servant leadership Archives - Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast

Annu Paganus: How to Recognize and Address Product Owner Accountability Issues

The Great Product Owner: Recognizing and Addressing PO Accountability Issues

Annu highlights several Product Owner (PO) anti-patterns, including lack of accountability and detachment from the team’s efforts. She shares a warning about POs who take undue credit for the team’s work, undermining motivation. Annu advises clarifying the servant leader role, setting clear expectations, and providing subtle suggestions for improvement. She emphasizes modeling the desired behavior and delineating PO responsibilities clearly. By addressing these anti-patterns, teams can foster a more productive and collaborative environment with their Product Owners.

The Bad Product Owner: Feedback-Driven Excellence In Product Owners

Annu defines a great Product Owner as one who welcomes and acts upon feedback, a fundamental skill. They excel in communicating the product’s future, ensuring everyone is informed. Empathy towards the team’s varying levels of engagement with the vision is vital. Annu advises making the vision visible to all team members, promoting a shared understanding. Encouraging regular interaction between the PO and the team to examine the product’s future together is beneficial. Additionally, a great PO acknowledges the value of receiving ideas and feedback from the team, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts.

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 Annu Paganus

Annu is a passionate software team Scrum Master who wants to help her team to create an environment where different kind of people can find a smooth way to work together and enjoy their work and private life. Also worked as teacher, software developer, chapter lead and Product Owner.

You can link with Annu Paganus on LinkedIn.

Chris Garvey: A Great Collaboration Between PO and Scrum Master, The Enabler For Agile Greatness

The Great Product Owner: A Great Collaboration Between PO and Scrum Master, The Enabler For Agile Greatness

Chris reflects on a remarkable Product Owner who previously served as a Scrum Master. Their collaboration was marked by mutual support and a keen understanding of when to lead and when to step back. The Product Owner fostered team involvement in story definition and ownership of implementation. This environment allowed for reciprocal coaching, accountability, and a harmonious working dynamic. Chris emphasizes the delicate balance of knowing when to be present and when to provide space for others in Agile teams.

The Bad Product Owner: Overcoming PO Micromanagement Challenges

Chris discusses anti-patterns related to Product Owners (POs) who become excessively involved. He highlights a case where a PO, with a project management background, sought to micromanage and act as the team’s coordinator, hindering self-organization. This approach stemmed from the PO’s need to constantly be busy, akin to a helicopter parent. Chris also points out the danger of a PO viewing themselves as the team’s savior, even attempting to assist with testing. This situation led Chris to adopt a protective stance, resulting in conflict with the PO. He identifies these behaviors as anti-patterns and acknowledges his own attachment to problem-solving in the process.

The Ultimate Guide to Supporting Product Owners as a Scrum Master

About Chris Garvey

Chris is passionate about people, and creating empowering spaces where people can thrive. He is a coach at heart having been a Life Coach before becoming an Agile Coach. For close to 10 years he has been working in the agile space as a Scrum Master, then Agile Coach, then trainer, and now as an Enterprise Agile Coach.

You can link with Chris Garvey on LinkedIn.

Gregory Miller: Mastering the Art of Agile Leadership, The Building Blocks of a Successful Scrum Master

In this episode, Greg dives into the key elements that contribute to the success of a Scrum Master. Drawing from his experience, he highlights: Firstly, building strong relationships and establishing trust with team members is paramount. A successful Scrum Master actively listens, empathizes, and makes themselves available to support the team. They prioritize collaboration and create an environment where team members feel safe and supported.

Secondly, a successful Scrum Master demonstrates a deep understanding of the Scrum framework and ensures its effective implementation. They facilitate Scrum events, encourage adherence to Agile principles, and address any impediments that hinder the team’s progress. They act as servant leaders, advocating for the team’s needs and fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Moreover, they invest in their own growth by seeking opportunities for personal development and staying connected with the Agile community.

Overall, a successful Scrum Master excels in building relationships, guiding the team through the Scrum process, and serving as a catalyst for growth and improvement. Their ability to foster collaboration, trust, and continuous learning sets the stage for a successful Agile software development journey.

Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Kudos/Start/Stop/Continue framework, to emphasize focus on actions from the retrospective

In this segment, Greg shares his favorite retrospective format and highlights the importance of generating actionable outcomes. He begins by evaluating the team’s readiness and chooses the appropriate retrospective format accordingly. When working with a new team, he utilizes a shared whiteboard and follows the Kudos/Start/Stop/Continue framework. However, he discovered that some teams expressed dissatisfaction with retrospectives because they lacked actionable items despite having productive conversations. Greg emphasizes the significance of combining meaningful discussions with concrete action items. He suggests voting on at least one item to prioritize for action and maintaining an action item list backlog to ensure follow-through. By incorporating these practices, teams can have engaging retrospectives that lead to tangible improvements.

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About Gregory (Greg) Miller

Greg is an Agilist and Coach who has been working in Agile software development for more than 10 years. He hosts The Agile Within podcast with Mark Metze (a previous guest), which promotes agile behaviors and mindset. He lives in Ohio with his wife and four children, two of which are twins.

You can link with Gregory (Greg) Miller on LinkedIn and connect with Gregory (Greg) Miller on Twitter.

Manuele Piastra: Challenging the Team, The Scrum Master’s Role as a Change Agent

In this episode, Manuele discusses the role of the Scrum Master and the importance of being a leader rather than just a servant. He identifies several anti-patterns that can arise when a Scrum Master is seen as a personal assistant or secretary, such as being asked to write stories, move stories on the board, or run meetings for the team.

Manuele emphasizes that the Scrum Master is a part of the team and their behavior can have a significant impact on the team’s performance. He also discusses the importance of challenging the team and avoiding the temptation to please team members instead of helping them. Manuele recommends reflecting on whether your actions align with your role as a change agent and asks “What would be the reason for you not to do what you are asking me to do?” as a way to encourage the team to think critically about their approach. Finally, Manuele provides tips for how Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches can work together to drive improvement and disrupt the status quo.

Featured Book of the Week: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink

In this segment, Manuele recommends the book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink, which he found himself referring to in many situations. He mentions using the book’s three key motivator factors when designing a workshop or considering what a team might be lacking. Manuele points out that OKRs follow two aspects of the Drive model, Purpose and Autonomy, and suggests that the Drive model is also useful for coaching Product Owners. Although Manuele read the book many years ago, he still finds it relevant and valuable.

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About Manuele Piastra

Manuele Piastra moved to London in 2014, which was a life-changing experience for him. He gained access to more sources of learning, worked in fast-paced companies with complex technology stacks and ambitious goals, and developed open-mindedness, patience, and autonomy.

You can link with Manuele Piastra on LinkedIn and connect with Manuele Piastra on Twitter.

BONUS: Helping Scrum Masters build empathy towards Agile Team Members with J.B. Rainsberger

JB Rainsberger is a software development consultant who has a unique perspective on Agile software development, team motivation, team leadership, and team management for Scrum Masters. In his early career, JB worked as a software developer and had a keen interest in the personal aspects of software development. Over time, he began to focus more on interpersonal aspects, such as communication and empathy, as many of his assignments required him to develop those skills.

These days, JB works with individuals and organizations to help them improve their software development processes, with a particular focus on the human aspect of development. He has spoken at events, and written on this topic on his blog blog.JBrains.ca. One key inspiration for JB was the book “The Secrets of Consulting” by Gerald (aka Jerry) Weinberg.

Continue reading BONUS: Helping Scrum Masters build empathy towards Agile Team Members with J.B. Rainsberger