Podcasts about scrum masters

Alidad Hamidi: The Tax Agile Teams Pay for Organizational Standards Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "If you set targets for people, they will achieve the target, even if that means destroying the system around them." - W. Edwards Deming (quoted by Alidad)   The tension is familiar to every Scrum Master working in large organizations: leadership demands standard operating models, flow time metrics below specific numbers, and reporting structures that fit neat boxes. Meanwhile, teams struggle under the weight of context-insensitive measurements that ignore the nuanced reality of their work. Alidad faces this challenge daily—creating balance between organizational demands and what teams actually need to transform and thrive.   His approach starts with a simple but powerful question to leaders: "What is it that you want to achieve with these metrics?" Going beyond corporate-speak to have real conversations reveals that most leaders want outcomes, not just numbers. Alidad then involves teams in defining strategies to achieve those outcomes, framing metrics as "the tax we pay" or "the license to play." When teams understand the intent and participate in the strategy, something surprising happens—most metrics naturally improve because teams are delivering genuine value, customers are happy, and team dynamics are healthy.   But context sensitivity remains critical. Alidad uses a vivid analogy: "If you apply lean metrics to Pixar Studio, you're gonna kill Pixar Studio. If you apply approaches of Pixar Studio to production line, they will go bankrupt in less than a month." Toyota's production line and Pixar's creative studio both need different approaches based on their context, team evolution, organizational maturity, and market environment. He advocates aligning teams to value delivery with end-to-end metrics rather than individual team measurements, recognizing that organizations operate in ecosystem models beyond simple product paradigms.   Perhaps most important is patience. "Try to not drink coffee for a week," Alidad challenges. "Even for a single person, one practice, it's very hard to change your behavior. Imagine for organization of hundreds of thousands of people." Organizations move through learning cycles at their own rhythm. Our job isn't to force change at the speed we prefer—it's to take responsibility for our freedom and find ways to move the system, accepting that systems have their own speed.   Self-reflection Question: Which metrics are you applying to your teams without considering their specific context, and what conversation do you need to have with leadership about the outcomes those metrics are meant to achieve?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

In this episode, Ryan Brook brings his homework with him as he joins hosts Jim Sammons and Rich Visotcky for a vibrant Q&A session to answer questions from our viewers. Ryan flips the script, taking over emcee duties to extract key ideas and insights from Rich and Jim as they cover a range of topics from team autonomy and navigating roles to measuring outcomes and outputs to understand the impacts of agility.Join us for a lively session answering your questions! Have a question you want answered in a future episode? Comment on this episode, or reach out to us.00:00:00 Opening00:00:29 Introductions 00:02:54 Question Setup 00:04:16 Navigating New Roles in an Organization 00:13:07 Coaching Leadership on Agility and Fixed Projects 00:20:09 Managing Dependencies in Agile and Waterfall 00:28:38 Metrics for Agile Progress 00:36:00 Creating a Culture of Experimentation 00:47:23 Measuring Outcomes vs Output 00:52:40 The Gantt Chart Debate 00:58:16 Tools for User Story Mapping 01:05:21 Balancing Team Autonomy with Organizational Goals 01:13:01 Change Management in UI/UX Handoffs 01:19:38 Managing Parallel Sprints 01:29:13 Closing Connect with Mastering Agility

Alidad Hamidi: When a Billion-Dollar Team Becomes Invisible Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "Most of the times, it's not teams that are self-destructive or anything... Simple analogy is when a flower is not blooming, you don't fix the flower, you fix the soil." - Alidad Hamidi   The team sat on the sidelines, maintaining a large portfolio of systems while the organization buzzed with excitement about replatforming initiatives. Nobody seemed to care about them. Morale was low. Whenever technical challenges arose, everyone pointed to the same person for help. Alidad tried the standard playbook—team-building activities, bonding exercises—but the impact was minimal. Something deeper was broken, and it wasn't the team.   Then Alidad shifted his lens to systems thinking. Instead of fixing the flower, he examined the soil. Using the Viable Systems Model, he started with System 5—identity. Who were they? What value did they create? He worked with stakeholders to map the revenue impact of the systems this "forgotten" team maintained. The number shocked everyone: one billion dollars. These weren't legacy systems gathering dust—they were revenue-generating engines critical to the business. Alidad asked the team to run training series for each other, teaching colleagues about the ten different systems they managed. They created self-assessments of skill sets, making visible what had been invisible for too long. When Alidad made their value explicit to the organization, everything shifted. The team's perspective transformed. Later, when asked what made the difference, their answer was unanimous: "You made us visible. That's it." People have agency to change their environment, but sometimes they need someone to help the system see what it's been missing. Ninety percent of the time, when teams struggle, it's not the team that needs fixing—it's the soil they're planted in.   Self-reflection Question: What teams in your organization are maintaining critical systems but remain invisible to leadership, and what would happen if you made their value explicit? Featured Book of the Week: More Time to Think by Nancy Kline Alidad describes Nancy Kline's More Time to Think as transformative for his facilitation practice. While many Scrum Masters focus on filling space and driving conversations forward, this book teaches the opposite—how to create space and listen deeply. "It teaches you to create a space, not to fill it," Alidad explains. The book explores how to design containers—meetings, workshops, retrospectives—that allow deeper thinking to emerge naturally among team members.   For Alidad, the book answered a fundamental question: "How do you help people to find the solution among themselves?" It transformed his approach from facilitation to liberation, helping teams slow down so they can think more clearly. He first encountered the audiobook and was so impacted that he explored both "Time to Think" and this follow-up. While both are valuable, "More Time to Think" resonated more deeply with his coaching philosophy. The book pairs beautifully with systems thinking, helping Scrum Masters understand that creating the right conditions for thinking is often more powerful than providing the right answers. In this segment, we also refer to the book Confronting our freedom, by Peter Block et al.    [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Alidad Hamidi: When Silence Becomes Your Most Powerful Coaching Tool Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "I purposefully designed a moment of silence. Staying in the anxiety of being silenced. Do not interrupt the team. Put the question there, let them come up with a solution. It is very hard. But very effective." - Alidad Hamidi   Alidad walked into what seemed like a straightforward iteration manager role—what some use, instead of Scrum Master. The organization was moving servers to the cloud, a transformation with massive implications. When leadership briefed him on the team's situation, they painted a clear picture of challenges ahead. Yet when Alidad asked the team directly about the transformation's impact, the response was uniform: "Nothing."   But Alidad knew better. After networking with other teams, he discovered the truth—this team maintained software generating over half a billion dollars in revenue, and the transformation would fundamentally change their work. When he asked again, silence filled the room. Not the comfortable silence of reflection, but the heavy silence of fear and mistrust. Most facilitators would have filled that void with words, reassurance, or suggestions. Alidad did something different—he waited. And waited. For what felt like an eternity, probably a full minute, he stood in that uncomfortable silence, about to leave the room.   Then something shifted. One team member picked up a pen. Then another joined in. Suddenly, the floodgates opened. Debates erupted, ideas flew, and the entire board filled with impacts and concerns. What made the difference? Before that pivotal moment, Alidad had invested in building relationships—taking the team to lunch, standing up for them when managers blamed them for support failures, showing through his actions that he genuinely cared. The team saw that he wasn't there to tell them how to do their jobs. They started to trust that this silence wasn't manipulation—it was genuine space for their voices. This moment taught Alidad a profound lesson about Open Systems Theory and Socio-Technical systems—sometimes the most powerful intervention is creating space and having the courage to hold it.   Self-reflection Question: When was the last time you designed a moment of silence for your team, and what held you back from making it longer?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Tim spricht in dieser Folge mit Bernd Joussen über den Einfluss auf die Retrospektive, den Product Owner tatsächlich haben. Bernd ist erfahrener Produkt- und Projektmanager, Scrum Master und Agile Coach und war schon mehrfach Gast im Podcast. Beide erleben in ihrer Arbeit mit Teams, dass viele Product Owner den Raum der Retro missverstehen. Manche treten zu dominant auf und hemmen den Austausch. Andere ziehen sich so weit zurück, dass sie kaum Wirkung entfalten. Dabei ist die Retrospektive ein gemeinsamer Ort des Lernens. Der Product Owner gehört dorthin, weil er Teil des Teams ist und mit seinem Verhalten darüber entscheidet, wie offen gesprochen werden kann. Bernd beschreibt, dass eine Retro ohne Vertrauen keine Wirkung zeigt. Wenn Teams einmal darum bitten, eine Runde ohne Product Owner durchzuführen, sei das ein Signal, das ernst genommen werden sollte. Kein Anlass zur Verteidigung, sondern zur Selbstreflexion. Denn Vertrauen entsteht nicht durch Argumente, sondern durch Haltung. Wer als Product Owner offen zuhört, statt zu bewerten, gibt dem Team die Sicherheit, auch heikle Themen anzusprechen. In vielen Organisationen hängt der Einfluss auf die Retrospektive stark von der Persönlichkeit des Product Owners ab. Wer laut ist, prägt die Dynamik schnell. Wer zurückhaltend ist, verliert an Gewicht. Beides kann den Austausch verzerren. Ein guter Product Owner kennt die Wirkung seiner Präsenz und achtet darauf, Raum zu geben. Bernd betont, dass die Moderation des Scrum Masters hier entscheidend ist. Sie schafft Balance zwischen allen Stimmen und schützt den Raum vor einseitigen Perspektiven. Der Einfluss auf die Retrospektive zeigt sich nicht in Redebeiträgen, sondern in Haltung. Ein Product Owner, der echtes Interesse am Team zeigt, Fragen stellt und neugierig bleibt, trägt mehr zur Verbesserung bei als jemand, der Ergebnisse einfordert. Gute Retrospektiven entstehen, wenn alle gemeinsam Verantwortung übernehmen. Wenn der Product Owner das Team unterstützt, Lösungen zu finden, statt sie vorzugeben. Tim beschreibt, dass gerade in produktorientierten Teams die Retro oft zu stark auf Prozesse schaut und zu wenig auf Wirkung. Dabei bietet sie die Chance, über Outcomes zu sprechen, über den Beitrag des Teams zum Produktwert. Wenn der Product Owner diesen Blick einbringt, erweitert er die Perspektive, ohne den Rahmen zu sprengen. Dann wird die Retrospektive zu einem Ort, an dem Teamleistung und Produkterfolg zusammenfinden. Bernd sieht in reifen Teams eine Selbstverständlichkeit, mit der Product Owner und Scrum Master gemeinsam für diese Qualität sorgen. Sie verstehen sich als Tandem, das das Team befähigt, eigene Lösungen zu entwickeln. Wo diese Verbindung fehlt, bleibt die Retro oberflächlich. Gute Zusammenarbeit zwischen Scrum Master und Product Owner sorgt dafür, dass Themen wie Vertrauen, Konflikte oder Verantwortung auch mit Blick auf den Produkterfolg besprochen werden. Der Einfluss auf die Retrospektive hängt also davon ab, wie bewusst ein Product Owner seine Rolle lebt. Wer mit Neugier und Ruhe in die Retro geht, stärkt das gemeinsame Lernen. Wer sich als Teil des Teams begreift, fördert Offenheit. Und wer Verantwortung für die Wirkung seiner Worte übernimmt, schafft die Grundlage für Weiterentwicklung. Gute Retrospektiven entstehen dort, wo Menschen zuhören, lernen und handeln – gemeinsam und mit echtem Interesse aneinander. Frühere Episoden mit Bernd Joussen in diesem Podcast: - Konflikte mit Stakeholdern meistern - von Spannungen zu Lösungen - Herausforderungen zwischen Product Owner und Developer Wenn ihr direkt mit Bernd Joussen in Kontakt kommen möchtet, erreicht ihr ihn über sein LinkedIn-Profil. Weitere Informationen über Bernd Joussen und sein Angebot als Konfliktbegleiter, Experte für Retrospektiven mit Führungskräften und als Teamentwickler findet ihr auf seiner Webseite der-teamdynamo.de. Ein ganz besonderes Format rund um Retrospektiven und v.a. für Scrum Master und Team Coaches bietet Bernd alle

