpo. 18 modules, 8+ hours of modules with tools and techniques that you can use to help teams and PO’s collaborate.

About Jean Coetzee

Jean is passionate about humans, and how they work together from a psychology and neuroscience perspective.

Jean, credits the early ScrumMaster podcasts for shaping his Agile career. These insightful episodes provided vital guidance during the early days, boosting confidence in serving others effectively. Jean learned to navigate uncertainties and gain confidence in their Scrum Master role, all thanks to this and other podcast contributors.

You can link with Jean Coetzee on LinkedIn.

Jean Coetzee: Purpose-Driven Success, Discovering A Scrum Master’s Unique Path

In this episode, Jean explores the profound connection between success and personal purpose for Scrum Masters. He prompts reflection on whether one’s sense of accomplishment is derived from their own purpose or external influences. Jean emphasizes that success is subjective and may not align with conventional notions. He offers a tip to disconnect from external influences and reconnect with one’s purpose, akin to a metaphorical “fasting.” By going into nature and seeking solitude, individuals can discover a deeper sense of purpose, ultimately redefining their own path to success in Scrum Mastery.

Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Beyond Retrospectives. The Futurespectives, A Forward-Thinking Retrospective Format

In this episode, Jean advocates for reevaluating the traditional approach to retrospectives in Agile practices. He challenges the prevailing bias towards established practices and encourages a reimagining of retrospectives. Jean emphasizes the importance of clarifying desired outcomes and suggests exploring alternative formats like futurespectives. He urges teams to focus on deeper understanding rather than rushing to find solutions, and advises considering the holistic needs of the team. Jean’s approach prioritizes flexibility and adaptability to ensure that the retrospective format aligns with the team’s current priorities and challenges.

How can I, as a Scrum Master, supercharge my facilitation?

Retrospectives, planning sessions, vision workshops, we are continuously helping teams learn about how to collaborate in practice! In this Actionable Agile Tools book, Jeff Campbell shares some of the tools he’s learned over a decade of coaching Agile Teams. The pragmatic coaching book you need, right now! Buy Actionable Agile Tools on Amazon, or directly from the author, and supercharge your facilitation toolbox!

About Jean Coetzee

Jean is passionate about humans, and how they work together from a psychology and neuroscience perspective.

Jean, credits the early ScrumMaster podcasts for shaping his Agile career. These insightful episodes provided vital guidance during the early days, boosting confidence in serving others effectively. Jean learned to navigate uncertainties and gain confidence in their Scrum Master role, all thanks to this and other podcast contributors.

You can link with Jean Coetzee on LinkedIn.

Jean Coetzee: Reimagining Leadership, A Crucial Element in Agile Transformations

In this episode, Jean delves into the critical role of change in Agile adoption and practice. He emphasizes that “change” better encapsulates Agile’s essence, as opposed to its sometimes negative connotations. He explores the challenges faced by Scrum Masters when guiding teams through the change process. Jean advises embracing the discomfort of uncertainty and highlights the importance of finding a change role model within the organization. He stresses that the true challenge lies in the “being” part of change, not just the “doing,” and advocates for a reimagined approach to leadership in order to navigate future transformations effectively.

Want to Improve Your Change Management Results? Discover the Lean Change Management Approach Today!

As Scrum Master we work with change continuously! Do you have your own change framework that provides the guidance, and queues you need when working with change? The Lean Change Management framework is a fully defined, lean-startup inspired change framework that can be used as the backbone of any change process! You can buy Lean Change Management the book at Amazon. Also available in French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.

About Jean Coetzee

Jean is passionate about humans, and how they work together from a psychology and neuroscience perspective.

Jean, credits the early ScrumMaster podcasts for shaping his Agile career. These insightful episodes provided vital guidance during the early days, boosting confidence in serving others effectively. Jean learned to navigate uncertainties and gain confidence in their Scrum Master role, all thanks to this and other podcast contributors.

You can link with Jean Coetzee on LinkedIn.

Jean Coetzee: From Obsession to Ownership, Avoiding the Deadline Trap in Agile Teams

In this episode, Jean recounts a cautionary tale of a team with an unhealthy obsession with meeting deadlines. The team’s relentless pursuit led to a sense of loss of control and disconnection from the broader reality, paralleling themes from “The Matrix.” Jean emphasizes the importance of reclaiming control over one’s time and lives, and urges listeners to reflect on what makes a high-performing team member. He underscores that meeting deadlines should not be the sole purpose of a team, and that true ownership lies in a more holistic approach to achieving success.

