7 Habits of Highly Effective
Scrum Masters
HABIT 1: Take Responsibility
Effective Scrum Masters choose how they react to any given
situation. They are a positive force for their team. They
accept that they can’t change everything. Instead they focus
their energy on things they can change and actively work to
expand their sphere of influence.
HABIT 3: Prioritise
Effective Scrum Masters are able to prioritise what’s urgent
and important! They understand that they can’t do
everything. Sometimes they might ask others for help but
other times they actively choose to not do things which
don’t align with their goals.
HABIT 5: Listen and understand before you talk
Effective Scrum Masters know that they don’t have all the
answers. They are curious and humble. They empathise. They
don’t impose solutions or rush to change things. They ask
questions and constantly seek to validate their understanding.
Practice techniques such as Non-Violent Communication
and Active Listening
HABIT 7: Continuous Improvement
Effective Scrum Masters make time to continuously improve their
physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. They don’t
allow themselves to stagnate. They know what works for one team
may not work for another. They constantly strive to learn and
adapt and evolve.
Principles
Your principles are the fundamental truths that
form the foundations of your beliefs. They are
fixed and are your guide throughout your life,
acting like a lighthouse.
Paradigms
A paradigm is how you perceive the world. A
“paradigm shift” is that “Aha!” moment when
you process information in such a way as to
HABIT 2: Act With Goals in Mind fundamentally change your perception of
part of the world or how the world works.
Effective Scrum Masters understand what they want to achieve before they
act. They align their actions with their goals and their goals are aligned with
the needs of the team. They are decisive, organised and true leaders for the Behaviours
organisation regardless of their job title.
The way we behave or react to any situation
Action without clear objectives is just busy work is a direct result of our paradigm so our
behaviours will only fundamentally change
when we have a paradigm shift.
HABIT 4: Think Win-Win
Effective Scrum Masters start with a desire to help the team and the
Maturity
organisation. They believe if their team is successful then they are As we master these habits we grow from
successful. They don’t try to win arguments. They clarify and manage being dependant and reliant on others to
expectations and seek solutions that work for everyone involved. becoming independent and finally
becoming interdependent where we thrive
Identify mutual benefits in mutual synergy.
HABIT 6: Collaborate
Effective Scrum Masters build trust. They create a safe environment where Emotional Bank Accounts
the team can flourish because they believe that a great team is more than
Our relationships with others are more
the sum of it’s parts. They understand the limitations of their own successful if we make regular deposits in their
paradigm and actively encourage diversity of thought and experience. emotional bank accounts. Be kind. Be
respectful. Manage expectations and give
feedback. Never say anything about anyone
you wouldn’t say if they were in the room.
BONUS HABIT 8: Find Your Voice Habits
and Encourage Others to Find Theirs Habit are the intersection of knowledge, skill
and desire. In order to make something a
Great Scrum Masters think of their role as a calling and are true to habit in our lives we need all three.
themselves. They take ownership of change and they embrace risk. They
build networks of like-minded people and others on their journey. They
live the belief that if one person wins then we all win.
Duncan Maddox PST, Agileskills.com