Spikes And Stories

Scrum tips and agile insights from a Silicon Valley agile coach

Build Relationships By Asking About the Work

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We all want to build relationships when working with a new team, and in my previous post, I wrote about one technique to do so. Since I revisit this theme frequently, click here to find out ways to approach these conversations, and today we’ll add another to that list. Before we dive in though, a quick refresher on some fundamentals:

  • Sit with each team member individually and use this time to find out what motivates them.
  • Ask questions to appreciate their world and world view not to persuade them of yours.
  • This time about them–not you–so put your agenda aside.
  • Use this time to build a relationship, a rapport, and to build trust.

To build these relationships, the conversation begins simply. It begins by asking a question.

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A Scrum Master’s Guide to Working With a New Team

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I’ve written before about how a Scrum Master can begin working with a new team, and lately I’ve been experimenting with a new technique.  I won’t rehash what I’ve written already, but it’s important to understand that my previous advice still applies:

  • It’s about them—not you—so put your agenda aside.
  • If possible, shadow the team for a sprint as a means to understand how they’re all connected together. Shadows can’t talk so stay quiet.
  • Ask tons of questions to understand not to persuade. And remember.

When you’re not terribly smart, it helps to be a good listener.

Jerry Weinberg

Set up time individually with each team member.  Thirty minutes usually does the trick.  I walk in with three topics as a means to draw them out, and today, we’ll talk about the first of those three.  In a future post, we’ll talk about the other two.  And it begins with a triangle.

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How Do I Foster Trust Within My Team?

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I’ve been mentoring a group of young Scrum Masters for the last seven months, and recently one of them asked me a question:

How do I foster trust within my team?

Immediately, two thoughts came to mind:

  1. They’ve been listening.  Affecting change isn’t about process, mechanics, or imposition.  It’s about people.  It’s about helping others, and I couldn’t be prouder that this question came to mind.
  2. It’s a freakin’ tough question to answer.  My response was far more philosophical than practical.  In the moment, no simple, straight forward answers came to mind so I’ve been chewing on it since.

But why?  Whether family, friends, or colleagues, we’re surrounded by people most times of the day, and our relationships with others are built on a foundation of trust.  For example, we trust that the car next to us driving at highway speeds will stay in its own lane.  When a  friend offers to drive us to the airport, we trust s/he will show on time so we catch our flight.  After all these years, we should have a handle on this trust thing, right?

I wish that were so.

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Scrum Master for a New Team? Here’s What to Do.

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When a Scrum Master joins a team, there’s so much to do.  It’s daunting and sometimes a bit overwhelming.  We have so many questions!  Where’s the team need our help?  Are they entrenched in how they operate or open to change?  How do they interact with each other?  How receptive are they to me, their new Scrum Master?  Today, I’d like to explain one approach that I’ve find successful, and it all begins with a conversation.

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