Podcast appearances and mentions of christopher avery

Ob zähes Teammeeting, Streitereien in der Familie oder Frust über den Chef oder den Lehrer: Immer wieder stecken wir fest an dem Punkt und der Frage: Wer übernimmt jetzt dafür Verantwortung?Christian Bentz, Ausbildungsleiter bei Siemens und freiberuflicher Trainer, gibt Einblicke, warum Verantwortungsbewusstsein in der Zukunft eine immer größere Rolle spielen wird und welche Vorteile es vor allem als Führungskraft, aber auch privat, haben kann, wenn Menschen eigenverantwortlich handeln.Als Grundlage dient der Responsibility Process™ von Christopher Avery. Dieser bildet die mentalen Ebenen ab, die sich bei jedem Menschen zeigen, sobald er vor einem Problem steht: Leugnen, Beschuldigen, Rechtfertigen, Schämen, Aufgeben oder Verpflichtung. Wie Du Deine Auszubildenden auf diesem Weg zu mehr Problemlösefähigkeit, kreativen Denken, Eigenmotivation und selbstgesteuerten Lernen konstruktiv begleiten kannst, lernst Du in unserem Workshop "Verantwortungsbewusstsein stärken", den Christian Bentz und ich gemeinsam anbieten. Mehr Infos: https://bentz-coaching.de/workshops/Hier geht es zur Audio-Version: https://changeyourbrain.de/podcast/Hier kannst Du Dir das Poster auf der Seite von Christopher Avery herunterladen:https://responsibility.com/the-responsibility-process-poster/Das Buch von Christopher Avery auf Deutsch bei Amazon **Lass Dich inspirieren!**Der Podcast, der Dir Zeit schenkt: Zeit für Dich, Deine Entwicklung und die Deines Unternehmens.Du bist motiviert und möchtest direkt loslegen. Dann melde Dich direkt für ein kostenfreies Erstgespräch:www.changeyourbrain.de oder überhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-megahed/Denn wie es so schön heißt in einem Zitat des Dalai Lama: "Wissen und nichts tun ist wie nicht wissen." Ich freue mich mit Dir zu entdecken, wie Du sinnvoll ins Tun kommen kannst.Sende mir gerne Deine Fragen, Themenvorschläge, Buchtipps unter: info@changeyourbrain.deÜber mich: Ich bin Sandra Megahed, Coach, Mutter und leidenschaftliche Entdeckerin. Meine berufliche Reise begann als Literaturwissenschaftlerin und Journalistin, wo ich die Kraft von Storytelling entdeckte, um Menschen zu bewegen und Veränderungen anzustoßen.Heute kombiniere ich meine journalistische Expertise mit Coaching-Methoden wie der Positiven Neuroplastizität. So kann ich Dir als Selbstständiger, Unternehmer oder Führungskraft bestmöglich helfen, Deine Einzigartigkeit herauszuarbeiten und gezielt mit Deinen Mitarbeitern und Kunden zu wachsen.Kundenstimmen:Christian Bentz, Ausbildungsleiter bei der Siemens AG: "Sandra ist eine herausragende Persönlichkeit, die nicht nur durch ihre fachliche Kompetenz, sondern auch durch ihre authentische und beruhigende Präsenz überzeugt. Ich kann sie uneingeschränkt als Partnerin für inspirierende und effektive Weiterbildungsprojekte empfehlen."Johannes Gronover, Gronover Consulting:Sandra versteht die Leute richtig zu motivieren und sie hat eine Menge Erfahrung in ihrem Bereich. Die Kunden waren total begeistert von ihren Vorträgen: Klar verständlich und voller praktischer Tipps!"Gizem Duvan, Academy / Ausbildung Franke GmbHDurch Sandras professionelle und einfühlsame Art habe ich persönlich enorm an mir selbst gearbeitet und bin in vielerlei Hinsicht gewachsen. Besonders wertvoll war die Bearbeitung meiner persönlichen Story, die ich nun stolz als Steckbrief auf LinkedIn nutze. Sandra hat mir geholfen, meine Geschichte authentisch und überzeugend zu formulieren, was mir beruflich wie privat neue Türen geöffnet hat.

Summary In this episode, Andy welcomes Elizabeth Lotardo, author of Leading Yourself: Find More Joy, Meaning, and Opportunities in the Job You Already Have. Drawing on insights from her book, Elizabeth shares a practical and empowering framework for navigating the everyday challenges that can drain energy and joy from our work lives--things like imperfect bosses, lethargic coworkers, and overwhelming workloads. The conversation explores how we often start a role with excitement, only to find ourselves disengaged over time--and what we can do about it. You'll learn the key differences between purpose and passion, how to counteract unhelpful workplace narratives, and what it looks like to reclaim agency in frustrating situations. Whether it's dealing with difficult stakeholders, receiving feedback, or rethinking your career path, Elizabeth offers tangible strategies for finding value and fulfillment in the job you already have. If you're looking for ways to lead yourself better, rediscover meaning in your work, and take more ownership of your day-to-day experience, this episode is for you! Sound Bites “Purpose has a drastically more significant impact on how we feel about the work than passion does.” “If you're not waking up super hyped about something, that's OK!” “You're always in control of your own response--even in soul-sucking meetings.” “This is my chance. It's a mindset shift to reframe interruptions and annoyances into opportunities.” “Sometimes all you need is 15 seconds of insane courage.” “When we default to negative assumptions at work, we dig ourselves into ruts that are hard to escape.” “Just give your brain a moment to articulate: What if it went awesome?” “Being invaluable means having great value in a variety of situations--not being stuck as the only one who can do a specific task.” “You are never powerless. That's a sentiment I hope stays with my son.”   Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:24 Start of Interview 02:34 What Sucks the Joy Out of Our Jobs? 03:49 The Difference Between Purpose and Passion 05:34 Coaching People to Understand Their Purpose 08:08 What Is a Ripple Effect or Impact Map? 09:23 Workplace Lies and Breaking Out of Mental Ruts 12:17 How Elizabeth Deals With Feeling Trapped in a Rut 13:26 Balancing Risk and Opportunity 15:43 The Power of 15 Seconds of Courage 16:47 Reframing Challenges with “This Is My Chance” 19:21 Handling Difficult Meetings and Draining People 22:59 The Indispensable vs. Invaluable Mindset 24:48 How Our Identity Gets Entangled With Our Job 25:58 What Feedback Taught Elizabeth About Growth 29:19 Lessons About Identity and Self-Worth at Work 30:39 Helping Kids Learn They're Never Powerless 32:52 End of Interview 33:20 Andy Comments After the Interview 38:52 Outtakes Learn More You can learn more about Elizabeth and her work at ElizabethLotardo.com. For more learning on this topic, check out: Episode 437 with Nada Sanders about future prepping your career in the age of AI. Episode 318 with Jon Stepper about his book Working Out Loud. Episode 213 with Christopher Avery about his book The Responsibility Process. Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast! Talent Triangle: Power Skills Topics: Leadership, Self-Leadership, Motivation, Purpose, Passion, Agency, Feedback, Mindset, Career Development, Meaning at Work, Workplace Culture, Decision-Making, Project Management The following music was used for this episode: Music: Imagefilm 034 by Sascha Ende License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Music: Fashion Corporate by Frank Schroeter License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Blame Game, quiet quitting, Dienst nach Vorschrift oder volle Verantwortung… wo befindet ihr euch? Wo euer Team? Und in welche Richtung kann es weitergehen? In dieser Folge nehmen Nadja und Alisa den “Verantwortungsprozess” nach Christopher Avery unter die Lupe. Wie ihr von einer Stufe auf die nächste kommt und welche Hilfsmittel ihr für mehr Verantwortung nutzen könnt, hört ihr in dieser Folge. +++ Zitate zur Folge “Es gibt Leute, die können dir ganz genau sagen, wofür sie verantwortlich sind und wofür nicht.” “Bei manchen, die grad genau hingehört haben, hat es vielleicht grad geklingelt.” “Die Situation war Schuld.” “Wir gehen davon aus, dass erstmal jeder sein bestes gegeben hat.” +++ Links zur Folge Christopher Avery - The Responsibility Process Lean auf gut Deutsch Band 1 Agile Competitors and Virtual Organizations +++ Fragen, Anregungen oder Themenwünsche? Kontaktiert uns gern via LinkedIn: Zusammen mehr Elefant Bewerbt euch für ein Erstgespräch: www.scrumevents.de www.nadjaboehlmann.com Alisa Stolze | Nadja Böhlmann | Musik “Zusammen mehr Elefant Theme Song” von Philipp Körner “Zusammen mehr Elefant” ist eine Produktion von Alisa Stolze und Nadja Böhlmann Postproduktion Nadja Böhlmann +++ Bei unseren Buchempfehlungen handelt es sich um einen Werbe- oder einen Affiliate-Link. Wenn du auf diesen Link klickst, etwas kaufst, erhalten wir (je nach Anbieter) eine Provision. Dir entstehen dadurch keine Mehrkosten und du unterstützt unser Podcast-Projekt. Wir danken dir für deinen Support!

