The Scrum Guide says, "The Scrum Master is the servant leader (or servant leader) of the scrum team." When discussing the characteristics of an excellent Scrum Master, the idea invariably comes up that being a servant leader is one of the most important (and most frequently cited) characteristics that a person must embody if he is to succeed as a Scrum Master. While this is a generally accepted idea, it is not always completely clear what exactly the role of leader-servant implies for a Scrum Master. Who is best suited for the role of servant leader and therefore Scrum Master? How will it look to the Scrum Master himself?
Whom should you serve?
The term servant leader was coined by Robert C. Greenleaf in his essay The Servant as Leader. He describes a servant leader as a person who:
“... first of all a servant ... It all starts with the natural feeling that a person wants to be useful, to serve people sincerely. Leadership is motivated by a conscious choice. "
This suggests that the servant leader is primarily called to serve (help) others. This is part of who he is. It is only because of this that the servant seeks to lead. Likewise, the most effective Scrum Masters are primarily colleagues who do their best to help their team succeed.
Servant Leaders as Creators
Servant leaders make sure that “the highest priority needs of others are met. The best indicator of success ... is: Do those whom I serve grow as individuals? Are they becoming healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely to be ready to help others themselves? And what is the impact on the least privileged members of society; Will they succeed, or at least not suffer great hardships? " (Greenleaf)
Scrum Masters, as servant leaders, focus their creative efforts in three areas: people, community and consensus. The path to building people, community and consensus is key for a Scrum Master as they lead their team towards high performance.
Creator of people
Embeddedness in the lives of others is the primary measure of the servant leader. “Do those they serve grow as individuals?” Greenleaf asks. Does the Scrum Master motivate his team to continually improve? Does it provide opportunities for individual, team and organization growth? As a minister-leader, does he instruct others through his efforts?
Community builder
We live in an era where many are looking for community, but few are finding it - at least in the truest sense of the word. The community is the environment in which one finds: acceptance, other people with common interests, the opportunity to learn and grow. The Scrum Master fosters this environment within the team by facilitating like-minded communities of practice, Lean Coffee meetings, Open Space events or World Café. I am constantly reminding the Scrum Masters in our organization that your role as Scrum Masters is to create an environment in which high performing teams can emerge . Community building creates such environments.
Consensus builder
Scrum masters, like servant leaders, have no positional power. Nobody is obliged to follow them. They prefer to use non-force to get their teams to move in the direction in which they think the team should move. They convince rather than coerce. They listen to others, ask questions, learn from the past, and make decisions together, involving others. The goal of the Scrum Master as a consensus builder is to maintain team autonomy and encourage commitment to decisions and leadership.
Characteristics of a Servant Leader
In addition to the various aspects in which the servant leader is “embedded” in his team and organization, the characteristics that define the servant leader include:
Self-awareness
Servant leaders have a deep awareness and understanding of themselves. They know who they are and where they are going. They know their strengths and weaknesses. They constantly work to be their best. They know when to take a break.
The Stephen Covey model, in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, draws attention to "personal victory", "public victory" and "self-improvement." I believe this progression applies well to servant leaders, as they first govern themselves, then master their connection with others, and then refine, renew, and reflect to continually improve.
Listening
Servant Leaders demonstrate excellent listening skills. Simply put, without listening to others, it is impossible to meet their highest priority needs.
Acceptance and Compassion
A true minister accepts everyone as they are and seeks to deeply understand them. The Scrum Master, as a servant leader, must accept all team members, keeping the team together at a high level of performance. As Greenleaf explains, "The minister as a leader always empathizes, always accepts the person, but sometimes must refuse to accept some of his efforts or actions as good enough . " This is an important distinction between accepting a person and indulging in dysfunctional behaviors and poor outcomes.
Availability and availability
To implement the previous characteristics from this list, the servant leader must be available and ready to take action (for example, listen). In so doing, the servant leader lives in service to others, putting their needs first.
Management
The manager is responsible for the care and supervision of the use of resources belonging to another person. A servant leader is a manager in the sense that he is trusted by other people, their abilities and their growth. The Scrum Master is also trusted by the team to help them grow and improve in their approach to work.
All life is learning
The ability to adequately accept mistakes is a sign of a servant leader. Ministers do not have all the answers, and they often have to give in to neglect their desires in front of the desires of others in order to best meet their needs. By doing so, the Scrum Master demonstrates that failure is a necessary part of improvement, and continuous learning is a natural part of the process.
While this is not an exhaustive list, it does reveal the characteristics that I most often see in servant leaders as accomplished Scrum Masters. Something is missing? Do you have anything to add about a minister-leader? Please share your thoughts below.
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