The holidays are always a good time for self-reflection. Well, to be honest, any time is, but it gives me an excuse to talk about it. Looking back over the past year to eighteen months, I feel I have learned so much and progressed so far on my Agile journey. The progress I have made is because of the great leaders of Agile thought I have been able to learn from. I have been lucky to have had two Scrum classes that were taught by Jeff Sutherland to show me the difference between a good ScrumMaster and a great one. A culture workshop run by Daniel Mezick to demonstrate how to work to improve an organization’s culture, a facilitation class taught by David Chilcott to see the difference between a good Facilitator and an excellent one. As well as a coaching class taught by Lyssa Adkins to show the difference between mentoring and really coaching. I will not even approach claiming that I have become an expert in any of these, but I do feel that with the help of these giants of our industry, I have progressed greatly on my path towards these lofty goals.
So why is any of that important? To point out, that even when you are learning from the best in the field, it will still take every day experiences to fill in your knowledge. I want to share one of those shining moments, that I recently had. You know those moments that make all the effort and frustration that can come along with this position worthwhile.
One of the ScrumMasters that I coach came to me yesterday. She was frustrated with one of the teams that she is working with. The ironic truth of ScrumMasters is, that the better you get, the harder the teams you are given. This team is no exception, and is very difficult. The team itself doesn’t seem to want any process, let alone someone to point out when they are going of the reservation. She was frustrated at the state that the team is in, considering that she is just inheriting them. There are signs that she is not getting the support needed to turn the team around from the key people that she should be able to count on. So, she came to me to ask for advice on how to handle the situation. Having been in similar situations before, and even having some experience with this team myself, I of course immediately had thoughts and actions pop into my head of what I thought she should do. One of the hardest things I must do in my position is to swallow all of that and keep it in. This is a skill I imagine I will be perfecting for a long time to come. Instead of saying that thoughts going through my head, I instead asked a question, ‘Have you asked the team what they want?’ Long pause, but I see that light go on in her eyes, and know I hit the mark. (Lyssa - Thank you for that one.) We continue to talk and I continue to ask questions, as we talk, she appears to grow more and more confident in her thinking. As we end the conversation, I feel good that she has everything in hand, and without my giving her direction or instructions, which as you will see is such a good thing.
Later in the afternoon, she comes to talk to me again. She fills in some details on how she escalated some concerns during a Scrum of Scrums meeting. I must admit it took everything I had not to shout for joy. Not only did she act in a great way for the team, but it was an idea and approach I had not even thought of myself. She showed the courage and confidence of a great ScrumMaster, and I could not be prouder. The more she talked about what she said and how she handled the situation, the more that inner glow grew and warmed me. All I could think about was how good she did, how much moments like this are why I do what I do. I want to fill with world with ScrumMasters and people like her. I want to sit back and be able to see her change the world, as I know she will. And to think to myself, I helped all of that to happen.
I once gave an analogy of a Scrum team to a Broadway show. The team members are the cast, and when everything goes right, they should get a standing ovation. When everything goes great, the writer (Product Owner) is brought out on stage to share the ovation. At times like these, no one notices, nor should they, the stage manager (ScrumMaster) that made sure that everyone had what they needed. I think this analogy work even better now, with the ScrumMasters as the cast, and the Agile Coach watching from the wings, and making sure they have everything they need to shine on their own.
I hope this quick story has help encourage you to find those small moments that make whatever you chose to do worthwhile. Take the time to appreciate and relish in them. These are the moments that give us the strength to keep moving forward.
Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear what you think.
Keep learning and keep moving forward!