What’s next for Agile coaching? Brian Milner and Andreas Schliep dive into the shifting landscape of Agile coaching, the differences between Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches, and how to carve out a sustainable career in a changing industry. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian Milner and Andreas Schliep explore the evolving role of Agile coaching, the challenges coaches face in today’s market, and the skills needed to thrive in a shifting industry. They break down the differences between Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches, discuss how to develop a personal coaching style, and emphasize the importance of integrity and resilience. From navigating layoffs to redefining what it means to be an Agile leader, this conversation offers valuable insights for anyone looking to grow in their Agile career. References and resources mentioned in the show: Andreas Schliep Certified ScrumMaster® Training and Scrum Certification Certified Scrum Product Owner® Training Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Join the Agile Mentors Community Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. Andreas Schliep is a Certified Scrum Trainer and executive partner at DasScrumTeam AG, helping organizations navigate complex projects with agile methodologies. A thought leader and co-author on Enterprise Scrum, he empowers teams—from startups to Fortune 500 companies—through high-impact coaching, training, and a passion for continuous learning. Auto-generated Transcript: Brian Milner (00:00) Welcome in Agile Mentors. We are back here for another episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast. I'm here as always, Brian Milner, and today I have someone we've been trying to get on here for a little bit, and I'm excited to have him here. Mr. Andreas Schliepp is with us. Andreas, thank you for being on. Andreas Schliep (00:17) Thank you for inviting me. Brian Milner (00:19) Yeah, very excited to have Andreas on here. Andreas has been in the community here for a long, time. He's been just really generous with his time and he's mentored a lot of people. He's a CST, a Scrum trainer. He's also a certified enterprise coach. So he has kind of those dual high level certifications with the Scrum Alliance. But he mentioned to me earlier, he's kind of always considered himself a Scrum trainer. But he's also a coach in this group called the Leadership Gift, or there's also another name here that they've used recently, Responsibility Immersion. So that might come to play in our conversation here because we wanted to talk about sort of the future of agile coaching and agile coaches in general. There's a lot of turmoil, there's a lot of upheaval and things that are shifting and changing every day in our profession. So I guess, you know, let's just dive into the topic here. Andreas, how do you see things currently? And, you know, in a broad sense, where do you see them going? Andreas Schliep (01:18) Yeah, so first of all, why am I concerned? So typically I say that I kind of, train coaches and I coach trainers. So most of my work is centered around the path of scrum masters and how they can kind of acquire the necessarily skills and insights to become actual coaches themselves. Or scrum coaches as I would prefer to say it. And that includes a lot of stuff like we want to equip them with facilitation, with training skills, with coaching skills, with systemic observations and other methods. And we've been doing that for a couple of years. And so of course we came across lots of good people, good coaches and good trainers, good consultants out there. And we kind of kept our community open. So it's not like people attend our classes and then we forget them or we only have closer relationships to our corporate customers. It's like we kind of managed to build some kind of little community. People keep coming back and we keep chatting about what's going on, what's happening in their environment. And as a mainly training focused company, one of the first effects that we notice is that our classes are getting emptier and emptier. So what's going on, especially advanced classes are not that well. So we still have some, well, yeah. basic attendance, but it's not as it used to be. well, a couple of years ago, we had like full classes and everything, and then COVID hit and we could say, okay, so COVID kind of reduced the demand for edutraining. And then the next crisis came and the next catastrophe and the next disaster. But there have also been some structural changes. I think that we are currently experiencing two effects that happen at the same time. So the one thing is that, well, Diana Larsen put it that way, Agile has won. So there's no doubt that organizations employ Agile methods and want to use Agile practices, some of them with, some of them without any clue about what that even means or what Agile thinking or Agile attitude behind it is, but still, there's no shortage on like the use of Agile or the, but there's also no shortage of the Agile basic training or educational videos, content or whatever. So people get lots of more resources than we used to get back then when we had like this one scrum book by Ken Schwabe. So read this and then you went out and said, how do I do that? So. And then came the second book by Mike Cohen and the third book and so on. had to, had all these puzzle pieces coming together where we needed to find our own way and build our proficiency. And now you get a flood of books and stuff going on, which is fine. So the one thing is that of course our profession is developing and it's kind of natural that you will notice some kind of within that. But there's another effect and this is one thing where we scrum trainers can kind of take responsibility for our own contribution. It's the fact that organizations can hire an unlimited number of low-level agile coaches nowadays. There's been no quality control. Anyone who went through a two-day CSM class could call themselves agile coaches and they got hired for lots of money and eventually produced nothing. some of them, some agile coaches or people who call themselves agile coaches even caused chaos. So, and the systems. that they were affecting started to kind of fix themselves and heal themselves from the Agile coaches by expelling those. So, and of course, maybe you have a third effect, which is sometimes it just doesn't work and you blame the Agile coaches. So if you just lay on your couch and you do nothing and your doctor tells you, you have to get moving, you have to get up and get moving and say, yeah, it's a bad doctor because... I still lie on my couch and my health is deteriorating and this doctor doesn't help me. He doesn't give me what I want. What do you want? Yeah, I want just, I would just want a pill that I can swallow that I'm healthy. It doesn't work that way. And then we had those people who were selling those pills, yeah, who were telling people, here we got a, we got a safe way that you can do this. All you need to do is implement this process, hire our consultants. Brian Milner (05:26) Yeah. Andreas Schliep (05:43) We kind of made all the thoughts and the heavy thinking ourselves beforehand and you just need to install it. Here's the roadmap, here's the process manual, here's the 300 page guide. Just do it this way. And this is also detrimental. now we have, I've been talking to many people, many great people, you've been laid off, who are looking for a new orientation. Brian Milner (06:05) Yeah, yeah, I agree. I mean, I think you laid that out really, really well because there's I think you're right. It's kind of a multi effect scenario. There's a lot of things affecting it. And I know I've had conversations with with friends and colleagues about this. And, you know, we've talked a lot about the I think more kind of the second thing that you're talking about, just that and It's sort of a chicken and egg thing because the industry has built up and spread agile concepts through offerings of usually two day classes. You and I both do those quite regularly. And I think we probably both would say that's a very valuable thing. to go through sort of that immersion kind of a couple of days to learn it and get a foundation in it. But there may have been sort of a misconception or it may have been sold incorrectly to say, now you're ready to lead an organization and transforming from zero to 60 in Agile. when you're not, right? I mean, you've got a good grounding. You're ready to begin learning with a team, but it's the first step. There's gotta be some sort of ongoing support system that when you come up against something that you don't really know how to handle, that you have someone to ask. You have somewhere to go to get help and get answers. Even the, you I work with Mike Cohn, I think he's a great trainer. But even a two day class with Mike Cohn, I don't think is gonna make anyone an expert that now you're ready to, you know, take on the huge challenge of cultural change within the organization, you know? Andreas Schliep (07:53) Yeah, yeah, it's like with anything agile, these classes are a starting point or a waypoint and not a designation. It's not the goal. So when I made my driving license, my driving instructor told me, and in Germany you have to spend lots of hours with your driving instructor. And my driving instructor told me gladly, now you can get to practice on your own. He was happy that he didn't have to co-practice with me any longer because I wasn't the best driver. So I actually aced the theory test, but the practical driving was a little more difficult and kind of probably was bad for the blood pressure of my driving instructor. yeah. And that way, but I never thought about this. So the idea was I get the permission or I get the next level to the next step. And the next step will be, I want to learn proper driving. And that's something that you need to do on your own. And with this understanding, we try to kind of provide a path for people to become better scrum masters and agile coaches by kind of revamping the CSP path, the scrum aligns and other things. A glorious project that also failed gloriously. I'm still not entirely sure why, but probably because the Scrum Alliance and many other people failed to understand the similarities between Agile Coach as a profession and the Scrum Master as a role. So they claimed that there were two different things. And I think that's also a structural issue in organizations. Brian Milner (09:16) Yeah. Andreas Schliep (09:25) that they see Scrum Masters and Edge of Coaches as different things. So the Scrum Masters work on the team level and they just know their Scrum and they facilitate the meetings and then they come up with nice cookies for the retrospective so that everybody on the team is happy. And occasionally they take one of the team members aside when they have some issues and help them go through that. That's totally fine, but the Edge of Coaches do the real stuff. release train engineers and the others, do the organizational thing and they don't bother with what's happening on the team level because they need to do the important things on the higher level. And with this attitude somehow fueled by some decisions by Scrum Alliance and other organizations like, yeah, in order to become a certified team coach or certified enterprise coach, you have to kind of prove that you're... had coached like 2000 hours or 2500 hours. But by the way, the scrum master worked. It doesn't count towards this coaching, which is totally ridiculous. So that means the misunderstanding of the role is a structural problem. Another structural problem is that the organizations that would need the most experienced scrum masters, they attract all the rookies. Brian Milner (10:16) you Andreas Schliep (10:34) because they don't even know what a good scrum master would cost like. They have those two day or even less day. I heard about a transformation at a large automobile builder in Germany. They had something like a half day class for scrum master training within the safe environment. And they wonder why they fail. They wonder why they're failing. Brian Milner (10:53) Ha Andreas Schliep (10:54) On the other hand, we have organizations, even here in Germany, they have great leadership and coaching concepts. So they develop the Scrum Masters. They have the finest Scrum Masters ever on such a high level that the teams actually don't need them because the teams also evolved by taking care and taking responsibility for themselves and paying attention to the work. So they're kind of over-coached. So like, I think it was at Rally 10 or 15 years ago. There was a period when the external rally coaches didn't get so many contracts. And so they went inside and coach all the software teams and rallies at Rally. And after three or four months, the software team said, please, please give us a timeout, give us a break. We over coach. It's just too much. We just want to do some work and maybe not get better for like a month or two before we, because it's Brian Milner (11:42) Yeah. Andreas Schliep (11:47) It's hard always to get better and even better and you're so excellent coaches, cut us some slack. So that's so, but this is the structure. So on the individual level, it's just the same as with any major shift in any kind of industry. If your current profession or your current job title doesn't fit any longer, focus on what you're good at and see that you Brian Milner (11:54) Yeah, yeah, yeah, right. Andreas Schliep (12:13) become excellent at that. So that's, it's an old formula. It's an old formula and it can be different things. So I know about some scrum trainers who go and went into software development again, because they said, actually, I'm passionate about software development. I can understand that. I have a developer background as well. So sometimes I'm not that unhappy about taking care of a website and other stuff. It's a nice distraction. But some are really great facilitators. But if they only go out with a label, agile coach, and do not let the facilitation skills and experience shine, then they might get a mis-hired. So we have great personal coaches in there. So people with various skill sets. And if you take a look at the agile coaching growth, we have Biomark, some of them others. Brian Milner (12:37) Right. Andreas Schliep (13:00) You see that it's a vast field. So you cannot expect anyone, maybe the two of us, but you cannot expect anyone to be, not even me, so anyone to be excellent in all these knowledge areas and to be such a light and catalyst in everything. So the idea is to find your own way how you can contribute best. and then collaborate with others in their fields. So for me, the most interesting areas in that field are training and facilitation. Because I think that's the main thing that agile coaches or scrum masters can shine in. Brian Milner (13:41) Yeah, I've always loved, know, Lisa Atkins has that kind of different aspects of a coaching stance. And one of the ones that she had there that I've always loved is the idea of having a signature presence. And I remember when I first kind of encountered that, was, when it kind of sunk in, it was a very freeing idea for me. Andreas Schliep (13:49) See you. Brian Milner (14:01) to, you know, kind of like you're describing there, there's so many different aspects that you could, you know, try to do and you could do well, but it's too much for any one person to do all of it. So that signature presence to me, one of the things that I really kind of took away from that was know what you're good at, right? I mean, there's something about you that you bring from your own personality and your history and and everything that's made you who you are that is unique. And when you can find what that is, then it's almost like prior to that recognition to me, I was almost even a little ashamed that that was where my strength was. And I felt like I had to make up on these other areas that I struggle with or I didn't do as well. But that concept to me, Andreas Schliep (14:47) Mm-hmm. Brian Milner (14:52) kind of help me see, no, there's something that's really unique about how you approach things. And if you recognize that, lean into it because nobody else can offer that, right? Nobody else brings that to the table because that's uniquely you. Andreas Schliep (15:06) Yeah. Yeah. I have to admit, well, we're both with Scrum Alliance and I've been with Scrum Alliance for more than 20 years now. But some of the biggest insights about Scrum and the role of Scrum Master were some things that I actually learned by looking through the Scrum.org certification parts. So just out of curiosity, I started digging into the... Professional Scrum Master Series by Scrum.psm1. Okay, PSM1 is a walking part, so that's no big deal. 50 minutes without preparation, A's are done. Okay, next thing, PSM2, was a little more chilling. Okay, there are some different concepts in the way they address Scrum. And I completely faded PSM3. So that's interesting. So I should have known that. And the point is that... Brian Milner (15:52) Huh. Yeah. Andreas Schliep (15:58) There are differences in the message and the Scrum Master and the Scrum.org framing of Scrum is far more of a leader. So they take far more responsibilities. They are much closer to a sports team coach actually, even taking care of the crew and even throwing people out of the team if necessary. Then the fluffy Scrum Master social worker thing. with no real responsibility always in the background that we appear to propagate sometimes that I even have propagated lots of times. And I see this in my own style as well. So I'm rather strong at the facilitation part and working from the side of the background of people. But sometimes I see, and I think that's a big challenge for many agile coaching scrummers out there. Brian Milner (16:32) Yeah. Andreas Schliep (16:48) When it comes to the situation where I should take the lead, I'm still reluctant when I say, okay, yeah, somehow I don't want to step under the feet of others. I want to give them room. I want to be in my facilitator stance because I love that stance and that's my personal brand or whatever. The calm way and listening to people and integrating all voices. But all of a sudden, I encounter situations where say, my voice first. So, yeah. So let's do it that way. this week, I kind of stopped the client workshop in the middle. I said, so yeah, what is that? here you booked me for the entire day, but I noticed that you're very upset about important stakeholders missing. Brian Milner (17:19) Yeah. Andreas Schliep (17:39) I also noticed that you don't see the point in reiterating some other concepts that I prepared. you could use these methods and then talk to your stakeholders, but you rather want me in this room with your stakeholders and have this discussion together. So let's just stop this now. And I offer you a gift. I will come back for another half of days. So we stop this half day. You can use your time for something else. I can use my time for something else. And then I come back, but only if you have your manager in here. So if you bring your boss, I will come for another half day and then we finish this and deal with these questions. And they were kind of impressed that I was offering them. But where's the point? I needed to change the mode. I couldn't stay and I think this is something Brian Milner (18:20) you Yeah. Andreas Schliep (18:29) which is another great opportunity for Scrum Masters or agricultural coaches to say, what if I stepped into this leadership role? Brian Milner (18:37) Yeah. Yeah, that's a great kind of approach to it. And I know we've had some similar things at Mountain Goat as well, where we've worked with some clients and you kind of show up and you start to get into the things. Or even sometimes in the kind of just pre-work calls where you're trying to arrange things and talk through what is it you want to get out of this. And you sort of get that feedback and understanding that this is really just checking a box, right? They wanna check the box that they did this, but really making the change. No, they really don't wanna make the change. They really don't wanna have to change what they do on a day-to-day basis. you kind of are, as a coach or a trainer, you kind of get to that decision point where you have to say, at what point do I call this out? At what point do I say, you know what? You're gonna waste your money. Right? mean, I can come and do this. I can take your check. I can go away, but it's not going to make any difference. And you're not ready for it yet. and, that's, that's always a really hard decision. When you get to that point, when you realize, you know what? It's not serving your needs for me to, move forward here. You know, it's, it's, you're not going to be happy with me. Andreas Schliep (19:48) Yeah. I think it's important to maintain the personal integrity. the whole point about resilience is that you kind of are able to change while you maintain your own identity. So the path that you are trying to. And this change can mean a lot of things. So if someone would tell me, you've got to stop with Scrum now because Scrum is now forbidden everywhere. I would kind of dig into the facilitation. So I joined the IAF, the International Association for Facilitators. I don't have a credential there yet, but this is something if I would go into more facilitation gigs, this would be very interesting for me. I also became a coach in the responsibility program with Christopher Avery. First of all, I think that was a nice addition to my training or to my work with leaders. But then I also discovered that this is kind of navigation aid for myself. So whenever I do something, I start with what do I want? So what do I want? How do I want the situation to evolve? What is the outcome that I want to achieve? And how am I blocking myself from that? So what is kind of my inner blocker that prevents me from getting what I want? Brian Milner (21:03) Yeah. Andreas Schliep (21:04) So I could also talk about external blockers, but these external blockers are sometimes just things on my path that I choose to say, okay, I can't go there because there's this blocker. And when I found these two things, so what do I really want and what is blocking me? I can go and make a decision. I can confront myself. And with this ability, I'm pretty sure that I'm able to respond to any kind of situation. So, and... whether I pursue the facilitator part further or whether I go into the coaching way. I love to work with groups so that just the one-on-one coaching is not so interesting for me. But these are kind of independent from what I'm doing now, but also based on what I'm doing now. So I can derive lots of good skills and insights and approaches from what I did as a scrum trainer so far, what I have done as a scrum trainer. Brian Milner (21:58) Yeah. Well, I think when I'm hearing and tell me if I'm misquoting this or saying it or misunderstanding, but it feels like there's sort of an element here that, you know, I think a lot of us sometimes, have some kind of a title that we've earned. and we, we sort of inherit from that, set of, activities or things that we feel empowered to do. based on that title. And what it sounds like I'm hearing from you is it should kind of be the reverse. You should think about what you do well and the titles may come and go. They may change the descriptors that people use to describe what you do, it might change, but what you love to do with the activity, what you're good at, that can shift and change a little bit and don't be so concerned with the title. Andreas Schliep (22:45) Yeah, so edge-hired coaches still can keep this kind of title for the tribe to identify a peer group. And I've also joined edge-hired coach camps even as a scrum trainer. because this identification is important to say, okay, I know a couple of people who have different skills or different things who are some more similar to me, but I don't think we should stick to Agile Coach as a job title and only look for Agile Coach offers. But rather go out and see what's out there, what opportunities do we see. Apply for weird stuff. So at the beginning of this year, I applied as a facilitator for United Nations volunteer program and even made an extra language proficiency exam before that because I had to kind of prove that I'm at least at level C1. for this job. I just did it because it was there because this opportunity came through the International Association for Facilitators. I just said, okay, I don't know. They didn't even throw me back. I don't have anything, but I just, I want to apply for this. I want to get this material together. I want to show that I'm potentially able to do this. I will be far too expensive with my current rate, but yeah. And I think anyone currently in the situation as an edge on coach being laid off or looking for another job should kind of step back and go through these steps. So what do I want? What are the activities that I'm really passionate about? Brian Milner (24:13) Yeah. Andreas Schliep (24:13) And the answer might be surprising. So sometimes, it's actually coding. Maybe we'll get back to the basics. Brian Milner (24:19) Yeah, yeah, you're right. I've known a lot of people or I've known several people, I guess I should say, that have kind of maybe migrated backwards. If you think of it in that way, I don't know that's backwards, but migrated to their roots a little bit more, you know, and maybe left training, but went back to doing, you know, managing software teams or even coding just because they enjoy it. And I think that's a great thing if that's... Andreas Schliep (24:41) Yeah. Brian Milner (24:45) brings them happiness, you know? Andreas Schliep (24:47) Yeah, you know, when the whole agile thing started, they came up with a little website and the website says something like, we're discovering better ways to sort fire customers or so. I don't have a probably and helping others to do it. And if even if you go back or if you go to actually start working as a developer again. You still bring the edge of spirit and you still bring the ideas and methods of collaboration. It's going to be so helpful in your environment. Especially with new technologies, AI stuff and remote work and all these things kicking in. Everything looks like it's making your work more difficult. Massive layers like even media firing developers now, not only edge of coaches. So we have... so many disruptions to deal with. And I think that, well, kind of resilient HR coaching tribe stance is helpful in whatever role you fulfill afterwards. Brian Milner (25:43) That's really good. Yeah. Well, this has been great. I really enjoyed the conversation. Sometimes you're not really quite sure where we're going to end up and where we're going to travel, but I've really enjoyed all the directions we've taken here, Andreas. So I can't thank you enough. Thank you for making time and coming on and sharing your experience and wisdom with everyone. Andreas Schliep (26:00) Mm-hmm. Yeah, was great fun and thanks for the opportunity and I hope that this will help some people find little more guidance, least a little more confidence if they don't find guidance yet. Brian Milner (26:13) Yeah, I agree. Thank you very much. Andreas Schliep (26:15) Thank you.