C'est l'Épisode 15 d'un Café avec Frédéric J'aimerais te parler et échanger sur l'actualités, des commentaires, des stratégies sur l'agilité d'affaire, l'innovation technologique et le leadership ouvert, libre et décentralisé. Un Café avec Frédéric (UCAF) Ça inclue aussi des histoires de succès d'entrepreneur, des fails fast, get up faster. On va aussi se parler du […] The post Un Café avec Frédéric 15 – Je Suis Le Scrum Master appeared first on Agile Lounge.

Karim Harbott: Don't Scale Dysfunction—Fix the Team First Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "How do you define the success of a football manager? Football managers are successful when the team is successful. For Scrum Masters it is also like that. Is the team better than it was before?" - Karim Harbott   Karim uses a powerful analogy to define success for Scrum Masters: think of yourself as a football manager. A football manager isn't successful because they personally score goals—they're successful when the team wins. The same principle applies to Scrum Masters. Success isn't measured by how many problems you solve or how busy you are. It's measured by whether the team is better than they were before.  Are they more self-organizing? More effective? More aligned with organizational outcomes?  This requires a mindset shift. Unlike sprinters competing individually, Scrum Masters succeed by enabling others to be better.  Karim recommends involving the team when defining success—what does "better" mean to them? He also emphasizes linking the work of the team to organizational objectives. When teams understand how their efforts contribute to broader goals, they become more engaged and purposeful. But there's a critical warning: don't scale dysfunction! If a team isn't healthy, improving it is far more important than expanding your coaching to more teams.  A successful Scrum Master creates teams that don't need constant intervention—teams that can manage themselves, make decisions, and deliver value consistently. Just like a great football manager builds a team that plays brilliantly even when the manager isn't on the field.   Self-reflection Question: Is your team more capable and self-sufficient than they were six months ago, or have they become more dependent on you? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Systems Modeling with Causal Loop Diagrams "It shows how many aspects of the system there are and how things are interconnected. This helps us see something that we would not come up with in normal conversations." - Karim Harbott   Karim recommends using systems modeling—specifically causal loop diagrams—as a retrospective format. This approach helps teams visualize the complex interconnections between different aspects of their work. Instead of just listing what went wrong or right, causal loop diagrams reveal how various elements influence each other, often uncovering hidden feedback loops and unintended consequences.  The power of this format is that it surfaces insights the team wouldn't discover through normal conversation. Teams can then think of their retrospective actions as experiments—ways to interact with the system to test hypotheses about what will improve outcomes. This shifts retrospectives from complaint sessions to scientific inquiry, making them far more actionable and engaging. If your team is struggling with recurring issues or can't seem to break out of patterns, systems modeling might reveal the deeper dynamics at play.   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Are You Protecting Your Team Against the Right Thing? - Mike CohnA lot has been written and said about the responsibility of a Scrum Master to protect the team.Examples of protecting the team typically involve running interference with well-meaning but overzealous product owners, stakeholders, and managers. Teams run into trouble all the time from people who want it all now or who keep adding more work in the middle or a sprint. Scrum Masters keep all that noise away so that the team can focus on delivery.But if you are only focused on problems coming from squeaky wheels, you're missing one of the biggest dangers out there: complacency.Agile is about continually getting better. I don't care how good a team is today; if they aren't better a year from now, they're not agile.Complacency can creep in when a team sees some initial improvement from adopting an agile approach. Team members will notice how improved they are and think that's enough.But there's almost always room for further improvement.Some teams become complacent about their process and stop looking for ways to deliver more value each iteration. Still other teams become complacent in seeking out new engineering practices that could make the team even better.Protect your team from complacency by setting high expectations and encouraging the team to set even higher expectations of their own performance.Teams that refuse to settle for the status quo are teams that advance from good to great.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Ich habe Patrick Arnecke zu mir in den Podcast eingeladen, weil ich verstehen will, wie KI im realen Workflow hilft. Daraus ist die Serie «Back to the Future» entstanden: eine ruhige Bestandesaufnahme nach dem Hype – was heute schon funktioniert und wie man es sauber in die Praxis bringt. Patrick ist diplomierter Data Scientist (AI & Machine Learning) beim Statistischen Amt Zürich; er entwickelt mit seinem Team nutzerorientierte KI-Lösungen und führt komplexe Transformationsprojekte – zertifiziert als Scrum Master und Product Owner. Wir starten mit der Frage, warum überhaupt KI – und wofür genau. Patricks Team beginnt nicht beim Tool, sondern beim Problem: Welche Schritte kosten Zeit? Wo entstehen Fehler? Wo braucht es bessere Zugänglichkeit? Erst wenn klar ist, was klemmt, kommt Technik ins Spiel – klein, reversibel, messbar. Neben Datenwissenschaft zählen rechtliche, ethische, organisatorische und menschliche Fragen. Manchmal reicht eine einfache Prozessanpassung; manchmal lohnt sich ein Prototyp, an dem man gemeinsam lernt. Was funktioniert, wird zum Produkt. Was nicht funktioniert, liefert Erkenntnisse. Ein weiteres Thema ist der Stand der Digitalisierung. Vieles liegt bereits digital vor, doch nicht alles ist anschlussfähig. Wir reden darüber, wie offene Schnittstellen Tempo bringen, wo geschlossene Systeme bremsen und weshalb grosse Open-Data-Bestände ihren Wert erst mit guter Erschliessung zeigen. Diese Folge ist eine Bestandesaufnahme: Wir klären, wo KI heute konkret hilft, wie Patricks Team arbeitet und wie der Kanton KI so einführt, dass Qualität, Transparenz und Verantwortung stimmen. In den nächsten Episoden schauen wir uns die einzelnen Piloten im Detail an. Diese Serie ist für alle spannend, die mit grossen Textmengen, Protokollen, Entscheidkorpora oder sensiblen Daten arbeiten – und wissen wollen, was jetzt schon geht, wo die Grenzen liegen und wie KI so eingesetzt wird, dass sie im Alltag wirklich nützt. Die Podcasts "Auf dem Weg als Anwält:in" sind unter https://www.duribonin.ch/podcast/ oder auf allen üblichen Plattformen zu hören

