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โ˜๐Ÿผ1 tip I would give someone who wanted to start working as a Scrum Master

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โ˜๐Ÿผ1 tip I would give someone who wanted to start working as a Scrum Master

Marcin Konkel
Nov 18, 2022
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โ˜๐Ÿผ1 tip I would give someone who wanted to start working as a Scrum Master

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I have been working for 10 years now as an SM/Agile Coach. I started in this role in Allegro (the biggest e-commerce in Central Europe), surrounded by 24 great humans carrying the same role ๐Ÿซฐ๐Ÿผ

So, here's the 1 tip I would give you if you wanted to pursue a similar career path:

๐Ÿ‘ค Donโ€™t do it alone

It's easy and expected to make mistakes as a newbie Scrum Master. Yet without proper guidance, get ready for a bitter road ahead.ย 

You might:

  • discourage the team from working with you

  • create more mess than help

  • follow the literature too directly

  • evangelise instead of listening

  • fix things that are not important

  • neglect working with the organisation

  • become a smart ass or too fearful

๐Ÿ™Œ Where to find help?ย 

#1 Start in a company that has more experienced Scrum Masters than you

  • Propose a 15 min daily to unload concerns or ask for advice at the end of the day.

  • Shadow them, be shadowed, debrief and ask questions. Read more๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿผ

Twitter avatar for @m_konkel
Marcin Konkel @m_konkel
โ˜๐Ÿผ practice that helped me learn a ton in a #ScrumMaster/#AgileCoach role. Like most beginners, I made many mistakes when I started working as a Scrum Master almost ten years ago. One of the most significant learning opportunities for me was shadowing. Let me elaborate ๐Ÿ™Œ #agile
2:05 PM โˆ™ Oct 18, 2022
  • Work in pairs on company-wide impediments or improvements.ย 

  • Learn a small piece of knowledge and teach it to others.

  • Be transparent with your work - feedback will nudge you where people need you the most.

I did all of the above. It will skyrocket your growth ๐Ÿš€

#2 Start a mentoring relationship

This one is tricky. It might be best to start with a few consultations with different people and then, perhaps, jump into mentoring.ย 

Why? Read more ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿผ

Twitter avatar for @m_konkel
Marcin Konkel @m_konkel
If I could go back in time, these are the 4 things I wish I knew about finding a mentor. (It would have saved me and my mentor a lot of wasted time and effort.) #mentorship #mentoring #selfdevelopment #work #career
4:09 AM โˆ™ Oct 15, 2022
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#3 Attend communities of practice that don't talk jibberish

  • Look for those who don't give you simple answers, share real case studies, and gather curious, open, respectful and kind people.

  • Ask questions if something sounds too good to be true.

  • Avoid cocky people.

#4 See what skills you already have that will be useful in this role

A common misconception in many companies is that you don't have any skills when you didn't carry the title.ย 

This is a terrible way to think.

Reach out to an SM/AC you follow and ask for advice on the subject.

๐ŸŽBONUS

Don't try to be smart, be useful and respectful to others.

+

Walk your talk.

This has mindset enabled me to learn from individuals and teams.

โ€”

๐ŸŽˆReshare this e-mail if you think this might help somebody starting out as a Scrum Master.

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