Richard Coplan: The Impact of Product Owner Pressure on Agile Team Morale Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Richard shares his experience working in a toxic team environment at an insurance company. Brought in to replace a beloved Scrum Master, he found himself navigating a strained relationship between the Product Owner (PO) and the team. The PO's aggressive push for deliverables demotivated the team, and management sided with the PO, creating a vicious cycle of disengagement. How can a PO's leadership style make or break a team's performance? Richard explores this anti-pattern of PO-driven disengagement. Featured Book of the Week: Lean Enterprise by Jez Humble, et al. Richard reflects on how the book "Lean Enterprise" helped shape his approach as an Agile Coach, offering a holistic view of organizations. He also discusses "Team Topologies" and the importance of stream-aligned teams with CI/CD pipelines. What role does organizational agility play in the success of Scrum teams? Richard suggests that while many teams practice Scrum, organizations themselves are often not truly Agile.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Richard Coplan Richard joins us from the UK. He has been a software developer for many years and later became data-centric, eventually transitioning into the role of Scrum Master. Over the past decade, Richard has specialized as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, with a focus on collaboration tools like Miro and helping firms streamline their team structures. You can link with Richard Coplan on LinkedIn.

Anita Kalmane-Boot: Rebuilding Bridges Between an Agile Team and Their Manager Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Anita shares a story about a team that was paralyzed by fear of their own manager. Despite the manager's care for the team, communication had broken down entirely. Anita focused on mediating and rebuilding trust between the team and the manager. She reflects on the importance of understanding team dynamics and continuously defining the role of a Scrum Master. Featured Book of the Week: NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman In this episode, Anita introduces "NeuroTribes" by Steve Silberman, a book that explores the history of autism. Anita highlights the importance of understanding neurodiversity, especially in Scrum teams, where the percentage of neurodiverse individuals can be significant. She discusses how this book is a valuable resource for Scrum Masters to better understand and support their team members.  [IMAGE HERE] 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 Anita Kalmane-Boot Anita is a neurodiversity advocate and considers herself European, not bound to one single country. Anita is passionate about Agile but is losing hope in corporate organizations and their adaptation of Scrum. You can link with Anita Kalmane-Boot on LinkedIn.

Johann Botha: When Agile Teams Become The Reason Agile Fails in Organizations Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. When Agile teams push too hard for transformation, they risk becoming the enemy. Johann explains how corporate "immune systems" react against new ideas, even when they're beneficial. What strategies can Agile teams use to navigate organizational resistance and avoid self-sabotage? Johann emphasizes the importance of listening, finding safe spaces to experiment, and avoiding the trap of making Agile seem like an invasive force. Featured Book of the Week: No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer Johann shares his journey through influential books that shaped his approach to management, from Tom Peters' Liberation Management to Netflix's story in No Rules Rules. How do these books provide a roadmap for progressive management practices in today's fast-paced world? Johann also highlights key texts like Accelerate by Nicole Forsgren et al., and his own work, Competing in a Digital Future, offering listeners a rich library to explore. [IMAGE HERE] 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 Johann Botha Johann joins us from South Africa, helping build digital-age capabilities by developing practical skills to solve problems, grow people, and facilitate difficult change. A long-time proponent of Lean and Agile, Johann consults, coaches, speaks, and writes on the topic. He is also the chief examiner for the EXIN Agile Scrum product. You can link with Johann on LinkedIn and connect with Johann on Twitter.

