Want to break into Scrum Master's role but the job market is rubbish? Do this instead.
🐘First, let’s name two elephants in the room:
The market in Europe (and probably in other parts of the world) is really bad for junior candidates or changing professions right now.
Nowadays, there are proportionately more people wanting to move to IT due to high salaries than for their passion for the work it entails.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to earn more, yet if this is your only reason to be a Scrum Master or an Agile Coach, stop reading here. This strategy is not for you.
1. Answer the question - what draws you to this role? 🧲
What aspects of the role allure you? Why these? Don’t skip the second question. Your answers will keep you going when things get tough. It will connect you to your value system, beliefs and your purpose. In other words, the essence that is important to you right now.
2. Experiment without labels 🧪
It’s easier to get people on board without using foreign language or informing a team that you plan to introduce new frameworks. Try to do small, measurable experiments that tackle real problems people have. Use knowledge that is freely available. Don't use labels or technique names at the beginning. Show they make a difference first. This approach is a great training ground to build real skills instead of titles.
This was also my story. 👇
At the beginning of my career I was working in an international (20+ nationalities!) environment in the financial department in Reuters. One day I got an assignment of creating a global forum for Data Enhancement projects.
At the time I was passionately exploring agility and I saw the role of a Scrum Master as one that combines my skills and pursuits. I didn’t have any mentor or support in that topic at the time.
The idea of the forum was to remove impediments and push forward projects that got stuck. It consisted of all Heads of Content for particular regions, their superior from New York office and analysts that were to report to me with data from their regions.
🧩 I suggested to do it the following way using elements of Scrum:
meeting with my analysts to see what data is needed and talking through it,
meeting every two weeks to show where we are,
meeting once a month with my analysts to see what can we do better.
I did not use the event names from Scrum Guide, nor did I follow it rigorously. I proposed why we should meet and paid attention to keep conversations within the initially defined purpose.
🌊 The effects of this experiment surprised me:
we managed to close 25% more projects when compared to the previous year,
NY office recommended me for leading larger scale projects,
few months later I got a job in Allegro as a Scrum Master.
Most importantly, the journey gave me immense joy and a playfield where I could train and utilize my skills, creativity and combine worlds I was interested in (project management, psychology and creativity).
I am aware you might not have such opportunity right now. That said, there are things in your control when you can involve play, experimentation and removing impediments. Some inspiration:
learn how to run measurable experiments and transparently show data,
try out Liberating Structures, Sociocracy 3.0 patterns in your team,
fix a low hanging problem that others are neglecting,
visualize the value stream or elements of your team’s work,
convince others to an idea by showing its value instead of using your position.
3. Be so good they cannot ignore you 😎
You might think:
„Oh, ok. Why should I do all of that if they won’t pay me a dime more? There is also no chance for advancement in my current role. I’m also tired being stuck.”
Fair enough. Pay and career advancement you can influence indirectly, and investment in your skills pays over time. Whether in your current company or not.
The goal is to be so good they cannot ignore you (learn more here), having fun while at it and taking pleasure in your own self development. Focus on the above, and you will be in a much better place.
If you have the resources, you can also invest in outside mentoring.
Be prepared for a marathon, not a sprint (see point 1).
4. Drop the name and work towards a set of skills and the right mindset ⚙️
Don’t focus on becoming a Scrum Master. It may be your North Star, yet it should not be a goal in itself.
Focus on building a proper mindset. It will be what sets you apart from others when sh*t hits the fan, things get tough, and people’s reflexes take charge. Learn how to out-regulate others in the sense that you can remain calm with your emotions. Think like a change agent, learn to experiment and measure value, think about the end user, develop assertiveness and the ability to talk with different people and positions.
Don’t look at labels (names of roles) - these tend to change. Look at skills and the impact you want to make, and your purpose will arise. The work of a servant leader you can perform in various roles.
One of those roles is a team member. By the way, Scrum Master is not a role, its a hat to wear. Yours is probably somewhere in your wardrobe. Why not put it on? 🧢
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💸Let me emphasize again. The above won’t work if you do it only for the money. You won’t be able to sustain the momentum and adversities. Do it because it aligns with your values, beliefs, draws your curiosity and makes you loose track of time. The money will follow.