At the beginning of the past two years I have written posts with a few suggestions for Scrum Masters to target for their own development resolutions. You can take a look at them here:
For 2014, here are a few more resolutions to consider as you continue your personal mastery of the role.
Relinquish some control. Throughout 2013, I have seen many project managers shift roles to become a Scrum Master on agile teams. I have also seen many of them bring project management behaviors which clash with a mindset of agility and speed. I have captured some of these thoughts in an earlier post, Coaching a Controlling Scrum Master. This year, learn when you should step in but more importantly, learn when you should make yourself a little smaller so the people on your team can get bigger.
Often, a measure of a successful Scrum Master is one who facilitates a team to results while speaking the fewest words.
Become a catalyst. Organizations need people to begin re-engineering a legacy of broken systems and processes. Not to sound overly dramatic but some companies are literally rotting from the inside out. It will take some brave souls to begin having the necessary conversations and taking the actions needed to make a positive impact.
The Scrum Master is in an amazing position to be a catalyst and bring the energy needed for lasting change. The definition for catalyst is “a person or event that quickly causes change or action.” For 2014, bring a sense of urgency to the areas in your organization to quickly bring relieve painful processes in your organization . This will not always be easy and it will take courage but find others with the same passion and just start.
Make 2014 an amazing year! You have the opportunity to do incredible things…believe that. If you have anything on your mind or just need a little encouragement, feel free to contact me at any time.
One reply on “2014 Resolutions for Scrum Masters”
Great advice. Thanks Len. Happy New Year!