Being an effective scrum master won’t just help your company to excel; it can also open up your future career potential. Here are some ways to develop and hone your skills.
What is a scrum master?
Scrum is a popular agile methodology for teams to self-organise and drive forward success, with the master being essential in establishing coherence, direction and productivity.
As a scrum master, you’ll aid the team in staying focused, motivated, and abreast of key information. You’ll engender unity to achieve consensus on importance decisions. The role is an important one, with LinkedIn suggesting that such opportunities were up by 104% in 2017.
Ways to boost your scrum master magic
Take a breather and allow the team to contribute during any meetings, then dedicate your full attention to these comments and suggestions.
Part of coaching and mentoring is influencing. This isn’t about dominance and control; it’s about gently leading and convincing where required. Courses are available to develop the personal and professional attributes and skills that make effective scrum masters, such as scrum master training in Dublin at https://www.althris.com/courses/scrum-master/.
Walk the fine line between micromanaging and keeping a check on progress and overall productivity. Ask inquisitive and encouraging questions without placing blame. Offer assistance in removing obstacles that impinge on progress, and seek to minimise external distractions.
A scrum master should be effective in their field. Take the initiative to brush up your knowledge if there are things you don’t know.
As the scrum master, take it upon yourself to feel the responsibility of the team achieving all of the things you want them to achieve. You want everyone to reach their potential, so while you may not be responsible for the outcome of the project at hand, give in to the desire to see the team excel.
When the team does do well, celebrate that success. Show them you are proud by encouraging and recognising their efforts. You may have helped them get there, but the focus at the end of the day needs to be on your team and what they have achieved themselves. At the same time, your team needs a strong mentor, so don’t forget to push when needed to draw attention to the rules and make the team responsible for their own failures and successes.