How to encourage your team & what skills & traits are best for Scrum Masters
1. HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOUR
TEAM AND WHAT SKILLS &
TRAITS ARE BEST FOR SCRUM
MASTERS
GRETCHEN KNODE
AGILE KNOXVILLE MEETUP
2. TIPS TO ENCOURAGE
• Find out what they need (need vs want).
• Be respectful – show it.
• Don’t micromanage.
• Lead by example – your habits and leadership will rub off on the team.
• Be personable – your team should know they can come to you any time.
• Stress your company’s purpose – remind the team the work they do solves
a problem.
• Do what you say – develop a reputation for following through.
3. TIPS TO ENCOURAGE CONT.
• Be decisive – growth & success are dependent upon action – just “do it”.
• Show emotions! – Let your emotions shine – smile, laugh, have fun.
• Push their limits – encourage the team to operate out of their traditional comfort
zone.
• Admit when you don’t have the answer – use it as an opportunity to demonstrate
problem solving with the team.
• Don’t impose fear – great leaders coach and teach their team, not instill fear.
• Develop future leaders from within – empower the team to make decisions.
• Encourage and nurture personal growth.
4. TIPS TO ENCOURAGE CONT.
• Help overcome weakness – work on solutions to avoid making the same mistake in
the future.
• Hold the team accountable – when they see what needs to get accomplished they will
do what is needed to reach specific goals.
• Ask a lot of questions – ask your team if they are happy, ask if they have suggestions.
• Demonstrate knowledge – know your stuff!
• Be flexible – customize your approach to each tem member to match their personality
& leadership needs, some need more direct contact some less
• Understand your purpose & role – when you do, it breeds confidence, which is
contagious and creates a confident team.
5. TIPS TO ENCOURAGE CONT.
• Welcome and create opportunities for involvement – create opportunities for the
team to roll up their sleeves and get involved
• Get to know your team – when you are with your team make sure you spend some
time getting to know them, they will be much more productive if they know you
genuinely care about them.
• Be transparent – allow your team to see who you really are. Transparency also leads to
problems being solved faster and a stronger level of trust being established.
• Facilitate brainstorming sessions – this inspires and motivates your team to be
constantly thinking of new, innovative ideas.
• Be accessible – be there for your team!
An article in Entrepreneur was used as the basis of this list
6. WHY DOES MOTIVATION MATTER?
• Motivated people are highly adaptable especially when it
comes to change, and they have a positive attitude at
work.
• They help to spread an origination's good reputation,
reduce rates of absenteeism, and improve performance
and profit.
• They work hard to achieve their goals and work with a
greater sense of urgency than unmotivated people.
7. TYPES OF MOTIVATION
• Extrinsic motivation uses external factors to encourage your team; pay, time off,
threat of job loss – some are positive some are not.
• Intrinsic motivation is internal, it has to do with a personal desire to overcome a
challenge, to produce excellent work, and/or interact with team members.
Intrinsically motivated people derive a great deal of satisfaction and enjoyment
from what they do.
Most teams need a good mix of these two types because not everyone is
mmotivated by the same things.
8. TO CREATE A MOTIVATING
ENVIRONMENT
• Check your assumptions – your style is strongly influenced by what you believe.
Think carefully about how you view people, and to explore what you believe truly
motivates them.
• Eliminate dissatisfaction and create satisfaction – look at irritating company
policies, intrusive supervision, or lack of job security among others things. Once
they are removed focus on job satisfaction like clear opportunities for
advancement/promotion, increase responsibility, ongoing training and
development programs.
• Personalize Your Motivations Approach -
9. CUSTOMIZE YOU MOTIVATION
• Not everyone is motivated by the same things, learn what motivates
each of your team members and personalize your approach
accordingly.
• Don’t expect a one size fits all approach to work.
• There are many approaches to motivation; Sirota’s Three Factor
Theory, McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs etc, if helpful study them to get a better idea of the things
to look for.
• Assess the situation as well, sometimes the motivator changes
depending on the situation.
10. USE TRANSFORMATIONAL
LEADERSHIP
• Is a model of integrity and fairness.
• Sets clear goals.
• Has high expectations.
• Encourages others.
• Provides support and recognition.
• Stirs the emotions of people.
• Gets people to look beyond their self-interest.
• Inspires people to reach the improbable.
From Bernard M Bass Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectation & an article on
mindtools.com
11. PRACTICAL TIPS TO ENCOURAGE
AND MOTIVATE
• Create a set of google image folders with images for; “Great Job, I’m Sorry, Keep
up the great work, You are awesome, Attitude, Get Better, Brilliant, Thank You,
Finish Strong” etc,.. And use them often in emails, meeting requests, make cards
etc,..
• Use appreciation, teambuilding, Emotional IQ, and other things like that as goals
for retros and help the team to not only see the value but practice doing and
growing in them – give them the opportunity to continue to grow.
• Make a point to encourage in the format each team member needs it on a
regular basis, get creative if you have to ‘search’ for something positive to say.
14. CRITICAL MINDSETS TO MASTER
• Be detached from outcomes – give the team space to come up with the best ideas.
Focus on HOW the team works together not solving the problems.
• Take it to the team – you are not the best person to solve the problem.
• Be a mirror – reflect back, with out judgment, the behavior or symptoms you notice.
• Master your words and your face – to do this well practice non judgment and
nonviolent communication.
• Let there be silence – get comfortable with uncomfortable silence. Do not fill it
yourself!
• Model being outrageous – they will tell you when you have gone to far, help them see
outside the box.
• Let the team fail – not die, but teams that fail together and recover are stronger –
think the butterfly in the cocoon thing.
15. OBSERVE THE TEAM
• Study how each team member works and interacts with others.
• Communicate in the format they prefer when ever possible.
• Observe the team as a group and adjust accordingly.
• When in doubt, ask!
• Respect each team member – don’t call on someone unexpectedly
to contribute if speaking in a group setting is hard for them. The
goal is to provide a safe space for people to grow together. Don’t
be an enabler either!
16. MORE IMPORTANT SKILLS TO
MASTER
• Be creative
• Observe everything – you will learn a great deal by observing your team, body
language, reading the emotions and if there is tension or if the team is relaxed.
• Remember everyone is different and be willing to cater your style to the person
you are focusing on – love languages.
• Learn the art of facilitating = help others participate
• Show your team you care about them individually and them as a team – be
vulnerable and lead by example.
17. RESOURCES
• Coaching Agile Teams Lyssa Adkins
• Agile Retrospectives Esther Derby & Diana Larsen
• Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni
• Essential Scrum Kenneth Rubin
• Scrum Mastery Geoff Watts
People to follow: Simon Sinek, Mike Cohn, James Clear, Frank Sonnenberg,
Jesse Fewell, Dan Tousignant, Richard Branson, Ben Linders