Karim Harbott: The Day I Discovered I Was a Scrum Project Manager, Not a Scrum Master Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "I was telling the team what to do, instead of helping the team to be better on their own. There's a lot more to being a Scrum Master than Agile—working with people is such a different skillset." - Karim Harbott   Karim thought he had mastered Scrum. He had read the books, understood the framework, and was getting things done. His team seemed to be moving forward smoothly—until he stepped away for a few weeks.  But, when he returned, everything had fallen apart. The team couldn't function without him constantly directing their work. That's when Karim realized he had fallen into one of the most common anti-patterns in Agile: the Scrum Project Manager.  Instead of enabling his team to be more effective, he had become their bottleneck. Every decision flowed through him, every task needed his approval, and the team had learned to wait for his direction rather than taking ownership themselves. The wake-up call was brutal but necessary.  Karim discovered that pushing project management responsibilities to the people doing the work—as David Marquet advocates—was far more powerful than being the hero who solves all problems. The real skill wasn't in telling people what to do; it was in creating an environment where they could figure it out themselves. Geoff Watts calls this servant leadership, and Karim learned it the hard way: a great Scrum Master makes themselves progressively less necessary, not more indispensable.   Self-reflection Question: Are you enabling your team to be more effective, or have you become the person they can't function without?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

The Scrum Master Role Is Disappearing - Or Is It? The layoffs of 2023 told a story that few in the tech industry wanted to acknowledge. Among the 120,000+ tech workers who lost their jobs, Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches were disproportionately represented. But this wasn't just about economic belt-tightening it was the culmination of a quiet revolution that's been brewing for years.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Darryl Wright: The PONO—Product Owners in Name Only and How They Destroy Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Product Owner: Collaborative, Present, and Clear in Vision   "She was collaborative, and that meant that she was present—the opposite of the MIA product owner. She came, and she sat with the team, and she worked with them side by side. Even when she was working on something different, she'd be there, she'd be available." - Darryl Wright   Darryl shares an unusual story about one of the best Product Owners he's ever encountered—someone who had never even heard of Agile before taking the role. Working for a large consulting company with 170,000 staff worldwide, they faced a difficult project that nobody wanted to do. Darryl suggested running it as an Agile project, but the entire team had zero Agile experience. The only person who'd heard of Agile was a new graduate who'd studied it for one week at university—he became the Scrum Master. The executive sponsor, with her business acumen and stakeholder management skills, became the Product Owner despite having no idea what that meant.  The results were extraordinary: an 18-month project completed in just over 7 months, and when asked about the experience, the team's highest feedback was how much fun they had working on what was supposed to be an awful, difficult project. Darryl attributes this success to mindset—the team was open and willing to try something new.  The Product Owner brought critical skills to the role even without technical Agile knowledge: She was collaborative and present, sitting with the team and remaining available. She was decisive, making prioritization calls clearly so nobody was ever confused about priorities. She had excellent communication skills, articulating the vision with clarity that inspired the team. Her stakeholder management capabilities kept external pressures managed appropriately. And her business acumen meant she instantly understood conversations about value, time to market, and customer impact.  Without formal training, she became an amazing Product Owner simply by being open, willing, and committed. As Darryl reflects, going from never having heard of the role to being an inspiring Product Owner in 7 months was incredible—one of the most successful projects and teams he's ever worked with.   Self-reflection Question: If you had to choose between a Product Owner with deep Agile certification and no business skills, or one with strong business acumen and willingness to learn—which would serve your team better? The Bad Product Owner: The PONO—Product Owner in Name Only   "The team never saw the PO until the showcase. And so, the team would come along with work that they deemed was finished, and the product owner had not seen it before because he wasn't around. So he would be seeing it for the first time in the showcase, and he would then accept or reject the work in the showcase, in front of other stakeholders." - Darryl Wright   The most destructive anti-pattern Darryl has witnessed was the MIA—Missing in Action—Product Owner, someone who was a Product Owner in Name Only (PONO). This senior business person was too busy to spend time with the team, only appearing at the sprint showcase. The damage this created was systematic and crushing. The team would build work without Product Owner engagement, then present it in the showcase looking to be proud of their accomplishment.  The PO, seeing it for the first time, would accept or reject the work in front of stakeholders. When he rejected it, the team was crushed, deflated, demoralized, and made to look like fools in front of senior leaders—essentially thrown under the bus. This pattern violates multiple principles of Agile teamwork. First, there's no feedback loop during the sprint, so the team works blind, hoping they're building the right thing. Second, the showcase becomes a validation ceremony rather than a collaborative feedback session, creating a dynamic of subservience rather than curiosity. The team seeks approval instead of engaging as explorers discovering what delivers customer value together. Third, the PO positions themselves as judge rather than coach—extracting themselves from responsibility for what's delivered while placing all blame on the team.  As Deming's quote reminds us, "A leader is a coach, not a judge." When the PO takes the judge role, they're betraying fundamental Agile values.  The responsibility for what the team delivers belongs strictly to the Product Owner; the team owns how it's delivered.  When Darryl encounters this situation as a Scrum Master, he lobbies intensely with the PO: "Even if you can't spare any other time for the entire sprint, give us just one hour the night before the showcase." That single hour lets the team preview what they'll present, getting early yes/no decisions so they never face public rejection. The basic building block of any Agile or Scrum way of working is an empowered team—and this anti-pattern strips all empowerment away.   Self-reflection Question: Does your Product Owner show up as a coach who's building something together with the team, or as a judge who pronounces verdicts? How does that dynamic shape what your team is willing to try?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Welcome to a special edition of The Easier, Better, for Construction Show (EBFC Show)!