CTO Series: Andrea Goulet On How To Lead with Empathy in Software Development In this special BONUS episode of the CTO Series, Andrea Goulet, an innovative software executive, shares her mission to change the tech industry by making empathy a core technical skill. Andrea's insights reveal how empathy can transform leadership, foster collaboration, and drive success in software development. Through personal stories and practical tips, she illustrates the power of empathy in navigating complex challenges, from aligning mental models to enhancing communication between teams and leaders. Defining Leadership Through Empathy "Empathy isn't just credible in the software industry; it's crucial for innovation and collaboration." Andrea reflects on her journey from a communications background where psychology played a pivotal role, to becoming a software executive who champions empathy. Despite initial skepticism from industry consultants, Andrea stuck to her belief that empathy was essential for success in tech. She shares a transformative experience with Scott Hanselman that highlighted the importance of understanding mental models and developing new communication strategies. This experience solidified her approach to leadership, emphasizing empathy as a vital skill for effective collaboration. "Pause, reappraise, and think before you act – empathy in action is the key to navigating complex interactions in tech." Enhancing Team Dynamics Through Empathy "Developers can be as empathic as business leaders, breaking down traditional communication barriers." Andrea delves into the importance of empathy between teams and their leaders, particularly when dealing with mismatched mental models. She discusses the protocols she has developed based on real-life situations, which prioritize empathy in decision-making and feedback processes. By advocating for her team members and facilitating conversations between executives and developers, Andrea demonstrates how empathy can lead to more effective problem-solving and collaboration. "Facilitate conversations that shift from confrontation to collaboration – empathy is the bridge to solving shared problems." Bridging Communication Gaps in Agile Environments "The communication infrastructure is the 'plumbing' that allows information to flow seamlessly across your organization." Andrea explains how the book Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal influenced her understanding of agile methodologies. Struggling with the lingo of Agile, she found clarity in McChrystal's discussion of complex systems and the importance of managing interdependencies. Andrea emphasizes the need for a robust communication infrastructure to ensure that information flows freely within an organization, enabling teams to respond quickly to changing circumstances and align their efforts with broader business goals. "Build communication loops that enable agility – the right infrastructure supports the flow of information and decision-making." [IMAGE HERE] 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 Andrea Goulet Andrea Goulet is on a mission to change the way the world thinks about empathy by leading a scientific revolution and making empathy a core technical skill for all technologists. She is a sought-after international keynote speaker, experienced software entrepreneur, and award-winning industry leader. Her expertise centers on using empathy and effective communication to modernize legacy and mission-critical software systems. Andrea has taught over 75,000 students through her online courses on empathy and communication. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Empathy-Driven Software Development, and the founder of Empathy in Tech and Legacy Code Rocks, two online communities where code and compassion connect. You can link with Andrea Goulet on LinkedIn.

Pooja Gupta: Aligning Team Members With Their Strengths, The Key to Agile Team Success Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Pooja shares the story of a team filled with competent individuals but plagued by conflict because they were not in roles that helped them express their strengths. She discusses the importance of aligning team members' skills with the right stages of the project and introduces the Shape-Up methodology (also available in print from Basecamp) as a framework for navigating these challenges. Pooja highlights how understanding the team's goals and using conflict management frameworks like the Grow model can lead to a more harmonious and productive team environment. What strategies can you use to align your team's strengths with their roles and avoid destructive conflicts? Listen to find out!   Featured Book of the Week: "Reinventing Your Life" by Jeffrey Young et al. In this episode, Pooja discusses the profound impact the book "Reinventing Your Life" had on her personal and professional growth. She explains how understanding different personality types has helped her stop trying to change others and focus on her own behaviors instead. Pooja emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and non-judgmental perspectives in working with diverse teams.    [IMAGE HERE] 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 Pooja Gupta Pooja is an Agile Coach at Visma Solutions and Agile Community Lead for Visma Group. With a passion for "limitless learning" and "selfless teaching," she brings empathy and a people-centric approach to her work and everyday life. Based in Helsinki for 9 years, she finds balance through yoga, meditation, and family life. You can link with Pooja Gupta on LinkedIn.

As our summer break continues, we are bringing back a classic episode, too good to not bring back!   Join Brad Stokes and Christopher Avery as they discuss The Responsibility Process®. When Christopher Avery was a management consultant, this was his driving question: Why are so many smart people unhappy at work? 20 years ago, Christopher realized that the most useful skills he was teaching his smart, ambitious, professional clients were coping skills. They needed coping skills because they were stuck in a suffocating culture that systematically disempowered and controlled them. An insidious control cycle kept well-meaning, high-performing leaders and key contributors at all levels from doing their best, taking risks, learning, and operating with freedom, power and choice for the organizations' best interests.   His own career trajectory changed forever when Christopher began working with an emerging behavioral science framework — The Responsibility Process®. This powerful framework is the world's first proven how-to approach for understanding, teaching, and taking personal responsibility. It helps us apply our innate leadership ability to face and overcome any challenge. Operating in freedom, power, and choice, we encourage and support those we lead to do likewise.  Links and Contact Details Twitter:  Facebook:   Website:  LinkedIn:     Join the conversation at  Support the Agile Uprising by making a contribution via 

Keir Lumsden: When Feedback Loops Fail, And What Scrum Masters Can Do To Help Their Teams Apply Empirical Processes Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Keir shares a story about a team struggling with a lack of empiricism, where feedback loops were missing, and progress was unclear. Despite having a bonus on the line, the team couldn't grasp their situation. Keir used visual tools like a burn-up chart to create the necessary transparency, ultimately sparking the critical conversations that led to change. Are your sprint reviews providing the feedback your team needs? Keir shares tips on fostering transparency and ensuring teams can showcase tangible progress. Featured Book of the Week: "Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure" by Tim Harford Keir discusses "Adapt" by Tim Harford, a book that explores why success often starts with failure. Harford argues that solving complex problems requires practical experimentation rather than theoretical plans. How do you approach problem-solving in your team? Keir highlights key insights from the book, emphasizing the value of hands-on solutions and the lessons that come from iterative learning. [IMAGE HERE] 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 Keir Lumsden Keir Lumsden joins us from the UK. A former developer, Keir has been fully immersed in Agile practices for the past 10 years. With a mind that constantly seeks lessons beyond the realm of software development, he enjoys writing and speaking about these insights. You can link with Keir Lumsden on LinkedIn.

James Gifford: When Autonomy Becomes Anarchy, Navigating Agile Team Independence Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. James shares a story from a healthcare company formed through acquisitions. He explores what happens when team autonomy goes too far and becomes anarchy. James also describes how one team's culture shifted from a focus on quality to a lack of basic practices, leading to degrading product quality. What non-negotiables did James identify as crucial for balancing team autonomy with organizational standards? How can leadership play a role in setting appropriate constraints for autonomous teams? Listen to find out! Featured Book of the Week: "Turn the Ship Around" by David Marquet James discusses the profound impact of "Turn the Ship Around" by David Marquet on his approach to leadership development. How does this book's principles apply to creating effective leadership at all levels of an organization? James shares insights from his experience developing a leadership curriculum aimed at empowering decision-making at the front lines. What key patterns does he highlight for leaders looking to succeed across various organizational levels? Listen to find out. Note that David Marquet has been a previous guest on the podcast. [IMAGE HERE] 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 James Gifford James Gifford, a notable Agile/Lean coach and ProKanban Certified Trainer, is also a co-founder of Agile Uprising. He envisions a future where companies integrate Lean principles and Agile methodologies effortlessly, cultivating organizations that are dynamic, resilient, and centered around customer-focused products. You can link with James Gifford on LinkedIn and connect with James Gifford on Twitter.

Sofi Simonyan: The Dangers of Overcommitting, and How it May Lead to Agile Team Burnout Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Sofi shares the story of a high-performing team that overcommitted. Despite their successes, and maybe because of them, the team had developed an unhealthy self-confidence that led to trouble. Initially praised for their can-do attitude and high-quality releases, the team began to struggle with burnout. Sofi highlights the dangers of overcommitment and the importance of sustainable pace, transparent stakeholder communication, and the need for fresh projects to prevent burnout. Featured Book of the Week: How to Speak Tech by Vinay Trivedi In this segment, Sofi introduces How to Speak Tech: The Non-Techie's Guide to Key Technology Concepts by Vinay Trivedi, a must-read guide for anyone navigating the tech industry. The book simplifies complex tech jargon, making it accessible to everyone, from beginners to seasoned professionals. Sofi discusses the importance of understanding these terms, particularly for non-tech team members, to enhance collaboration and communication within tech teams. [IMAGE HERE] 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 Sofi Simonyan Sofi is a Scrum Master with 6 years of experience in tech startups and a diverse work background. Passionate about people, her mission is to build teams where active listening and growth mindset are essential values. Currently on maternity leave, Sofi practices agility in a completely different dimension. You can link with Sofi Simonyan on LinkedIn and connect with Sofi Simonyan on Twitter.

Karina Margole: When Agile Teams Sprint into Burnout, and How to Avoid the Burnout Trap! Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Karina shares her experience managing multiple teams in a high-pressure game development project. With continuous sprints and mounting technical debt, the teams faced burnout and tunnel vision. She stresses the importance of maintaining a sustainable work pace and periodically stepping back to assess long-term goals. Are your teams sprinting toward burnout? Learn how to balance productivity and sustainability in agile projects. Featured Book of the Week: System Coaching and Constellations by John Whittington Karina explores the complexities of working within systems and the significant impact of external systems on our work. Systemic Coaching and Constellations: The Principles, Practices and Application for Individuals, Teams and Groups enlightened her about systemic issues, modeling systems, and focusing on manageable influences. She also highlights "Crucial Conversations" by Patterson et al., a must-read for Scrum Masters, which equips them to handle any conversation with confidence.    [IMAGE HERE] 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 Karina Margole Karina Margole is an Agile Coach with over a decade of experience, based in the UK. She has ADHD and a passion for creating an environment where everyone can do their best work. Karina approaches her work with a holistic, systemic view while also paying attention to individuals on a personal level. You can link with Karina Margole on LinkedIn.

Kevin Hoey: Fostering Agile Team Collaboration in Remote Settings Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Kevin describes a team struggling with collaboration, where members worked in isolation and did not work towards a sprint goal. This led to over-the-wall work handoffs and blame in the team. Kevin emphasizes the importance of having cameras on during remote meetings to foster team connection. He shares that effective scrum masters unlock team productivity by focusing on people first, ensuring everyone is aligned and engaged in their work. Featured Book of the Week: Drive by Dan Pink Kevin shares that his greatest influence isn't a book, but the Agile podcasts such as this one and others. As a new scrum master, it was the insights from experienced professionals that shaped his journey. However, he recommends "Drive" by Dan Pink, which emphasizes intrinsic motivation through mastery, purpose, and autonomy. Kevin's company has long embraced autonomy, helping him reflect on his role in fostering these qualities within his teams. He highlights the importance of enabling autonomy, purpose, and mastery to drive motivation and success in the teams we work with.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Kevin Hoey Kevin is the lead scrum master at Domestic and General, with 10 years' experience in project management before moving into scrum mastery. He now heads up a team of scrum masters, whilst continuing to support his own squads. Kevin believes scrum masters need to focus on self-improvement to turbocharge their ability to better support teams and the wider business on the journey to effectiveness. You can link with Kevin Hoey on LinkedIn.

