personal transformation Archives - Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast

Danielle Braun: Vision, Strategy, Collaboration, The Art of a Remarkable Product Owner

The Great Product Owner: Vision, Strategy, Collaboration, The Art of a Remarkable Product Owner

In this episode, the spotlight is on an exceptional Product Owner known for inspiration and skill. With a crystal-clear product vision and a strategic approach, she collaborated closely with the team to refine requirements. Their prowess extended beyond internal teamwork, as they maintained strong connections with customers and stakeholders. Employing the MoSCoW method for prioritization, she empowered the team to discern not only what to work on but also what to omit. A key takeaway is the emphasis on “maximizing the work not done,” demonstrating how a focused approach to prioritization can drive efficiency and success in Agile product development.

The Bad Product Owner: From Micro-Management to Empowerment, A Tale of PO Transformation

In this episode, Danielle tells the story of a new Product Owner (PO) who struggled to transition from project management to the PO role. Initially they took a micro-managing and instructive approach, and the team’s efficiency suffered, leading to frustration. Danielle intervened by providing constructive feedback using Nonviolent Communication (NVC) techniques. A candid question about the team’s feelings prompted the PO to realize his negative impact. Acknowledging their mistake, the PO adjusted their behavior, reestablishing team motivation. A key lesson emerged: allowing patterns to develop before intervention and fostering open dialogue can lead to positive change. Ultimately, collaboration between the PO and team led to improved dynamics and shared responsibility.

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 Danielle Braun

Danielle is a Scrum Master and systemic coach. She strongly believes in the power of teams and that we carry the solution to all challenges within us.

You can link with Danielle Braun on LinkedIn

Danielle Braun: Unlocking Team Performance By Addressing Communication Challenges

In this episode, Danielle shares potential negative effects of insufficient communication and avoidance of conflict in teams, and how important it is to maintain openness and transparency in daily interactions. We share some tips to help you detect communication gaps through cues like facial expressions and interactions. Danielle offers practical tips for addressing this issue: observing interactions, validating assumptions through questions, changing perspectives, and seeking external observations. Danielle also emphasizes the significance of active questioning and fostering an environment of open dialogue to counteract the negative consequences of communication breakdowns.

Featured Book of the Week: Night Train to Lisbon, by Pascal Mercier

In “Night Train to Lisbon” by Pascal Mercier, a teacher grapples with significant life changes and embarks on an unexpected journey. The protagonist’s quest to learn Portuguese leads to a book about a revolutionary doctor in Portugal, igniting inspiration for a trip to Lisbon. Initially paralyzed by change, the character evolves, embracing transformation. Danielle highlights the lesson of embracing change despite its difficulty and emphasizes the importance of self-reflection, a valuable tool for Scrum Masters. The story illustrates how openness to change and introspection are essential qualities for navigating challenges.

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 Danielle Braun

Danielle is a Scrum Master and systemic coach. She strongly believes in the power of teams and that we carry the solution to all challenges within us.

You can link with Danielle Braun on LinkedIn

BONUS EPISODE: Danilo Tambone shares with us his very Agile Story of personal transformation

Danilo started as a construction project manager, but during the years he transformed himself as well as his career. In this BONUS episode we explore that process of personal transformation that makes Danilo an Agile person, not just a person that does Agile.
We hear the story of how a change in the job market presented Danilo with a challenge, but also an opportunity. Then we explore what steps he took to adopt the ideas of Agile and how he applies those ideas even today in his own personal time management system which he dubs Agile.
Danilo created a time management course to help all of us that feel overwhelmed, but want to use our agile principles in our own personal time management. Danilo introduces the course and offers you a 80% discount (!!) for the first 30 people taking his course. Check it out, go to this Udemy link to access Danilo’s course.

About Danilo Tambone

Danilo Tambone is a project management professional with 12 years of experience in the field, he is a PMP and PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner.
Danilo started his career in the Construction Industry (very different from IT), but after the discovery of the agile techniques and their successful application on the job and for his own personal productivity, he has prepared a real career transition in an agile way, and has recently started his new working life as an IT Project Management Consultant.
You can link with Danilo Tambone on LinkedIn, and visit Danilo Tambone’s Udemy profile.