Darryl Wright: The Retrospective Formats That Actually Generate Change Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "My success is, how much have I helped the team achieve what they want? If what they want is to uplift quality, or to reduce their time to market, well then, my success is helping them achieve that." - Darryl Wright When Darryl enters a new organization, he's often told his success will be measured by percentage of Agile adoption or team maturity assessment scores. His response is direct: those are vanity metrics that show something for its own sake, not real success. True success requires multiple measures, carefully balanced to prevent gaming and to capture both the human and business dimensions of work. Darryl advocates balancing quantitative metrics like lead time and flow efficiency with qualitative measures like employee happiness and team self-assessment of productivity. He balances business outcomes like customer satisfaction and revenue with humanity metrics that track the team's journey toward high performance. Most importantly, Darryl believes his success metrics should be co-created with the team. If he's there to help the team, then success must be defined by how much he's helped them achieve what they want—not what he wants. When stakeholders fixate on output metrics like "more story points," Darryl uses a coaching approach to shift the conversation toward outcomes and value. "Would you be happy if your team checked off more boxes, but your customers were less happy?" he asks. This opens space for exploring what they really want to achieve and why it matters. The key is translating outputs into impacts, helping people articulate the business value or customer experience improvement they're actually seeking. As detailed in Better Value, Sooner, Safer, Happier by Jonathan Smart, comprehensive dashboards can track value across multiple domains simultaneously—balancing speed with quality, business success with humanity, quantitative data with qualitative experience. When done well, Agile teams can be highly productive, highly successful, and have high morale at the same time. We don't have to sacrifice one for the other—we can have both. Self-reflection Question: If your team could only track two metrics for the next sprint, what would they choose? What would you choose? And more importantly, whose choice should drive the selection? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: The 4 L's and Three Little Pigs Darryl offers two favorites, tailored to different contexts. For learning environments, he loves the 4 L's retrospective: Liked, Learned, Lacked, and Longed For. This format creates space for teams to reflect on their learning journey, surfacing insights about what worked, what was missing, and what they aspire to moving forward. For operational environments, he recommends the Three Little Pigs retrospective, which brilliantly surfaces team strengths and weaknesses through a playful metaphor. The House of Straw represents things the team is weak at—nothing stands up, everything falls over. The House of Sticks is things they've put structure around, but it doesn't really work. The House of Bricks represents what they're solid on, what they can count on every time. Then comes the most important part: identifying the Big Bad Wolf—the scary thing, the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about but everyone knows is there. This format creates psychological safety to discuss the undiscussable. Darryl emphasizes two critical success factors for retrospectives: First, vary your formats. Teams that hear the same questions sprint after sprint will disengage, asking "why are you asking me again?" Different questions provide different lenses, generating fresh insights. Second, ensure actions come out of every retro. Nothing kills engagement faster than suggestions disappearing into the void. When people see their ideas lead to real changes, they'll eagerly return to the next retrospective. And don't forget to know your team—if they're sports fans, use sports retros; if they're scientists, use space exploration themes. Just don't make the mistake of running a "sailboat retro" with retiring mainframe engineers who'll ask if you think they're kindergarten children. For more retrospective formats, check out Retromat. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Darryl Wright: Why AI Adoption Will Fail Just Like Agile Did—Unless We Change Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "People are looking to AI to solve their problems, and they're doing it in the same way that they previously looked to Agile to solve their problems for them. The problem with that is, of course, that Agile doesn't solve problems for you. What it does is it shines a light on where your problems are." - Darryl Wright The world has gone AI crazy, and Darryl sees history repeating itself in troubling ways. Organizations are rushing to adopt AI with the same magical thinking they once applied to Agile—believing that simply implementing the tool will solve their fundamental problems. But just as Agile reveals problems rather than solving them, AI will do the same. Worse, AI threatens to accelerate existing problems: if you have too many things moving at once, AI won't fix that, it will amplify the chaos. If you automate a bad process, you've simply locked in badness at higher speed. As Darryl points out, when organizations don't understand that AI requires them to still do the hard work of problem-solving, they're setting themselves up for disillusionment, and in five or twenty years, we'll hear "AI is dead" just like we now hear "Agile is dead." The challenge for Scrum Masters and Agile coaches is profound: how do you help people with something they don't know they need? The answer lies in returning to first principles. Before adopting any tool—whether Agile or AI—organizations must clearly define the problem they're trying to solve. As Einstein reportedly said, "If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions." Value stream mapping becomes essential, allowing teams to visualize where humans and AI agents should operate, with clear handovers and explicit policies. The cognitive load on software teams will increase dramatically as AI generates more code, more options, and more complexity. Without clear thinking about problems and deliberate design of systems, AI adoption will follow the same disappointing trajectory as many Agile adoptions—lots of activity, little improvement, and eventually, blame directed at the tool rather than the system. Self-reflection Question: Are you adopting AI to solve a clearly defined problem, or because everyone else is doing it? If you automated your current process with AI, would you be locking in excellence or just accelerating dysfunction? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Darryl Wright: When Enthusiasm Became Interference—Learning to Listen as a Scrum Master Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.   "Wait stands for Why Am I Talking? Just ask yourself, wait, why am I talking? Is this the right moment for you to give an idea, or is this the right moment to just listen and let them have space to come up with ideas?" - Darryl Wright   Early in his Agile journey, Darryl was evangelically enthusiastic about the principles and practices that had transformed his approach to leadership. He believed he had discovered the answers people were seeking, and his excitement manifested in a problematic pattern—he talked too much. Constantly jumping in with solutions, ideas, and suggestions, Darryl dominated conversations without realizing the impact. Then someone pulled him aside with a generous gift: "You're not really giving other people time to come up with ideas or take ownership of a problem."  They introduced him to WAIT—Why Am I Talking?—an acronym that would fundamentally shift his coaching approach. This simple tool forced Darryl to pause before speaking and examine his motivations. Was he trying to prove himself? Did he think he knew better? Or was this genuinely the right moment to contribute? As he practiced this technique, Darryl discovered something profound: when he held space and waited, others would eventually step forward with insights and solutions.  The concept of "small enough to try, safe enough to fail" became his framework for deciding when to intervene. Not every moment requires a Scrum Master to step in—sometimes the most powerful coaching happens in silence. By developing better skills in active listening and learning to hold space for others, Darryl transformed from someone who provided all the answers into someone who created the conditions for shared leadership to emerge.   In this episode, we refer to David Marquet's episodes on the podcast for practical techniques on holding space and enabling leadership in others.   Self-reflection Question: When was the last time you caught yourself jumping in with a solution before giving your team space to discover it themselves? What would happen if you waited just five more minutes?   [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Alex Sloley: How to Coach POs Who Treat Developers Like Mindless Robots In this episode, we refer to the previous episodes with David Marquet, author of Turn the Ship Around! The Great Product Owner: Trust and the Sprint Review That Changes Everything Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "She was like, oh my gosh, I've never seen this before, I didn't think it was possible. I just saw you deliver stuff in 2 weeks that I can actually use." - Alex Sloley In 2011, Alex worked with a client organization creating software for external companies. They needed a Product Owner for a new Agile team, and a representative from the client—who had never experienced Scrum—volunteered for the role. She was initially skeptical, having never witnessed or heard of this approach. Alex gently coached her through the process, asking her to trust the team and be patient. Then came the first Sprint Review, and everything changed. For the first time in her career, she saw working product delivered in just two weeks that she could actually touch, see, and use. Her head exploded with possibility. Even though it didn't have everything and wasn't perfect, it was remarkably good. That moment flipped a switch—she became fully engaged and transformed into a champion for Agile adoption, not just for the team but for the entire company. Alex reflects that she embodied all five Scrum values: focus (trusting the team's capacity), commitment (attending and engaging in all events), openness (giving the new approach a chance), respect (giving the team space to succeed), and courage (championing an unfamiliar process). The breakthrough wasn't about product ownership techniques—it was about creating an experience that reinforced Scrum values, allowing her to see the potential of a bright new future. Self-reflection Question: What practices, techniques, or processes can you implement that will naturally and automatically build the five Scrum values in your Product Owner? The Bad Product Owner: When Control Becomes Domination Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "They basically just owned the team. The developers on the team might as well have been mindless robots, because they were being assigned all the work, told how much work they could do in a sprint, what the work was." - Alex Sloley In 2018, while working with five interconnected Product Owners, Alex observed a Sprint Planning session that revealed a severe anti-pattern. One Product Owner completely controlled everything, telling the team exactly what work they would take into the Sprint, assigning specific work to specific people by name, and dictating precisely how they would implement solutions down to technical details like which functions and APIs to use. The developers were reduced to helpless executors with no autonomy, while the Scrum Master sat powerless in the corner. Alex wondered what caused this dynamic—was the PO a former project manager? Had the team broken trust in the past? What emotional baggage or trauma led to this situation? His approach started with building trust through coffee meetings and informal conversations, crucially viewing the PO not as the problem but as someone facing their own impediment. He reframed the challenge as solving the Product Owner's problem rather than fixing the Product Owner. When he asked, "Why do you have to do all this? Can't you trust the team?" and suggested the PO could relax if they delegated, the response was surprisingly positive. The PO was willing to step back once given permission and assurance. Alex's key lesson: think strategically about how to build trust and who needs to build trust with whom. Sometimes the person who appears to be creating problems is actually struggling under their own burden. Self-reflection Question: When you encounter a controlling Product Owner, do you approach the situation as "fixing" the PO or as "solving the PO's problem"? How might this reframe change your coaching strategy? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Alex Sloley: Why Sticky Notes Are Your Visualization Superpower in Retrospectives Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "Like the smell, the vibe is something you feel. If you're having a successful impact on the organization or on teams as a Scrum Master, you can feel it, you can smell it. It's intangible." - Alex Sloley Alex introduces a compelling concept from Sumantra Ghoshal about "the smell of the workplace"—you can walk into an environment and immediately sense whether it smells like fresh strawberries and cream or a dumpster fire. In Australia, there's a cultural reference from the movie "The Castle" about "the vibe of the thing," and Alex emphasizes that as a successful Scrum Master, you can feel and smell when you're having an impact. While telling executives you're measuring "vibe" might be challenging, Alex shares three concrete ways he's measured success. The key insight is that success isn't always measurable in traditional ways, but successful Scrum Masters develop an intuition for sensing when their work is making a meaningful difference. Self-reflection Question: Can you articulate the "vibe" or "smell" of your current team or organization? What specific indicators tell you whether your Scrum Master work is truly making an impact beyond the metrics? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Sticky Notes for Everything Alex champions any retrospective format that includes sticky notes, calling them a "visualization superpower." With sticky notes, teams can visualize anything—the good, the bad, improvements, options, possibilities, and even metrics. They make information transparent, which is critical for the inspect-and-adapt cycle that forms the heart of Scrum. Alex emphasizes being strategic about visualization: identify a challenge, figure out how to make it visual, and then create experiments around that visualization. Once something becomes visible, magic happens because the team can see patterns they've never noticed before. You can use different sizes, colors, and positions to visualize constraints in the system, including interruptions, unplanned work, blocker clustering, impediments, and flow. This approach works not just in retrospectives but in planning, reviews, and daily scrums. The key principle is that you must have transparency in order to inspect, and you must inspect to adapt. Alex's practical advice: be strategic about what you choose to visualize, involve the team in determining how to make challenges visible, and watch as the transparency naturally leads to insights and improvement ideas. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Alex Sloley: Coaching Teams Trapped Between Agile Aspirations and Organizational Control Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "The team says, oh, we want to try to do things this way, and the org keeps coming back and saying stuff like, no, no, no, you can't do that, because in this org, we don't allow that." - Alex Sloley Alex shares his current challenge working with a 10-person pilot Scrum team within a 1,500-person organization that has never done Agile before. While the team appears open-minded and eager to embrace agile ways of working, the organization continuously creates impediments by dictating how the team must estimate, break down work, and operate. Management tells them "the right way" to do everything, from estimation techniques to role-based work assignments, even implementing RACI matrices that restrict who can do what type of work. Half the team has been with the organization for six months or less, making it comfortable to simply defer to authority and follow organizational rules. Through coaching conversation, Alex explores whether the team might be falling into learned helplessness or simply finding comfort in being told what to do—both positions that avoid accountability. His experimental approach includes designing retrospective questions to help the team reflect on what they believe they're empowered to do versus what management dictates, and potentially using delegation cards to facilitate conversations about decision-making authority. Alex's key insight is recognizing that teams may step back from empowerment either out of fear or comfort, and identifying which dynamic is at play requires careful, small experiments that create safe spaces for honest dialogue. Self-reflection Question: When your team defers to organizational authority, are they operating from learned helplessness, comfort in avoiding accountability, or genuine respect for hierarchy? How can you design experiments to uncover the real dynamic at play? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