Stella Ihenacho: Breaking the Blame Cycle in Agile Teams With Coaching and Customer Collaboration Stella shates the story of a high-stakes project team plagued by blame-shifting and management interference. The project's tight deadlines and high complexity led to fear and blame culture in the team. Upon investigation, Stella became aware of some customer agreements made without team input. To overcome these anti-patterns, Stella's strategy involved separate retrospectives for different groups and resetting customer expectations. Listen in to learn about fostering a blame-free culture and aligning team and customer expectations. Featured Book of the Week: Atomic Habits by James Clear Stella shows how transformative power of small, incremental changes helped her. She found out about that approach from the book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. She explains how these principles apply to agile transformations, emphasizing that success is built over time, not through quick fixes. Stella shares tips on focusing on small wins, the importance of vision, and the need to explain metrics clearly.  [IMAGE HERE] 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 Stella Ihenacho Stella is the Manager of the Continuous Improvement and Agility team at RedHat and Agile Faculty Lead at NSTAR Technologies. Dedicated to transforming organizations and individuals through an agile mindset, she believes there's always room for improvement, even when things aren't broken. You can link with Stella Ihenacho on LinkedIn and connect with Stella Ihenacho on Instagram.

Esther Schmit: Bridging Communication Gaps Between Agile Teams, The Communication Challenge Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Esther shares a challenging experience with two teams that struggled due to poor communication and unwillingness to collaborate. She provides tips on facilitating retrospectives and one-on-one conversations to address communication issues and set clear expectations. Listen to learn a method to improve communication in your teams. Featured Book of the Week: Mister Mindset by Michael Pilarczyk Esther discusses "Master your Mindset, Live a Meaningful Life: A book about mental health and personal success" by Michael Pilarczyk, a book focused on changing your mindset to improve the quality of life. She explains how understanding and altering one's mindset can positively influence professional and personal lives, especially for Scrum Masters who facilitate and support teams.    [IMAGE HERE] 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 Esther Schmit Esther is a freelance Agile Coach and Scrum Master, leading Agile Pro Center, which provides online Agile Coaching, Training, and Mentoring for Scrum Masters. Esther also hosts the Online Scrum Master Summit. You can link with Esther Schmit on LinkedIn, and visit her site Agile Gatherings.

Milica Lubinic: How to Foster Long-lasting Change for Agile Teams Without Micromanagement Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Milica tells the story of a team's struggle with sustainable change. Despite good intentions, the team lead's constant reminders about incomplete actions led to a lack of ownership. She emphasizes the importance of developing habits for sustainable improvement and allowing teams to maintain ownership of changes. How can teams foster long-lasting change without micromanagement? Featured Book of the Week: The Power of Vulnerability by Brené Brown Milica discusses Brené Brown's "The Power of Vulnerability" (audiobook) and how it transformed her understanding of belonging versus fitting in. This distinction helped her foster true belonging in her teams, where members felt safe to be themselves and contribute their best. This book addresses a question that is critical for Scrum Masters: How can we create environments that nurture genuine belonging?   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Milica Lubinic Milica is a Mom and Professional and Organizational Coach who is all about dealing with complexity, whether it's child development or organizational/team/individual transformation and growth. She found her true calling in the world of Agile, Cynefin, and Progressive organizational cultures. Creating safe spaces for innovation, nurturing trust, and sparking engagement is her true passion. You can link with Milica Lubinic on LinkedIn.

Avipaul Bhandari: Why Agile Processes Matter, And Help Avoid Deathmarch Projects Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Avipaul shares the story of a team working on an iPad app under tight deadlines. They skipped Scrum events, leading to chaos and missed deadlines. In this episode, we explore some of the most common anti-patterns that come from skipping or avoiding Agile processes and the importance of structure for teams, especially when under tight deadlines.  Featured Book of the Week: The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier In this segment, Avipaul shares how "The Coaching Habit" by Michael Bungay Stanier,  transformed his approach as a Scrum Master. The book's seven powerful coaching questions, especially "And what else?", helped him enhance his coaching skills and deepen his 1:1 interactions.    [IMAGE HERE] 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 Avipaul Bhandari Avipaul is a seasoned Agile Coach with extensive experience helping teams and organizations implement Agile practices effectively. His expertise spans various domains, and he is passionate about fostering collaboration and continuous improvement. You can link with Avipaul Bhandari on LinkedIn and connect with Avipaul Bhandari on Twitter.

Jaques Smit: Beyond the Drama Triangle, Patterns in Conflict Resolution for Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Jaques shares the story of a long-term game development team's recurring issues despite changes in personnel. Several Product Owners had left because of burnout. However, with every new PO the team cycled through the same patterns, eventually leading to the PO's leaving. Jaques realized the team was stuck in a Persecutor-Victim-Rescuer dynamic, and tried to help the team by bringing in outside assistance. Through this story, Jaques discusses the importance of addressing underlying conflicts, enhancing conflict resolution skills, and avoiding the drama triangle. Featured Book of the Week: Leadership is Language by David Marquet How can the language we use as leaders influence team dynamics? Jaques discusses "Leadership is Language" by David Marquet (David Marquet has been a previous guest on the show) and its impact on his approach to workplace challenges. The book helped him realize the importance of language in shaping behavior and leadership conversations. Jaques shares how the book helped him facilitate leadership discussions and improve team communication.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Jaques Smit Jaques is a seasoned Agile coach and Scrum Master with extensive experience in leading and transforming teams in the game development industry. His expertise lies in fostering team collaboration, resolving conflicts, and facilitating effective retrospectives. Jaques is passionate about continuous learning and empowering teams to achieve their full potential.   You can link with Jaques Smit on LinkedIn and connect with Jaques Smit through his website.

Kirsi Sahlstén: When Protection Hinders Progress, A Guide to Tackling Psychological Safety in Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Kirsi shares an insightful story about a large team working on regulatory reporting that struggled with psychological safety. Even if the team tried to shut out Agile coaches, leadership noticed alarming employee satisfaction scores and helped the change get started. Kirsi reveals how the Product Owner's protective approach stifled team growth and collaboration. She explains the anti-patterns observed and offers tips on how to address such challenges by taking a more directive stance and encouraging continuous improvement. Learn how small changes can make a big difference in a team's dynamics and success. Featured Book of the Week: Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching by Bob Galen Kirsi discusses Bob Galen's book, "Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching," highlighting its comprehensive approach to Agile coaching. She emphasizes the importance of the Agile coaching contract, even for internal coaches, and shares how it helps in setting clear expectations. Kirsi also explores the significance of journaling for self-reflection. This book is not just for coaches but also for Scrum Masters seeking to deepen their understanding and practice of Agile coaching. [IMAGE HERE] 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 Kirsi Sahlstén Kirsi is a wanna-be neuroscientist and full-stack developer who, in real life, ended up as an Agile coach. She is passionate about sparking and enabling learning and unlearning, working together across boundaries, and focusing on the essential. Her favorite question is "Why?" and she is fascinated by the complexity of simplicity. You can link with Kirsi Sahlstén on LinkedIn.

Rebecca Cyr: Transforming Agile Team Dynamics with Structured Feedback, And The Critical Importance of Feedback Delivery Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Rebecca shares a story about a team that struggled with "terminal niceness," avoiding necessary feedback in an effort to maintain an artificial harmony. By introducing a feedback format learned from a seminar, Rebecca helped the team communicate more openly and effectively. The transformation led to better team dynamics and a more collaborative environment. Listen in to learn what was the format that helped Rebecca transform this team's take on feedback. Featured Book of the Week: Radical Candor by Kim Scott Rebecca discusses how "Radical Candor" by Kim Scott transformed her perspective on feedback. Initially wary of feedback due to past negative experiences, Rebecca learned that feedback is a crucial part of professional growth for her and her teams. She highlights key insights from the book, such as the importance of constructive one-on-one feedback and how it can be a positive tool rather than just criticism. Listen in to discover how "Radical Candor" reshaped Rebecca's approach and why feedback is essential in agile environments.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Rebecca Cyr Rebecca Cyr is an experienced agile coach and scrum master, passionate about helping teams deliver value through agile principles and practices while learning, growing, and having fun together. Connecting people through deft facilitation is her superpower, as is storytelling as the language of learning. You can link with https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccacyr/.

Doug Rabow: Prioritize, Visualize, Execute, A Lean Approach to Work Management in Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Doug explores some of the critical aspects of team management that ensure efficiency and clarity. Doug also shares how visual management is essential for maintaining focus on top priorities within teams. We learn about the Five S from Lean, and how simplifying and visually organizing work can prevent priority confusion and, in the end, improve productivity. Featured Book of the Week: The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker In this episode, we explore lessons from The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker beyond manufacturing. Doug describes how The Toyota Way applies to strategic management and software development, focusing on high-quality, small batches. Discover how continuous feedback drives continuous improvement, and what Agile learned from Lean Manufacturing.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Doug Rabow Doug is a passionate practitioner of Lean-Agile strategic management with a focus on developing empowered teams and Lean process improvement.   You can link with Doug Rabow on LinkedIn.

Patty Aluskewicz: Beyond the Blame Game, A Simple Technique That Transformed A Team Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Have you ever wondered why some teams succeed while others stumble? Patty shares a compelling story of a team entrenched in blame and how she guided them towards accountability and success. What happens when a product's failure turns into a blame game? Explore how Patty used a simple flowchart to transform team interactions and process understanding, turning a negative environment into a collaborative success story. Featured Book of the Week: A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink In this episode, Patty discusses how Daniel H. Pink's "A Whole New Mind" ignited a spark that drove her to action. What makes creative problem-solving an essential skill in today's world? Patty reflects on the transformative power of switching to focus on creativity over memorization and how the book inspired her to step into a coaching role. Patty also shares her key takeaways from another of Pink's works, "The Power of Regret”. Learn about how understanding your deepest regrets can guide personal and professional growth. How can regrets propel us towards more courageous decisions?   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Patty Aluskewicz Patty Aluskewicz is an Agile Coach for PwC and the founder of Agile Mindset Consulting. With over 15 years of experience, she assists businesses and their employees in building fundamental Agile and Scrum skills, improving team dynamics and communication, and successfully implementing organizational change. You can link with Patty Aluskewicz on LinkedIn.