Featured Book of the Week: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink

In this segment, Jean discusses the profound impact of Jocko Willink’s book, “Extreme Ownership,” on his journey as a Scrum Master. He highlights how the concept of ownership is crucial in Agile practices and applies not only to individuals but to the entire team. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding, camaraderie, and trust within a team, ultimately leading to high performance. Jean stresses that roles don’t define ownership; it’s a collective responsibility for achieving success in Agile endeavors, making “Extreme Ownership” a valuable resource for both Scrum Masters and product owners.

Transform Your Agile Teams with Hard-Earned Lessons from Super-Experienced Scrum Masters

Do you wish you had decades of experience? Learn from the Best Scrum Masters In The World, Today! The Tips from the Trenches – Scrum Master edition audiobook includes hours of audio interviews with SM’s that have decades of experience: from Mike Cohn to Linda Rising, Christopher Avery, and many more. Super-experienced Scrum Masters share their hard-earned lessons with you. Learn those today, make your teams awesome!

About Jean Coetzee

Jean is passionate about humans, and how they work together from a psychology and neuroscience perspective.

Jean, credits the early ScrumMaster podcasts for shaping his Agile career. These insightful episodes provided vital guidance during the early days, boosting confidence in serving others effectively. Jean learned to navigate uncertainties and gain confidence in their Scrum Master role, all thanks to this and other podcast contributors.

You can link with Jean Coetzee on LinkedIn.

Jean Coetzee: Unpacking Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility in Scrum

In this episode, Jean shares a pivotal moment in his role as a Scrum Master with a newly formed team. With limited experience in Scrum, the team struggled to grasp the concepts of ownership, accountability, and responsibility. Jean recognized the need for experimentation and introduced the idea of pushing a car from point A to B, emphasizing that the task was about getting the car to its destination, not just pushing it. Through this analogy and patient guidance, Jean successfully shifted the team’s focus from tasks to delivering true value in their Agile practices.

The inspiring story of how a failing hospital turned things around with Agile and Lean

Recovering from failure, or difficult moments is a critical skill for Scrum Masters. Not only because of us, but also because the teams, and stakeholders we work with will also face these moments! We need inspiring stories to help them, and ourselves! The Bungsu Story, is an inspiring story by Marcus Hammarberg which shows how a Coach can help organizations recover even from the most disastrous situations! Learn how Marcus helped The Bungsu, a hospital in Indonesia, recover from near-bankruptcy, twice! Using Lean and Agile methods to rebuild an organization and a team! An inspiring story you need to know about! Buy the book on Amazon: The Bungsu Story – How Lean and Kanban Saved a Small Hospital in Indonesia. Twice. and Can Help You Reshape Work in Your Company.

About Jean Coetzee

Jean is passionate about humans, and how they work together from a psychology and neuroscience perspective.

Jean, credits the early ScrumMaster podcasts for shaping his Agile career. These insightful episodes provided vital guidance during the early days, boosting confidence in serving others effectively. Jean learned to navigate uncertainties and gain confidence in their Scrum Master role, all thanks to this and other podcast contributors.

You can link with Jean Coetzee on LinkedIn.

Get The Booklet!
How to deliver on time and eliminate scope creep By scoping projects around outcomes and impacts, not requirements!
Get the Product Owner Booklet!
Avoid scope creep! And learn to scope projects around impacts and outcomes, not requirements!
Get These Valuable Lessons Today!
Down-to-earth, hard-earned Scrum Masters lessons and the Tips from the Trenches e-book table of contents, delivered by email
Enter e-mail to download a clickable PO Cheat Sheet
This handy Coach Your PO cheat-sheet includes questions to help you define the problem, and links to handy, easy techniques to help you coach your Product Owner
Enter e-mail to download a clickable PO Cheat Sheet
This handy Coach Your PO cheat-sheet includes questions to help you define the problem, and links to handy, easy techniques to help you coach your Product Owner
Enter e-mail to download a checklist to help your PO manage their time
This simple checklist and calendar handout, with a coaching article will help you define the minimum enagement your PO must have with the team
Enter e-mail to download a checklist to help your PO manage their time
This simple checklist and calendar handout, with a coaching article will help you define the minimum enagement your PO must have with the team
Internal Conference
Checklist
Internal Conference
Checklist
Download a detailed How-To to help measure success for your team
Motivate your team with the right metrics, and the right way to visualize and track them. Marcus presents a detailed How-To document based on his experience at The Bungsu Hospital
Download a detailed How-To to help measure success for your team
Read about Visualization and TRANSFORM The way your team works
A moving story of how work at the Bungsu Hospital was transformed by a simple tool that you can use to help your team.
Read about Visualization and TRANSFORM The way your team works
A Quick & Practical Guide to Agile Projects for BI
No Spam. Only your book. And you can unsubscribe any time.
Start Reading Now