The Only Three Things You Must Do To Improve Agility - Mike CohnDistilled to its essence, it's quite simple to be a Scrum Master, agile coach, or anyone seeking to improve team or organizational agility. There are only three things you need to do and Saint Francis laid them out succinctly over 800 years ago:  To improve agility, we have to start with what's necessary. Change practices that go against agile principles. If programmers and testers aren't part of a single multidisciplinary team, that needs to change.If the team doesn't see the benefits of iterative and incremental work, you need to talk to them about that.Similarly, if management is imposing deadlines without regard to the team's opinion, you'll need to help them see the light.  Having made changes necessary to enable agility, look next at what's possible. There will be many more options to choose from now, such as: Shortening iterationsImproving teamworkReducing handoffs by overlapping workIntroducing new practices such as story mapping or job stories“Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Doing What's NecessaryThen Do What's PossibleDon't try to improve too many things at once and choose wisely. Initially there will be opportunities for small changes to create outsize improvements. Finally, Do the ImpossibleAt this point, it's time to do the impossible . . . except that now very little is impossible.Having iteratively and incrementally improved, most teams feel powerful enough to take on challenges and changes that would have seemed impossible before.What still seem impossible are changes outside the team. Managers may still impose deadlines. Stakeholders may foist too-frequent changes because they've heard agile teams “embrace change.”Fixing these outside-the-team behaviors isn't impossible, but it is harder and often takes time. Fortunately a team that has done the necessary and then the possible will be ready to do the impossible.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

What do you do when you're assigned to coach a team that clearly doesn't want your help? In this episode, we tackle the uncomfortable reality of coaching unwilling teams—from building trust with resistant groups to knowing when it's time to walk away.

Alex Sloley: When Toxic Leadership Creates Teams That Self-Destruct Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "They would take notes at every team meeting, so that later on they could argue with team members about what they committed to, and what they said in meetings." - Alex Sloley Alex recounts working with a small team where a project manager created such a toxic environment that one new hire quit after just eight hours on the job. This PM would belittle team members publicly, take detailed notes to use as weapons in contract negotiations, and dominate the team through intimidation. The situation became so severe that one team member sent an email that sounded like a suicide note. When the PM criticized Alex's "slide deck velocity," comparing four slides per 15 minutes to Alex's one, he realized the environment was beyond salvaging. Despite coaching the team and attempting to introduce Scrum values, Alex ultimately concluded that management was encouraging this behavior as a control mechanism. The organization lacked trust in the team, creating learned helplessness where team members became submissive and unable to resist. Sometimes, the most important lesson for a Scrum Master is recognizing when a system is too toxic to change and having the courage to walk away. Alex emphasizes that respect—one of the core Scrum values—was completely absent, making any meaningful transformation impossible. In this segment, we talk about “learned helplessness”.  Self-reflection Question: How do you recognize when a toxic environment is being actively encouraged by the system rather than caused by individual behavior? What are the signs that it's time to exit rather than continue fighting? Featured Book of the Week: The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt Alex describes his complex relationship with The Goal by Goldratt—it both inspires and worries him. He struggles with the text because the concepts are so deep and meaningful that he's never quite sure he's fully understood everything Goldratt was trying to convey. The book was difficult to read, taking him four times longer than other agile-related books, and he had to reread entire sections multiple times. Despite the challenge, the concepts around Theory of Constraints and systems thinking have stayed with him for years. Alex worries late at night that he might have missed something important in the book.  He also mentions reading The Scrum Guide at least once a week, finding new tidbits each time and reflecting on why specific segments say what they say. Both books share a common thread—the text that isn't in the text—requiring readers to dig deeper into the underlying principles and meanings rather than just the surface content. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Alex Sloley: The Sprint Planning That Wouldn't End - A Timeboxing Failure Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "Although I knew about the steps of sprint planning, what I didn't really understand was the box of time versus the box of scope." - Alex Sloley Alex shares a critical learning moment from his first team as a Scrum Master. After six months in the role, during an eight-hour sprint planning session for a four-week sprint, he successfully completed the "what" portion but ran out of time before addressing "how." Rather than respecting the timebox, Alex forced the team to continue planning for another four hours the next day—blowing the timebox by 50%. This experience taught him a fundamental lesson: the difference between scope-boxing and timeboxing. In waterfall, we try to control scope while time slips away. In Scrum, we fix time and let scope adjust. Alex emphasizes that timeboxing isn't just about keeping meetings short—it's about limiting work in process and maintaining focus. His practical tip: use visible timers to train yourself and your teams to respect timeboxes. This mindset shift from controlling scope to respecting time remains one of the most important lessons for Scrum Masters. Self-reflection Question: How often do you prioritize completing a planned agenda over respecting the timebox? What message does this send to your team about the values you're reinforcing? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Scrum Theatre and the Agile IllusionImagine your team having a perfect stand-up. Everyone's smiling, and it seems like everything is going smoothly. Everyone says that they do not have any blockers for today and that all's well. Each person on the team is relaxed, and your Scrum Master is grinning from ear to ear.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Renee Troughton: From Lower-Order to Higher-Order Values in Scrum Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "If you, as a senior leader, demonstrate vulnerability, it creates real magic in an organization where others can open up and be their authentic self." Renee defines success for Scrum Masters through deeply human values: integrity, holding her truth, being compassionately authentic, caring, open, honest, listening, and vulnerable. She emphasizes that vulnerability as a senior leader creates transformative magic in organizations, allowing others to bring their authentic selves to work. Drawing on Byron Katie's "Loving What Is" and Frederick Laloux's "Reinventing Organizations," Renee explains that many corporate organizations focus on lower-order values like results and performance, while more autonomous organizations prioritize higher-order values rooted in the heart. When having conversations with people, Renee connects with them as human beings first—not rushing to business if someone is struggling personally. Success means seeing people completely for who they are, not as resources to be changed or leveraged. The foundation for collaboration, empowerment, and autonomy is trust, respect, and safety. Renee emphasizes that without these fundamental values in place, everything else implodes. She demonstrates how vulnerability, active listening, and accepting people where they are creates the fertile ground for successful teams and organizations. Self-reflection Question: Do you demonstrate vulnerability as a leader, creating space for others to bring their authentic selves to work, or do you hide behind a professional facade that prevents genuine human connection? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Themed Retrospectives (Monopoly, Sports, Current Events) "It gave a freshness to it. And it gave almost like a livelihood or a joyfulness to it as an activity as well." Renee recommends themed retrospectives like the Monopoly Retro or sports-themed formats that use current events or cultural references (aka metaphor retrospectives). While working at a consultancy, they would theme retrospectives every week around different topics—football, news events, or various scenarios—using collages of pictures showing different emotions (upset, angry, happy). Team members would identify with feelings and reframe their week within the theme's context, such as "it was a rough game" or "we didn't score enough goals." The brilliance of this approach is covering the same retrospective questions while bringing freshness, creativity, and joyfulness to the activity. These metaphorical formats allow teams to verbalize things that aren't easily expressible in structured formats, triggering different perspectives and creative thinking. The format stays consistent while feeling completely new, maintaining engagement while avoiding retrospective fatigue. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