Peter Müller: The Complacency Trap, And How Positive Disruptions Can Rekindle Agile Team Growth Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this segment, Peter shares the story of a team that, despite success, lost its drive for learning and improvement, settling comfortably into familiar routines. What happens when the pursuit of comfort undermines the growth and dynamism of a team? This episode explores the dangers of comfort zones, the value of introducing positive disruptions, and strategies to rekindle a team's passion for continuous learning.  Featured Book of the Week: Solution Focused Coaching for Agile Teams by Veronika Jungwirth and Ralph Miarka This week's featured book, Solution Focused Coaching for Agile Teams, offers a fresh perspective on the agile coaching landscape. In this episode, Peter discusses how the principles laid out in the book can transform team retrospectives and daily interactions. He emphasizes the power of focusing on solutions rather than problems, building on existing team strengths, and the critical role of positivity in fostering team success. How can agile teams benefit from a solution-focused approach to overcome their habitual focus on challenges? Listen to find out!    [IMAGE HERE] 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 Peter Müller Peter is a seasoned Agile coach and transformation consultant with extensive experience in fostering agile environments and enhancing team dynamics. His expertise in solution-focused coaching has helped numerous teams optimize their operational efficiency and adapt to agile methodologies effectively.   You can link with Peter on LinkedIn and connect with Peter on Twitter.

Jowen Mei's scrum journey began in 2010 as a C# developer in Microsoft technology. His first experience with Scrum was transformative, sparking his love for the framework due to its focus on autonomy, mastery, and purpose, such as team collaboration, TDD, and direct customer engagement. After his initial scrum experience, Mei launched his own agile-focused startup, which faced initial challenges. He returned to consultancy, gradually shifting from development to scrum mastering, influenced by the role's complexity and its impact on professional and personal life. Mei's early scrum master approach focused on strict adherence to practices and persuasion, but he evolved to emphasize coaching, inspiration, and empowering team ownership for sustainable improvement. For aspiring scrum masters, Mei emphasizes the importance of curiosity, humility, and an experimental mindset. He believes in understanding underlying reasons for team behaviors and adopting a continuous improvement mindset. Mei recommends Christopher Avery's book The Responsibility Process for scrum masters. He values its insights into the psychological aspects of ownership and responsibility and shares his appreciation for the book's impact on his understanding of team dynamics and leadership.

Mike Lyons: Slipping Back, When Agile Teams Drift Back Toward Waterfall Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Mike shares a story from his time with a team that inadvertently started adopting waterfall practices despite beginning with Agile intentions. How did the introduction of a business analyst role lead to a disconnect between the team and their product owner, and what does this signify about the delicate balance of roles within Agile teams? Learn from Mike's retrospective insights on maintaining Agile principles and the importance of quick feedback cycles. Featured Book of the Week: The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim In this segment, Mike describes why the "The Phoenix Project," a business novel resonates so much with scrum masters and Agile practitioners. Why does Mike find himself returning to this book time and again, and how does it mirror the realities of DevOps and Agile environments? Explore how the narrative's emphasis on improving daily work over performing it can revolutionize your approach to Agile project management.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Mike Lyons After reading the Agile Manifesto in 2006, Mike focused on making teams and organizations more adaptive and efficient. Despite facing failures and mistakes, these experiences provided him with valuable lessons that enhanced his ability to achieve tangible results with Agile. You can link with Mike Lyons on LinkedIn.

Mike Richards: Beyond Lip Service, True Stories of Agile Transformation Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Mike recounts his experiences with a scrum team that struggled to fully embrace the agile mindset. We also talk about the pitfalls of "lip service" to scrum practices, and how teams can genuinely adopt continuous improvement. Discover how data-driven insights and a shift in team culture can catalyze meaningful change and enhance team performance. Featured Book of the Week: Radical Candor by Kim Scott Immerse yourself in the insights Mike got from the book Radical Candor by Kim Scott as Mike explores the transformative power of honest feedback within agile teams. How can fostering a culture of candid feedback impact team dynamics and project success? Learn practical tips for giving and receiving feedback that fosters growth and enhances team collaboration.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Mike Richards Mike Richards, with over a decade in tech, goes beyond managing projects. He's passionate about transforming organizations, coaching on cloud migration, leading digital shifts, and empowering agile teams. More than a consultant, Mike is a catalyst for growth and change. You can link with Mike Richards on LinkedIn here.

Paul Jarvis: Unlocking Scrum Team Potential, The High-performance Tree Tool  Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, we explore the dynamics of two high-performing teams hindered by a single member's reluctance to seek help. This episode explores the critical lesson, such as leveraging the "power of the team", and introduces the high-performance tree metaphor, illustrating the foundational values and desired behaviors in effective Scrum teams. How does one individual's challenge affect team performance, and what strategies can encourage collective problem-solving and support? Paul discusses his approach and insights, and refers to a video from Lyssa Adkins about the high-performance tree. Featured Book of the Week: Management 3.0 by Jurgen Appelo Paul recommends the book "Management 3.0" by Jurgen Appelo. He shares the book's profound impact on understanding Agile. Paul also shares other key references for Scrum Masters such as "Coaching Agile Teams" by Lyssa Adkins, "Radical Candor" by Kim Scott, "Nonviolent Communication" by Marshal Rosenberg, "Think Again" by Adam Grant, and Patrick Lencioni's contributions. Each book offers a unique perspective on Agile principles, from fostering constructive disagreements and navigating conflicts to reevaluating our knowledge and embracing humility. Find out about Paul's lightbulb moments and the collective wisdom these authors bring to the Agile table.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Paul Jarvis Paul is a seasoned Enterprise Lean Agile Coach, Trainer, RTE, and Scrum Master with a decade of experience in the FinTech sector, focusing on banking, payments, and e-commerce. Recently, he completed a 3.5-year tenure at a key player in investment banking. You can link with Paul Jarvis on LinkedIn and connect with Paul Jarvis on Twitter.

Tom Baldwin: From Centralized to Collaborative, Cultivating Independent Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. As Tom steps into a team entangled with centralized communication and decision-making issues, he shares his strategic approach to fostering team independence and effective communication, especially during a managerial hiatus. Key strategies include direct dialogue among team members, engaging leadership in problem-solving discussions, and advocating for managerial coaching, drawing upon a real-life transformation where team autonomy and progress shine despite initial resistance. Featured Book of the Week: The Scrum Field Guide by Mitch Lacey Tom sheds light on the pivotal role The Scrum Field Guide by Mitch Lacey played in his Scrum Master journey, emphasizing its approachability and practical insights into role expectations, task decomposition, and work management. With anecdotes and tips like fitting work to time and embracing various work breakdown strategies. In this episode, we also refer to the episode with Anton Skornikov on slicing User Stories. [IMAGE HERE] 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 Tom Baldwin Tom is a Lean-Agile Coach & Scrum Master, who is trying to solve the problem that it has been more than 20 years since the Agile Manifesto, but Business Agility is still not the norm. Tom is currently writing “Production line for the mind: The Practicing Principle”, with the idea of making agility simple to understand & to implement – and not just for software. You can link with Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn.

Jörn Hendrik Ast: The Double-Edged Sword of Commitment, An Agile Team's Journey Through Innovation and Despair Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Jörn Hendrik recounts a sobering team story centered around the development and eventual discontinuation of a seemingly promising app. This episode sheds light on the dangers of commitment without flexibility, the value of listening to feedback, and the importance of recognizing when to pivot. It's a tale of commitment, disillusionment, and the hard-earned wisdom that sometimes, stopping is part of the journey to success. Featured Book of the Week: Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson Dive into Amy Edmondson's "Fearless Organization" with Jörn as he shares how this seminal work on psychological safety reshaped his approach to team management and workshop organization. This segment, explores the transformative power of psychological safety in the workplace, underpinned by practical insights from Jörn's experience. Discover how breaking the silence on issues can propel teams towards better collaboration, innovation, and success. A must-listen for anyone looking to foster an environment where every voice is heard and valued. [IMAGE HERE] 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 Jörn Hendrik Ask Jörn Hendrik Ast, founded of New Work Heroes in 2018. He is an entrepreneur, podcaster, and author dedicated to innovating work through team collaboration, leadership, and personal development. He is coaching teams, producing podcast episodes, and continues to create impactful learning formats and books. You can link with Jörn Hendrik Ask on LinkedIn and connect with Jörn Hendrik Ask on Threads.

Joe Scherler: Agile Scaling Challenges, Fostering Empowered Decision-Making in Fast-Growth Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this segment, Joe shares an enlightening story about a team of technical leads facing the challenges of rapid organizational growth without a scaling framework, leading to disempowered teams. How does hierarchical decision-making erode team initiative and communication? Learn about the emotional toll on teams, the dangers of a victim mentality, and practical tips for reinvigorating team autonomy and accountability, including the use of delegation poker. What steps can you take to descale an organization and foster a culture of empowered decision-making? Featured Book of the Week: Radical Candor by Kim Scott In this segment, we discuss some of the profound lessons of "Radical Candor" as recommended by a visionary leader Joe worked with. We explore the essential practice of speaking up and providing critical feedback from a place of care. Discover the SBI model (Situation, Behaviour, Impact) plus the question of intention to explore the feedback recipient's perspective. Why is holding back feedback a disservice, and how can adopting radical candor transform your team dynamics and leadership approach?   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Joe Scherler Having experienced Scrum and Agile in various roles, Joe's mission is to unlock the hidden potential of teams and those who work with them to create a work environment that is as enjoyable as it is effective. He loves working on both soft and hard skills with the teams. You can link with Joe Scherler on LinkedIn.

Lynn Runnels-Moss: Challenging Success, Pushing High Performing Agile Teams Beyond Complacency Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Lynn shares the nuanced challenge of leading a high-performing team into continuous improvement when complacency sets in. She shares insights on recognizing the signs of stagnation and the critical role of challenging the team with new, uncomfortable tasks to foster growth. This episode unpacks the dangers of the "don't break it" mentality and offers strategies for injecting innovation and learning into successful teams to prevent key members from seeking challenges elsewhere. Featured Book of the Week: Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg Explore the transformative power of Marshall B. Rosenberg's "Nonviolent Communication" as Lynn shares how it reshaped her approach to confrontational communication, impacting every relationship in her life. Discover how the principles of NVC can enhance your feedback process, making requests without demands, and fostering deeper understanding and cooperation in your team. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to improve their communication skills and build stronger, more empathetic connections.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Lynn Runnels-Moss Lynn is a certified Agile coach and Business Coach, skilled in developing high-performance teams using Agile and Lean practices. She founded the London Comms Dojo, co-organises the London Code Dojo, and is a speaker in the Agile Leadership Community worldwide. You can link with Lynn Runnels-Moss on LinkedIn.

