Leadership is not everyone’s cup of tea. It is something that is in you. Certain people are better suited for the job of scrum masters. So many of us have misconceptions about who are scrum masters. Scrum Masters are the providers for an agile development team.
Let’s see some of the qualities that a competent certified scrum master must have:
- Communication: You might think that this is something basic that every job requires. But scrum masters have the duty of comprehending, summarizing and energizing conversations. You must be able to utilize your skills effectively and present yourself. Summarizing, observing and writing is something you will have to be excellent at.
- Responsibility: You are not a lone wolf. You will be in charge of leading a pack of wolves. You need to gain your squad’s trust and you must be proud to be their representative.
- Appreciation: Giving your team members a sense of belongingness will not hurt you in any way, will it? You need to make your team feel valued and allow them to achieve their personal goals as well. When your team is happy, they will put in more effort into the job given to them.
- Be neutral: It is natural for humans to favour someone or like someone more than the others. It is unavoidable. But, when you are a representative, you need to take one for the team. You need to be neutral and not partial. You can be friends outside the workplace, but once you’re in this position, friendship is outside the workplace.
- A leader without powers: Remember than you are not a dictator. You cannot punish your team members when they have made an error. You need to give them a chance to correct themselves and guide them instead. A leader can force decisions, but a scrum master is a guiding force.
- Detailing: Scrum masters are involved in all the decision-making processes be it for a problem or a solution. You need to be someone who strategizes and implements those decisions. You need to be steering wheel for your car.
- Multi-tasking: Usually, with a team of 7 members, you will have a lot of responsibility. You will be assigned the duty of planning, assessing and much more. You need to balance them all. If you think you can manage this, then this will be a cakewalk for you.
- Check the importance: You need to know what is important and when. You need to prioritize your tasks and decide which carries more importance. You need to deliver the best MVP and succeed in maintaining good relations.
- Learn to take a joke: Just like the saying, all work and no play made Jack a dull boy, similarly, a scrum master need not always be a grumpy master. Learn to be light-hearted.
- Problem solver: Be quick in tackling any problems that come in your path.
It may seem like these things are hard to cope-up with. But with the right guidance, you can surely achieve it. You can be a certified scrum master with the help of StarAgile. Their motto is to guide you into becoming better versions of yourself.