ScrumMasters and Office PoliticsThe art of pushing through a battlefield with only your laptop in hand — office politics. You can see on this battlefield, the Scrum Master, a leader without any official authority. The person people listen to when they feel like it, but takes all the blame when things go awry.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Team Dynamics - The Soloist - Mike CohnIt's always great when a high performer joins a team. A true star can elevate everyone through their attitude, ability, and commitment.Think of them like a brilliant musician in a band—a lead guitarist or vocalist who's not just talented, but who listens, collaborates, and knows how to bring out the best in everyone else. They don't just shine—they make the whole group sound better.But sometimes, the high-performing teammate turns out to be more comfortable as a soloist.Soloists want to stand out—but often at the expense of the ensemble. They can sometimes play over others, ignore the rhythm of the group, and expect the spotlight on every track. They might be technically excellent, but they're out of sync.These kinds of high performers sometimes overvalue their individual contribution and subtly (or not-so-subtly) expect special treatment: the final say in decisions, the best projects, or freedom from feedback and constraints. When they take risks and things go wrong, they assume their talent will shield them—leaving the rest of the team to clean up after the show.The difference between a true bandmate and a soloist isn't skill—it's orientation. One makes the team tighter. The other plays their own set.That's where the Scrum Master comes in.A good Scrum Master notices when someone's out of sync and steps in early—before the rhythm breaks.Rather than act on their own opinion, the Scrum Master should have the private conversations necessary to confirm that the rest of the team also feels the soloist is throwing off their rhythm.If the feeling is widespread, then the Scrum Master should have a private conversation with the soloist about any behavior that is detrimental to the team. If, for example, a diva is ignoring what the team selected during sprint planning and instead chooses to work on pet projects, the diva needs to understand that's not acceptable.If a private conversation doesn't help, the Scrum Master can escalate the problem to the solist's functional manager. Consider including the soloist in that conversation so that there's no miscommunication and everyone is on the same page.Don't let one person throw off the rhythm of the whole team. To succeed with agile, we don't need virtuosos; we need great bands.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Renee Troughton: The Hidden Cost of Constant Restructuring in Agile Organizations Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "Trust and safety are the most fundamental foundations of a team to perform. And so you are just breaking the core of teams when you're doing this." Renee challenges us to look beyond team dysfunction and examine the "dirty little secrets" in organizations—leadership-driven anti-patterns that destroy team performance. She reveals a cyclical pattern of constant restructuring that occurs every six months in many organizations, driven by leaders who avoid difficult performance management conversations and instead force people through redundancy rounds. This creates a cascade of fear, panic, and victim mindset throughout the organization. Beyond restructuring, Renee identifies other destructive patterns including the C-suite shuffle (where new CEOs bring in their own teams, cascading change throughout the organization) and the insourcing/outsourcing swings that create chaos over 5-8 year cycles. These high-level decisions drain productivity for months as teams storm and reform, losing critical knowledge and breaking the trust and safety that are fundamental for high performance. Renee emphasizes that as Agile coaches and Scrum Masters, we often don't feel empowered to challenge these decisions, yet they represent the biggest drain on organizational productivity. Self-reflection Question: Have you identified the cyclical organizational anti-patterns in your workplace, and do you have the courage to raise these systemic issues with senior leadership? Featured Book of the Week: Loving What Is by Byron Katie "It teaches you around how to reframe your thoughts in the day-to-day life, to assess them in a different light than you would normally perceive them to be." Renee recommends "Loving What Is" by Byron Katie as an essential tool for Scrum Master introspection. This book teaches practical techniques for reframing thoughts and recognizing that problems we perceive "out there" are often internal framing issues. Katie's method, called "The Work," provides a worksheet-based approach to introspection that helps identify when our perceptions create unnecessary suffering. Renee also highlights Marshall Rosenberg's "Nonviolent Communication" as a companion book, which uses language to tap into underlying emotions and needs. Both books offer practical, actionable techniques for self-knowledge—a critical skill for anyone in the Scrum Master role. The journey these books provide leads to inner peace through understanding that many challenges stem from how we internally frame situations rather than external reality. We have many episodes on NVC, Nonviolent Communication, which you can dive into and learn from experienced practitioners.  [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Renee Troughton: How to Navigate Mandatory Deadlines in Scrum Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "I said to the CIO at the time, we're not going to hit this. In fact, we'll be... I can actually tell you, we're gonna be 3 weeks late... And he said: ‘Just make it work!'" Renee shares a powerful story from her work on a mandatory legislative compliance project where reality clashed with executive expectations. Working with a team new to Agile, she carefully established velocity over two sprints and projected the delivery timeline. The challenge intensified when sales continued promising bespoke features to clients while the deadline remained fixed. Despite transparently communicating the team would miss the mandatory date by three weeks, leadership demanded she "just make it work" without providing solutions. Renee found herself creating a misleading burn-up chart to satisfy executive confidence, while the organization played a dangerous game of chicken—waiting for another implementer to admit delays first. This experience taught her the critical importance of courage in conversations with leaders and the need to clearly separate business decisions from development team responsibilities. Sometimes the best we can do is provide transparency and let leaders own the consequences of their choices. In this episode, we refer to the seminal book on large projects: The Mythical Man Month, by Frederick Brooks. Self-reflection Question: When faced with unrealistic demands from leadership, do you have the courage to maintain transparency about your team's reality, even when it means refusing to create false artifacts of confidence? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Scrum Has Become a Nice Term to Hide Bad ManagementOnce a wise man said: Fire all Scrum Masters and your non-technical managers who run your IT departments, and watch your productivity to boost up! In most cases, all you need is to hire highly-experienced Tech Leads and show trust in them. Communicate with them and share your insights, answer their questions, and provide them with what they need, including but not limited to the budget, time, ad-hoc specialist consultants, and coaches who would work for them to improve their non-technical skills. The rest, they will figure out themselves.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Tom Molenaar: When Product Owners “Eat the Grass” for Their Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Product Owner: The Vision Catalyst "This PO had the ability to communicate the vision and enthusiasm about the product, even I felt inspired." Tom describes an exceptional Product Owner who could communicate vision and enthusiasm so effectively that even he, as the Scrum Master, felt inspired about the product. This PO excelled at engaging teams in product discovery techniques, helping them move from merely delivering features to taking outcome responsibility. The PO introduced validation techniques, brought customers directly to the office for interviews, and consistently showed the team the impact of their work, creating a strong connection between engineers and end users. The Bad Product Owner: The Micromanager "This PO was basically managing the team with micro-managing approach, this blocked the team from self-organizing." Tom encountered a Product Owner who was too controlling, essentially micromanaging the team instead of empowering them. This PO hosted daily stand-ups, assigned individual tasks, and didn't give the team space for self-organization. When Tom investigated the underlying motivation, he discovered the PO believed that without tight control, the team would underperform. Tom helped the PO understand the benefits of trusting the team and worked with both sides to clarify roles and responsibilities, moving from micromanagement to empowerment. In this segment, we refer to the book “Empowered” by Marty Cagan. Self-reflection Question: How do you help Product Owners find the balance between providing clear direction and allowing team autonomy? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Tom Molenaar: Purpose, Process, and People—The Three Pillars of Scrum Master Success Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "I always try to ask the team first, what is your problem? Or what is the next step, do you think? Having their input, having my input, bundle it and share it." Tom defines success for Scrum Masters through three essential pillars: purpose (achieving the team's product goals), process (effective Agile practices), and people (team maturity and collaboration). When joining new teams, he uses a structured approach combining observation with surveys to get a 360-degree view of team performance. Rather than immediately implementing his own improvement ideas, Tom prioritizes asking teams what problems they want to solve and finding common ground for a "handshake moment" on what needs to be addressed. Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Creative Drawing of the Sprint Tom's favorite retrospective format involves having team members draw their subjective experience of the sprint, then asking others to interpret each other's drawings. This creative approach brings people back to their childhood, encourages laughter and fun, and helps team members tap into each other's experiences in ways that traditional verbal retrospectives cannot achieve. The exercise stimulates understanding between team members and often reveals important topics for improvement while building connection through shared interpretation of creative expressions. Example activity you can use to “draw the sprint”.  [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Is Scrum Dying? Or Are We Just Doing It Wrong?Scrum used to be king. Now people don't even want it on their CV.Remember when being a Product Owner was cool? When Scrum Masters were change agents, not glorified note-takers?When saying “we use Scrum” signalled progressive, Agile thinking?Fast forward to now, and you'll find Product Owners ashamed of the title, Scrum Masters sidelined, and developers stuck in factory-mode delivery.Teams are jumping ship to SAFe, Kanban, or “whatever Spotify did,” chasing results Scrum couldn't deliver.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Is it ever OK to deviate from the Scrum Guide? - Mike CohnI'm out there on social media and I see all the same posts you do about the sanctity of the Scrum rules. And I get it. There are many rules of Scrum that teams break when they shouldn't. But I don't think it does anyone any good to be so hung up on rules that you throw practicality out the window.Here's the thing: No team should break a Scrum rule before they've tried to do it by the book for a while, and given themselves a chance to understand why each rule exists in the first place.But teams that have been doing Scrum together for a while sometimes need to bend a few Scrum rules to fit their specific circumstances and situation. And in most cases no one needs to start calling foul if they do!Here are a few common rules most teams can safely break or bend:Never extending a sprint is a great rule. Usually. Can it be broken? Yes—not often and always for a good reason (such as a holiday that makes a longer sprint sensible).It's ideal to have a dedicated Scrum Master–it's the best way to build high-performing teams. But having a dedicated Scrum Master is an economic decision and it may not always be justified, especially once the team can take on some responsibilities for itself.Having a retrospective every sprint is a wonderful way to put improvement front and center. But if a team is running one or two-week sprints and things are going well, I think it's OK for them to only do a retrospective every four weeks (or every other sprint).Teams that are new to Scrum should do Scrum by the book. But it's unrealistic to expect teams to never bend or break a rule to better fit their context.Knowing when to follow the rules, and when to break them, helps teams succeed,How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

What separates a solid Scrum Master from a great one? In this episode, Brian Milner sits down with veteran Scrum Master Brian Campbell to talk about the balance between being empathetic, staying grounded, and knowing when it’s time to move on.