Inga Bergmann: Building Stronger Teams Through Conversation, And Addressing Conflicts and Tensions Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, we explore how teams create problems when they do not address the unspoken conflict. Inga emphasizes the critical importance of voicing concerns and the dangers of silence within team dynamics. We talk about through the nuances of team communication, the consequences of unspoken tensions, and offer strategies to encourage openness and growth. Inga's insights offer a roadmap to fostering a culture of transparency and mutual understanding in teams. If you like this episode, you will also like this episode on Tension Meetings with Sara Clark.  Featured Book of the Week: Agile Retrospectives by Derby and Larsen Discover how the book "Agile Retrospectives" became a cornerstone for Inga's journey as a Scrum Master. This episode delves into the profound impact of the book in shaping Inga's approach to fostering team reflection and growth. A testament to the power of retrospectives, this conversation not only highlights the book's influence on her career but also serves as an inspiration for anyone looking to understand and implement Agile principles effectively.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Inga Bergmann Inga is an empathic provocateur dedicated to unlocking the potential of teams on their way to high-performance. As Agile and Organizational Coach, she fosters psychological safe and thought-provoking environments where human-centred approaches and agile principles apply. She emphasizes trust and meaningful connections as enablers of successful collaboration and growth. You can link with Inga Bergmann on LinkedIn.

Dave Smith: Agile Adoption, How To Break Through Scrum Skepticism Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Dave talks about the importance of team-designed processes and shares a story from a local government group in the UK. Facing skepticism and pessimism within the team, Dave illustrates the transformative power of looking for the positive impacts of change, and Agile methodologies. Dave shares how embracing Scrum from all levels can lead to significant organizational change and why questioning what holds you back could be the key to your team's success. Featured Book of the Week: Essential Scrum by Kenneth S. Rubin Dave recommends "Essential Scrum" by Kenneth S. Rubin, a treasure trove of learning and anecdotes that will enrich your understanding of Scrum. Dave shares some of the book's insights on the importance of team-designed processes   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Dave Smith Dave, has over 20 years in training and consulting, having taught Scrum he continues to be active in the agile community, mentoring and helping others who are joining the agile community. You can link with Dave Smith on LinkedIn.

Stephanie Cully: How A Misunderstanding Created The Opportunity For Collaboration Between A Scrum Team And Their Product Owner Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Stephanie recounts the challenges faced by a team transitioning to a new application project, marked by tension between developers and the product owner (PO), who micromanaged interface details without clearly conveying customer goals. Initially, separating the team from the PO led to communication issues and misunderstandings. A turning point occurred when a design misunderstanding prompted a shift in strategy: apologies were made, and collaborative design sessions were initiated. This improved communication and understanding, eventually leading the PO to facilitate direct developer-customer interactions, fostering a more integrated and effective team dynamic. Featured Book of the Week: How To Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty Stephanie was deeply inspired by Jay Shetty's "How to Think Like a Monk" in her career as a Scrum Master. The book emphasizes the importance of consistent practice, showing up authentically, and contributing equally within a team. Its teachings resonate with the Scrum Master role, highlighting the significance of not solving problems for others but facilitating their ability to solve problems themselves. This approach fosters self-reliance and growth within the team, aligning with the core principles of effective scrum mastery.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Stephanie Cully Stephanie Cully is a Scrum Master, and CEO of Scrum Life Consulting. Stephanie founded Scrum Life with a mission to help Scrum Masters overcome self-doubt and land the role. You can link with Stephanie Cully on LinkedIn.  

Johannes Andersen: Disjoint Silos, The Illusion of Teamwork and How it Affects Agile Coaches' Work Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this segment, Johannes reflects on his transition from a business unit to an HR position, which initially seemed promising due to the team-based approach they embraced in HR. However, he soon discovered that the HR team lacked unity, with various small roles not functioning cohesively as a team. Tasked by his manager to enhance the HR team's effectiveness, Johannes found himself dedicating much of his time to internal issues rather than organizational improvement. The core issue was the absence of a shared goal, leading to misalignment and lack of collaboration within the team, effectively making them "disjoint silos" rather than a unified force. We discuss Vasco's mnemonic of “One Team, One Goal” andthe importance of aligning around a single, shared goal to foster true teamwork. Featured Book of the Week: "The Goal" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt In this segment, Johannes discusses how "The Goal" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt profoundly influenced him. Appreciating its novel-based approach, he found it uniquely effective for teaching new concepts, allowing readers to empathize with the learning process. Johannes admires the book's focus on outcomes and its clarity on defining a company's "goal," highlighting its system thinking approach as a critical aspect of understanding and solving organizational problems.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Johannes Andersen Johannes comes from a finance and fintech background, and is now an enterprise agility maestro at a leading telco in Copenhagen! He focuses on optimizing the flow from strategy to execution, championing portfolio management with a keen eye on doing the right things, even if imperfectly. Johannes is an international speaker on product development topics. You can link with Johannes Andersen on LinkedIn.

Freddie Brown Jr: Self-Organizing For Success, How Agile Teams Need to Define and Accept Roles and Responsibilities Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. This segment features Freddie discussing challenges faced by a team with undefined roles and blurred responsibilities. He recalls an experience where QA personnel doubled as Scrum Masters, leading to role confusion. Freddie emphasizes the effectiveness of the RACI matrix in clarifying roles and responsibilities. He advises fostering discussions where teams define their own roles, thereby encouraging self-organization and clear understanding of each member's duties. Featured Book of the Week: Whiteboard: Business Models That Inspire Action by Daren Martin In this segment, Freddie discusses how "Whiteboard" by Derrin Martin profoundly influenced his approach as a Scrum Master. The book, renowned for its models that inspire action, offers simple yet powerful explanations on driving organizational change. Its use of illustrations effectively conveys messages, with a key takeaway being the philosophy of striving to improve by 1% daily.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Freddie Brown Jr. Meet Freddie Brown Jr, the Agile Genie! With a magic brain that grants your corporate wishes faster than Aladdin's lamp, he transforms chaos into strategic brilliance. He's the genie you never knew you needed, making agile dreams come true – all with a sprinkle of humor that's truly magical!

Viktor Didenchuk: Leadership Lessons, Managing Agile Team Anxiety Sparked by Rumors Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this segment, Viktor shares his experience with a team affected by a rumor about organizational changes. The rumor, lacking official communication, grew and significantly impacted the team's dynamics. Team members felt different and became fearful for their jobs, leading to a decline in Agile values. Over months, the situation worsened, with anxiety amplifying the issue. Viktor emphasizes the importance of addressing rumors promptly, encouraging escalation to leadership for proper handling and making clear the consequences of neglecting such rumors. Featured Book Of the Week: The Swordless Samurai, by Kitami Masao Viktor discusses the impact of "The Swordless Samurai," a book detailing the leadership of a historic Japanese ruler. This true story emphasizes timeless leadership principles, highlighting the ruler's role in fostering effectiveness in others. Viktor connects this with his own leadership beliefs, asserting that failures are his responsibility, not his team's. In this segment, we also discuss two other influential books, "Extreme Ownership" and "Radical Candor."   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 Viktor Didenchuk Viktor began his career as a Software Engineer in the mid 2010's, before discovering a passion for coaching and facilitating value delivery. He currently serves as a Scrum Master at Lloyds Banking Group, the UK's largest retail bank, where he contributes to the Agile transformation of a 60,000+ employee organization, navigating and sharing the challenges encountered. You can link with Viktor Didenchuk on LinkedIn. 

Kulsoom Pervez: The Struggle for Team Unity, And How To Recognize Our Limits As Scrum Masters Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Kulsoom shares her experience with a group of skilled individuals who struggled to function as a team. As their Scrum Master, she noticed a lack of accountability and ownership, issues with completing sprint stories, and a blame culture during retrospectives. The team, marred by tension between developers and QA, created an unhealthy environment. Despite her efforts to revitalize retrospectives and foster change, progress was slow and draining. Eventually, Kulsoom and several team members left the company, leading her to understand the limits of her influence and the importance of self-care and mental health for Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches. Featured Book Of The Week: Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Grenny et al. Kulsoom delves into how the book "Crucial Conversations" profoundly influenced her role as a Scrum Master. She emphasizes the book's impact in shaping her approach to crucial conversations, vital for anyone in a change agent role like hers. Highlighting the importance of courage and skill, Kulsoom discusses the book's framework for managing critical discussions effectively. She underscores how having a structured approach to conversations is essential for effective communication and problem-solving in agile environments.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Kulsoom Pervez Kulsoom is passionate about constructing sustainable, resilient, and high-performing teams, consistently delivering value to customers through the transformative power of Agility. She embodies a leadership style that inspires, empowers, and fosters the growth of her colleagues. Kulsoom enjoys reading and has also dabbled in blogging. You can link with Kulsoom Pervez on LinkedIn.

Isshai Kamara: Collaboration as a Cure, Helping Agile Teams Overcome The Missing Product Owner Anti-Pattern Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this segment, Isshai discusses challenges faced by her two mobile teams lacking Product Owners (POs). This led to uncertainty about requirements and a sparse backlog. Instead of hiring new POs, Isshai initiated collaboration with existing POs from other teams. She shares tips like integrating tech leads with other POs, setting up meetings for better communication, and considering tech leads as potential POs. Isshai emphasizes transparency about these issues with her teams and stresses the importance of showing them that there is ongoing work and focus on detailing tasks, marking a significant culture shift within the organization. Featured Book of the Week: Project To Product by Mik Kersten In this segment, Isshai discusses the transformative impact of Project To Product by Mik Kersten on her journey from a project manager to a more product-focused person. She credits the book for enhancing her understanding of team metrics and providing deeper insights into software development processes. Emphasizing the importance of motivated teams, the book also introduces a unique tool developed by the author, designed specifically for teams concentrating on product development. This tool has been instrumental in Isshai's ability to effectively guide her development teams.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Isshai Kamara Isshai Kamara is a seasoned IT professional with over 12 years of experience, specializing in Agile delivery roles and Scrum implementation. Initially a Technologist, he later transitioned into Project and Engineering Management. With 8 years in Agile delivery, Isshai has become an advocate for IT careers, aiding professionals in transitions and conducting bootcamps for tech roles. His extensive experience in Agile methodologies and commitment to IT career development make him a distinguished figure in the tech community. You can link with Isshai Kamara on LinkedIn and connect with Isshai Kamara on Instagram.

Drew Craig: Unravelling an Agile Team's Struggle with Overcommitment, And The Inevitable Consequences Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Drew delves into the common pitfall of teams overloading their backlog, leading to failed sprints and destroyed team morale. The challenge lies in helping teams realize the importance of realistic commitments. Drew suggests analyzing data, considering historical averages, and aligning discussions with product goals and roadmaps. Addressing the fear of reducing commitments due to leadership pressure, he emphasizes the need to collaborate with leadership and focus on data-driven decision-making.  Featured Book Of The Week: Multipliers, by Liz Wiseman In this episode, Drew shares pivotal books shaping his career as a Scrum Master. "Drive" by Dan Pink offers clarity with easy-to-understand insights about motivation, grounding practitioners in their roles. Drew appreciates its ability to simplify complex concepts. "Multipliers" by Liz Wiseman provides insights on strengthening teams and shifting from doing to enabling. Drew's takeaway involves pondering, "How can I be a multiplier?"    [IMAGE HERE] 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 Drew Craig Drew calls himself an Agile Coach for humans; inspiring growth for individuals, teams, and systems to be better together. In all of his roles, the connection has been the people. He is passionate about establishing sustainable and simple processes, techniques, or insights as mechanisms toward self-sufficient and empowered systems. You can link with Drew Craig on LinkedIn and connect with Drew Craig on Twitter. 