Tom Molenaar: When To Stop Helping Agile Teams To Change—A Real Life Story Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "Instead of slowing down and meeting the team in their resistance, I started to try and drag them because I saw the vision of the possible improvement, but they did not see it." Tom shares a powerful failure story about a team that didn't feel the urgency to improve their way of working. Despite management wanting the team to become more effective, Tom found himself pushing improvements that the team actively resisted. Instead of slowing down to understand their resistance, he tried to drag them forward, leading to exhaustion and ultimately his decision to leave the assignment. This episode explores the critical lesson that it's not our job to save teams that don't want to be saved, and the importance of recognizing when to step back. Self-reflection Question: When you encounter team resistance to change, how do you distinguish between healthy skepticism that needs addressing and fundamental unwillingness to improve? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Scrum Masters, You're Not Just the Meeting PersonYou set up the standup, run a clean retro, update the board — and yet, nothing really changes. Dependencies still hit late. Stakeholders still ask for fixed timelines. The team's doing its best, but it always feels like someone outside is pulling the rug. Sound familiar?That's because agility doesn't stop at the team boundary. And if you're only coaching inside the circle, you're missing half the job. The real magic? It happens when you start coaching around the team too.How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Terry Haayema: Why "Working Myself Out of a Job" Is Wrong for Scrum Masters Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "Success for a Scrum Master is to do myself out of a job... which I don't buy into at all, because a team will always need a coach." Terry challenges the common belief that Scrum Masters succeed by working themselves out of a job, arguing instead that teams always need coaching as they continuously improve. He emphasizes the importance of separating his outcomes from the team's success to avoid becoming part of the system he's trying to help. For Terry, success is measured by the visible joy he can create in people - when leaders approach him with happiness, when team members are excited to see him, when absenteeism drops because people actually want to come to work. He shares a powerful story of how helping teams find joy not only improved their performance but reduced their stress-related sick days from the highest to the lowest in their division. Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Drawing Retrospectives Terry loves retrospective formats that use drawings and visual metaphors, like Draw Your Feelings, or the Sailboat retrospective. He explains that when teams draw pictures instead of immediately processing thoughts through language, they generate much richer and deeper insights. The approach works by having people first draw their thoughts, then asking "What led you to draw that picture?" This method bypasses the analytical mind and taps into more intuitive understanding. For longer-term retrospectives, Terry recommends Open Space Technology, which allows groups to self-organize around the most important questions they need to answer. Self-reflection Question: How do you measure your own success as a Scrum Master, and does that measurement inspire you to do your best work? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Agile Coaches Can't Fix What Leadership Keeps BreakingYou can run the cleanest standups, the best retros, and the most motivated team workshops — and still feel like you're sprinting in circles.Because if leadership isn't on board, the system breaks faster than you can coach it. It's the silent pain many Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches carry: you're hired to drive agility, but you're blocked by decisions made way above your influence. And when things stall, guess who gets blamed?How to connect with AgileDad:- [website] https://www.agiledad.com/- [instagram] https://www.instagram.com/agile_coach/- [facebook] https://www.facebook.com/RealAgileDad/- [Linkedin] https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehenson/

Ifeanyi “Ify” Imachukwu is the founder and CEO of SeenU, a social discovery app designed to spark real-world connections through proximity-based features while protecting user privacy. Ifeanyi combines his background as a content creator with his entrepreneurial vision to build platforms that prioritize authenticity and genuine human interaction. SeenU has already gained traction on university campuses, reflecting his mission to reshape how people connect beyond traditional social media.Connect with Ifeanyi Imachukwu!https://www.instagram.com/itsmeifyyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ifeanyiimachukwuhttps://www.tiktok.com/@theifysCHAPTERS:0:00 – Introduction1:11 – Ifeanyi shares his journey building the SeenU social app2:16 – What is SeenU, and what makes it different from other social apps?3:47 – Ifeanyi talks about the challenges of network effects and user growth with SeenU4:48 – How SeenU protects privacy and location data5:40 – Do users need to stay active on the app to connect?6:37 – Ifeanyi shares how SeenU differs from Tinder and Hinge7:50 – Live demo preview of SeenU's radar feature9:08 – Ifeanyi shares how he bootstrapped his app before getting investors10:00 – Ifeanyi talks about finding the right developer for his app11:51 – Ifeanyi's background as a Scrum Master and content creator13:11 – Ifeanyi talks about growing 2M TikTok followers and why he stepped away14:59 – Ifeanyi shares how he received recognition from Rihanna and Ariana Grande for his comedic skits on Instagram16:10 – Ifeanyi shares his deeper “why” behind SeenU17:32 – Word-of-mouth and launch strategy at universities20:44 – Ifeanyi talks about the impact of the “Top 5 Friends” feature in his app22:56 – Ifeanyi talks about transitioning from TikTok to the tech space after setbacks24:52 – Ifeanyi talks about deleting Instagram after hearing God's call27:30 – How Ifeanyi consistently grows across platforms28:28 – Ifeanyi shares editing tricks vs. keeping content authentic29:44 – Ifeanyi's advice to Andy on growing the podcast33:05 – Ifeanyi opens up about pain, tears, and what he learned from it34:53 – Ifeanyi talks about his marketing strategy for SeenU36:19 – Organic marketing vs. outbound outreach37:50 – Ifeanyi shares what gave him the idea to build SeenU39:01 – How Ifeanyi would personally use his app daily41:30 – Ifeanyi shares why they targeted one university when launching SeenU42:17 – Inspiration from MySpace's Tom Anderson: everyone's first friend44:22 – What “face card” means and why it matters46:38 – Ifeanyi shares how to get reposted without paying for clips48:42 – Ifeanyi shares creative ideas to blow up SeenU's social media49:46 – Ifeanyi talks about finding your niche with or without trial and error50:46 – Ifeanyi talks about building the app in just four weeks52:46 – Ifeanyi's recent personal discoveries53:31 – Ifeanyi's personal goals and focus for the next six months54:30 – Connect with Ifeanyi55:03 – Outro

Terry Haayema: When Scrum Practices Aren't Enough - Learning to Sense the System Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. "I didn't know how to 'sense' the system. I was focused on the scrum practices, I thought when practices were there all would be fine." Terry shares a powerful failure story from his second engagement as a Scrum Master, where he discovered that implementing Scrum practices isn't enough if you don't understand the underlying system driving team behaviors. He describes how individual KPIs were causing conflict between developers and testers - developers were measured on fewer defects while testers were measured on finding more defects. This systemic issue created dysfunction that no amount of daily standups or retrospectives could fix. Terry learned the hard lesson that Scrum Masters must be coaches for both the team and the organization, understanding how metrics and structures shape behavior before trying to implement agile practices. Self-reflection Question: What systemic forces in your organization might be working against the collaborative behaviors you're trying to foster in your teams? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Shawn Dsouza: Beyond Product Knowledge—The Hidden Skills Every Product Owner Needs Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Shawn explores both ends of the Product Owner spectrum through real experiences. On one side, he addresses the "Forced" or "Accidental" Product Owner—a common but problematic pattern where organizations appoint someone based solely on product knowledge. He shares the story of a QA professional thrust into the PO role who knew the product inside out but lacked other essential PO skills, frustrating the team with inadequate responses. Through coaching questions inspired by "The Advice Trap," Shawn helped this reluctant PO reflect on responsibilities and develop confidence beyond technical knowledge. The Great Product Owner: The Story-Crafting Superstar Shawn celebrates a Product Owner who elevated user story writing to an art form—"the Picasso of writing user stories." This exceptional PO co-crafted clear, well-structured stories with the team and used AI to refine stories and acceptance criteria. Her meticulous preparation included intensive refinement sessions before vacations and expert story slicing techniques. By handling requirements clarity superbly, she freed the team to focus entirely on problem-solving rather than deciphering what needed to be built. The Bad Product Owner: The Forced/Accidental Product Owner Organizations frequently make the mistake of appointing the person with the highest product knowledge as Product Owner, assuming technical expertise translates to PO effectiveness. However, the Product Owner role requires diverse skills beyond product knowledge—stakeholder management, prioritization, communication, and strategic thinking. When a QA professional was thrust into this role, their deep product understanding couldn't compensate for underdeveloped PO competencies, leading to team frustration and project complications. In this segment, we refer to the Coach Your PO e-course published by your Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast! Self-reflection Question: What skills beyond domain expertise should you develop or look for when transitioning into or selecting someone for the Product Owner role? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Shawn Dsouza: The Marathon Mindset—Building Agile Teams That Last Beyond Sprint Deadlines Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Shawn defines himself as a "people-first Scrum Master" who measures success not through metrics but through daily interactions and team growth. He contrasts two teams: one that hit deadlines but lacked collaboration (unsustainable success) versus another that struggled with deadlines but excelled in conversations and continuous improvement (sustainable growth). For Shawn, protecting deep work and fostering genuine team collaboration indicates true success. He emphasizes that product development is a marathon, not a sprint, and warns that lack of meaningful conversations will inevitably lead to team problems. In this segment, we refer to the book Clean Language by Sullivan and Rees.  Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Sprint Awards Shawn champions the Sprint Awards retrospective format, moving beyond viewing retrospectives as just another Scrum event to recognizing them as critical team development opportunities. In this format, team members give awards to colleagues for various contributions during the sprint, with each award recipient explaining why they were chosen. Shawn prefers face-to-face, offline retrospectives and always starts with ice breakers to gauge how the team feels—whether they feel heard and connected. He believes in experimenting with different retrospective formats since no single approach works for every situation. Self-reflection Question: How do you balance achieving deliverable outcomes with building sustainable team relationships and collaboration patterns? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Shawn Dsouza: From AI Anxiety to AI Advantage: A Scrum Master's Experimental Approach Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Shawn faces the massive AI transformation currently reshaping the tech industry, acknowledging both its benefits and the fear it creates among professionals questioning their relevance. In his organization, he witnesses AI delivering wonders for some teams while others struggle and lose projects. Rather than viewing AI as an overwhelming wave, Shawn advocates for experimentation. He shares practical examples, like helping a Product Owner streamline story creation from Excel to JIRA using AI tools, and leveraging MIRO AI for team collaboration. His approach focuses on identifying friction points where AI experiments could add value while keeping conversations centered on possibilities rather than fears. Self-reflection Question: Instead of fearing technological changes like AI, how can you create small experiments to explore new possibilities and reduce friction in your current work processes? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Shawn Dsouza: The Database Migration Disaster— Why Software Development Teams Need Psychological Safety Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Shawn worked with a skilled team migrating a database from local to cloud-based systems, supported by a strong Product Owner. Despite surface-level success in ceremonies, he noticed the team avoided discussing difficult topics. After three months of seemingly smooth progress, they delivered to pre-production only to discover 140 critical issues. The root cause? Unspoken disagreements and tensions that festered beneath polite ceremony facades. The situation deteriorated to the point where a senior engineer quit, teaching Shawn that pausing to address underlying issues doesn't cost time—it builds sustainability. In this segment, we refer to the episodes with Mahesh Jade, a previous guest on the Scrum Master Toolbox podcast. Featured Book of the Week: The Advice Trap by Michael Bungay Stanier Shawn discovered this transformative book when he realized he was talking too much in team meetings despite wanting to add value. The Advice Trap revealed how his instinct to give advice, though well-intentioned, was actually self-defeating. The book taught him to stay curious longer and ask better questions rather than rushing to provide solutions. As Shawn puts it, "The minute you think you have the answer you stop listening"—a lesson that fundamentally changed his coaching approach and helped him become more effective with his teams. Self-reflection Question: When working with teams, do you find yourself jumping to advice-giving mode, or do you stay curious long enough to truly understand the underlying challenges? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Shawn Dsouza: When Scrum Masters Forget to Listen - A Team Trust Crisis in Agile Implementation Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Shawn shares a powerful lesson about the importance of listening before implementing. Working with a young, talented team drowning in firefighting, he rolled out Scrum in "full" without taking time to understand the team's context. Going through the motions of Scrum ceremonies without genuine team ownership led to dropping energy levels and lost trust. The turning point came when Shawn realized the team had lost faith in his approach, prompting him to rebuild the process collaboratively with team ownership at its core. This story highlights how good intentions can backfire when we prioritize frameworks over people. Self-reflection Question: Before implementing any new process or framework, how do you ensure you truly understand your team's current challenges and context rather than jumping straight to solutions? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Bernie Maloney: From Permission-Seeking to Forgiveness-Begging—Agile Team Evolution in Self-Management Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Bernie defines success for Scrum Masters as creating teams that can thrive and do their best work independently. His ultimate goal is to make himself unnecessary - developing self-directing teams that step out of waiting for direction and instead seek permission or even beg forgiveness when needed. Using the "Circles and Soup" framework, Bernie helps teams stretch their circles of influence and control. He recognizes that every manager wants teams to succeed but may lack the necessary tools, making it crucial for Scrum Masters to coach managers as well. Bernie recommends building a backlog of organizational impediments and focusing on the top priority that will move the ball forward most effectively. Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Sailboat Bernie champions the Sailboat retrospective format for its simplicity and adaptability. While the basic format is straightforward, he appreciates that you can add layers of complexity as needed. Bernie tends to keep retrospectives simple and also mentions the "What the Duck?" technique as another valuable retrospective tool. He suggests incorporating creative elements like having people build LEGO representations of what they're discussing, which helps teams visualize and engage with concepts more effectively. To know more about LEGO Serious Play, check out the Serious Play book.  In this segment, we also refer to Dissociation in Psychology, which helps with "third position" coaching/thinking, and Bernie's video on creative retrospective formats.  Self-reflection Question: How are you measuring whether your teams are becoming more self-directing, and what specific behaviors indicate they're ready to operate with less guidance? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Bernie Maloney: Mastering Complexity Through Systems Thinking and NLP Coaching Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Bernie addresses the constant challenge of mid-sprint changes by asking the crucial question: "what do you want to trade in for that new request?" His approach centers on recognizing that everyone is trying to do their best with what they have, using techniques from NLP and the three coaching positions to help people see the whole system. Bernie emphasizes rapport building as a key skill for Scrum Masters and warns against the anti-pattern of becoming judgmental when challenges arise. He advocates for moving from a plan-and-predict mentality to sense-and-respond thinking, highlighting the importance of conducting retrospectives once challenges are solved. Bernie's coaching philosophy revolves around helping people step into the "third position" - a dissociated perspective that enables better problem-solving and systems thinking. In this episode, we refer to Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), and to Instant Rapport by Michael Brooks, a primer on NLP. We also refer to the plan-and-predict vs sense-and-respond mentality. Self-reflection Question: How effectively are you helping your teams and stakeholders see the whole system when challenges arise, rather than just focusing on individual pain points? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Bernie Maloney: The Triangulation Technique—Coaching Agile Teams Through Challenges Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Bernie identifies critical patterns that cause teams to self-destruct, with lack of clarity about intention being the most common culprit. When teams are treated as mere "task workers" without clear vision, strategy, or goals, they become depressed and directionless. Some teams seek forgiveness after failed experiments, while others get stuck seeking permission without taking enough self-leadership. Bernie emphasizes that waiting for direction is fundamentally self-destructive behavior, and Scrum Masters must create safety for teams to reach high performance. He introduces the coaching technique of triangulation, where problems become a third point that coach and coachee examine together, side by side, rather than facing each other in opposition. In this segment, we talk about “What the Duck”, a Lego Serious Play workshop. Featured Book of the Week: Start with Why by Simon Sinek Bernie champions "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek as essential reading for Scrum Masters working to transform team culture. He explains that compelling stories are how leaders truly influence others, following the sequence of Attention-Emotion-Reason. This book helps Scrum Masters understand that their job fundamentally involves changing culture, and leaders must demonstrate the change they want to see. Bernie connects this to the broader leadership challenge of developing coaching and mentoring skills within organizational structures. During this segment, we also refer to the following books:  Drive, By Dan Pink Change the Culture, Change the Game, by Connors et al. The Secret Language of Leadership, by Denning Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders, by Peshawaria The Geek Way, by McAfee Right Kind of Wrong, by Edmondson   Self-reflection Question: What patterns of self-destructive behavior might your teams be exhibiting, and how could you help them move from seeking permission to taking ownership? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Bernie Maloney: The Power of Psychological Safety in Agile Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Bernie shares a powerful story about learning what psychological safety truly means through both success and failure. Working in a high-pressure division with tight timelines and margins, Bernie discovered the transformative power of the mantra "always make a new mistake." When he made a significant error and was met with understanding rather than punishment, he experienced firsthand how psychological safety enables teams to thrive.  Later, facing a different challenge where mistrust existed between management and teams, Bernie had to navigate the delicate balance of maintaining psychological safety while addressing management's desire for transparency. His solution was innovative: conduct retrospectives with the team first, then invite managers in at the end with anonymized contributions. Bernie's approach of framing changes as experiments helped people embrace newness, knowing it would be time-bound and reversible. In this episode we refer to Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP).  Self-reflection Question: How might your current approach to mistakes and experimentation be either fostering or undermining psychological safety within your team? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]