Nimi Bello: From Conflict to Growth, Lessons in Coaching as a Scrum Master, Even When Stakes are High! Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In the episode, Nimi talks about a challenging experience where a high-stakes project faced self-destruction due to a lack of psychological safety. The dominant engineering manager stifled team communication, leading to disengagement and reduced collaboration. Struggling as a Scrum Master, Nimi took the initiative to have a difficult conversation with the manager, emphasizing the team's perspective. By fostering understanding and shifting to solution-oriented thinking, the episode highlights the importance of addressing psychological safety issues for team well-being. Nimi shares how this experience propelled her growth as a coach and the significance of proactive communication. Featured Book of the Week: Drive by Dan Pink In the segment, Nimi discusses the impact that the books "Drive" by Dan Pink and "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki had on her role as a Scrum Master. Emphasizing motivation and empowerment, Nimi delves into how “Drive” highlights the often-overlooked importance of the key concept of intrinsic motivation, emphasizing its significance for Scrum Masters. Nimi encourages listeners to delve into these influential reads for valuable insights into fostering team motivation and developing crucial interpersonal skills.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Nimi Bello Nimi Bello is a seasoned Agile professional with a diverse skill set. She currently serves as a Release Train Engineer at Deloitte. With over 8 years of experience, Nimi is an award-winning Creative Director, Principal Agile Consultant, and Strategic Partner. Her expertise lies in sales, technology, and guiding teams through the complex journey of transitioning to Agile methodology. Nimi is a global change agent with a fervor for building and scaling businesses and communities. You can link with Nimi Bello on LinkedIn.

Josh Lambert: Strategies for Improved Team Collaboration in Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Josh shares a team's struggles – newly formed, but spanning distant timezones, and facing communication issues. Individual work overshadowed teamwork, and this was made worse by very unclear responses from a team member that was not meeting their sprint goals. Frustration peaked on the final day of one of the Sprints. Reflecting on that story, Josh advocates transparent communication, urging team members to share when help is needed. He stresses the importance of a working agreement when seeking help and proposes conducting psychological safety assessments and focusing on team well-being. Featured Book for the Week: "Coaching Agile Teams" by Lyssa Adkins In this episode, Josh recommends "Coaching Agile Teams" by Lyssa Adkins for Scrum Masters. He highlights its enduring value, providing continuous support for navigating challenges. Drawing from a team member's experience feeling trapped in a "hamster wheel," Josh emphasizes the book's relatable stories, offering preparation for similar situations.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Josh Lambert Josh is an Agile Coach at a financial institution. He has been through a few different Agile Transformations. And became a Scrum Master in one of the early transformations and loved the role where where he stayed for 6 years, after which he transitioned into an Agile Coach. You can link with Josh Lambert on LinkedIn.

Sofia Katsaouni: Building Team Resilience And Transforming Team Dynamics with Agile Coaching Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Sofia reflects on coaching three teams and the challenges that arose from small patterns evolving into significant issues. The lack of collaboration and knowledge sharing within the team led to failing to deliver, which in turn led to external pressure and low morale. Sofia emphasizes the importance of allowing teams to experiment for self-driven change, highlighting the human dynamics within teams. Featured Book of the Week: Responsive Agile Coaching by Niall McShane In this episode, Sofia discusses the book "Responsive Agile Coaching," which delves into diverse coaching approaches for Scrum Masters and Agile coaches. The author introduces various stances, such as the show-and-tell stance or Open-and-hold stance, offering a valuable framework to shape individual coaching experiences.    [IMAGE HERE] 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 Sofia Katsaouni Sofia is a dedicated Agile and Organizational Coach who places people and their needs at the forefront. Transitioning from electrical engineering, she applies analytical skills to empower high-performing teams. With an emphasis on trust and psychological safety, Sofia enables startups and scale-ups to foster human-centric, performance-driven cultures. You can link with Sofia Katsaouni on LinkedIn.   

Robert Briese: Fixed Time/Scope Projects and The Pitfalls of Individual PO Goals Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Robert discusses the challenges of supporting teams tasked with building an ecommerce platform. The teams were given a limited time, and a fixed scope to deliver! Each team had its own Product Owner (PO), leading to conflicting goals and self-destructive patterns. The looming deadline for a major customer event added pressure. Robert suggests practical tips, including creating a shared understanding above team and product management levels, aligning POs on a shared backlog, establishing shared priorities, utilizing user story mapping, and implementing the Chief Product Owner pattern.   Featured Book of the Week: "Large-Scale Scrum" by Vodde and Larman In this episode, Robert recommends "Large-Scale Scrum" by Vodde and Larman for insights into large-scale product development, influencing his journey to become a trainer in this domain. He also suggests "The Skilled Facilitator" by Schwarz, emphasizing its focus on fostering a mindset conducive to real team collaboration. The book promotes a mutual learning mindset, acknowledging individual experiences and promoting cooperative game dynamics for collective success. The episode also touches on another recommended book on Nonviolent Communication (NVC).   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Robert Briese Robert Briese, is an Agile Coach who's seen it all. From startup stumbles to orchestrating massive Large-Scale Scrum feats, like BMW's level 3 autonomous driving milestone. He's on a mission to simplify the complex and help teams build adaptable, sustainable organizations. Buckle up for a wild, Agile ride with Robert! You can link with Robert Briese on LinkedIn and connect with Robert Briese on Twitter. 

Thorben Pantring: The Team That Learned How To Collaborate, and Avoid the “It's Not My Job” Anti-Pattern Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In a revealing episode, Thorben shares lessons from a team in trouble. The team members worked in isolation, often saying "It's not my job" and addressing each other by their roles, not by their names. Thorben tried 2 experiments to help the team: a Work in Progress limit of 1 to foster collaboration and a workshop on the "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" Model (inspired by the book by Lencioni) highlighting the need for commitment and accountability. Emphasizing a shared sprint goal, Thorben recommends assessing progress collectively. Eventually, a cultural shift occurred—team members adopted the motto "it's our job," fostering collaboration and breaking down role-based barriers. Featured Book of the Week: "Large Scale Scrum" by Bas Vodde and Craig Larman Thorben recommends "Large Scale Scrum" by Bas Vodde and Craig Larman as key book for Scrum Masters. Highlighting its practicality, he emphasizes its value in expanding Scrum beyond a single team. The book guides not just development but also incorporates management involvement for successful large-scale Scrum implementation. Thorben praises its emphasis on customer-centric development, making it an essential read for those striving to make agile magic happen.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Thorben Pantring Thorben is an experienced Scrum Master & Team Lead in the eCommerce space, showcasing expertise in leadership, LeSS, Scrum, team management, and engineering. With an insatiable desire for learning and a relentless pursuit of progress, Thorben embodies a fervent passion for leadership, agility, and technology. You can link with Thorben Pantring on LinkedIn.   

Jean Coetzee: From Obsession to Ownership, Avoiding the Deadline Trap in Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this episode, Jean recounts a cautionary tale of a team with an unhealthy obsession with meeting deadlines. The team's relentless pursuit led to a sense of loss of control and disconnection from the broader reality, paralleling themes from "The Matrix." Jean emphasizes the importance of reclaiming control over one's time and lives, and urges listeners to reflect on what makes a high-performing team member. He underscores that meeting deadlines should not be the sole purpose of a team, and that true ownership lies in a more holistic approach to achieving success. Featured Book of the Week: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink In this segment, Jean discusses the profound impact of Jocko Willink's book, "Extreme Ownership," on his journey as a Scrum Master. He highlights how the concept of ownership is crucial in Agile practices and applies not only to individuals but to the entire team. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding, camaraderie, and trust within a team, ultimately leading to high performance. Jean stresses that roles don't define ownership; it's a collective responsibility for achieving success in Agile endeavors, making "Extreme Ownership" a valuable resource for both Scrum Masters and product owners.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Jean Coetzee Jean is passionate about humans, and how they work together from a psychology and neuroscience perspective. Jean, credits the early ScrumMaster podcasts for shaping his Agile career. These insightful episodes provided vital guidance during the early days, boosting confidence in serving others effectively. Jean learned to navigate uncertainties and gain confidence in their Scrum Master role, all thanks to this and other podcast contributors. You can link with Jean Coetze on LinkedIn. 

Annu Paganus: Short-Term Thinking, Long-Term Consequences, How Agile Teams Create Their Own Problems Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Annu shares the story of a team that delayed documentation and planning because they expected that the system they were maintaining would eventually be replaced by a new system. However, while she was away on a long leave, the system change did not happen. The team's mindset of impending change led to neglecting long-term considerations, impeding progress. Annu advises teams to scrutinize the narratives they tell themselves about their work and to understand their origins. She stresses the importance of focusing on the present and evolving their work methods based on the current situation. Featured Book of the Week: Keskusteluälykkyys by Helena Åhman Annu shares her passion for personal development and its impact on her professional and personal growth. She recommends the book "Keskusteluälykkyys" by Helena Åhman (link in Finnish) for its valuable lessons on conflict resolution. Annu appreciates how her team's passionate discussions have been productive. She highlights the significance of overcoming conflict as a Scrum Master. Additionally, she praises “Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life”for its insights on fostering a sense of belonging. The book emphasizes the role of routines in reinforcing community bonds, a principle applicable to Agile teams. Annu underlines the importance of creating meaningful rituals within the team dynamic.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 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.

Armin Mandara: When Harmony Hinders Progress, Learning to Trigger Difficult Conversations Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Armin shares his experience with one of his initial teams, responsible for QA and user acceptance. The team lacked cross-functionality and faced uneven work distribution. Communication about improvements was scarce, leading to stagnant progress. Some stakeholders provided no feedback, and the team maintained a facade of contentment. Armin observed a reluctance to engage in conflict and recognized the team's collective unawareness of necessary improvements. Even if in one-on-one meetings, individuals were more candid, they did not raise the topics in a wider group. Armin advises addressing issues individually to gauge openness for discussion. The team's absence of external pressure hindered growth, reflecting the challenge of balancing harmony with performance. Featured Book of the Week: "Radical Honesty" by Brad Blanton In this episode, Armin delves into his favorite book, "Radical Honesty" by Brad Blanton. He highlights how the book goes beyond conventional honesty, emphasizing the importance of genuine self-connection. Armin asserts that this radical honesty is a crucial skill for Scrum Masters, enabling them to tap into their emotions effectively. The book prompts a re-evaluation of authenticity, urging individuals to be true to themselves on a deeper level.   [IMAGE HERE] 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 Armin Mandara Armin is the Head of Scrum Masters at IBM iX, a leading digital agency. With a career spanning seven years as a Scrum Master, Armin has partnered with numerous teams to successfully deliver top-notch digital products. His passion lies in enabling agile teams to achieve their goals and unleash their true potential. You can link with Armin Mandara on LinkedIn.