8 ServantLeader Behaviors for every Scrum Master The

8 Servant-Leader Behaviors for every Scrum Master The characteristics of Servant leadership are inherent in some people. These characteristics can be learned and such behaviors can be refined through practice. How to apply Servant Leadership in the role of a Scrum Master? For Scrum Masters to display Servant Leadership, it is essential to develop and practice Servant-Leader behaviors Applied to any team and organizational environment, these Servant-Leadership behaviors transforms the organizational culture to a caring, safe and high-performing culture.

#1 Servanthood and Caring As a Scrum Master, you do not have any authority in the organization. You derive influence from your subject matter expertise of Scrum and by having the heart to serve your team and care for them. As a Servant-Leader you seek to empower the team members and invite them in decision making. Your behavior is of serving and caring. It enhances the growth of team members while improving the caring and quality of organizational life. Your emphasis, as a Scrum Master, is on serving your teammembers for their good and not just the good of the organization?

#2 Empowering and Helping • Are you concerned about the success of all stakeholders? Stakeholders may include employees, customers, business partners, communities, and society in general, including those who are the least privileged. • Servant-Leader Scrum Masters believe that team members must have an intrinsic value beyond their apparent responsibilities as employees. These Scrum Masters are deeply committed to the development and growth of each and every Scrum Team member. • During the work as a Scrum Master, the aim is to nurture the professional as well as personal growth of team members.

#3 Serving Team’s Agenda The servant leader puts the good of others over self-interest Their “power” is to serve others Empowerment from the servant leader has a positive effect on the well-being of team members The Scrum Master as a Servant Leader uses his or her capabilities and skills to help with the team’s establishing their agenda The Scrum Master serves the team's agenda, not their own, or any one member’s agenda The Scrum Master does not impose any directions or mandates upon the team A Scrum Master as Servant-leader, believes in Change by Invitation The team chooses the goals and the direction

#3 Serving Team’s Agenda The Scrum Master also carries the traditional manager's responsibility to ensure the delivery os a release, or to manage the team members as needed. However, if a Product Owner's agenda is to finish certain number of features during a Sprint, but the team clearly sees that as not practical… The Scrum Master would intervene The Scrum Master may want satisfy the Product Owner’s agenda, however, in such situations their responsibility is to shield the Development Team from the excessive pressure of the Product Owner.

#4 Building Relationships Establishing and nurturing long-term relationships with all stakeholders, keeping the team-members in focus, helps them meet their fullest potential. If the Scrum Master is genuinely serving, caring and helping your team members grow, building relations with them will not be an issue. Healthy relations with the team creates a synergy among the team -members and boosts team's performance and growth.

#5 Being Humble Like a good leader, the Scrum Master stays humble and practices regular self-reflection… Servant Leaders exhibit humility in their behavior. Servant Leaders don’t think less of themselves they just think of themselves less. They have high self-confidence but very low situational confidence. If they are faced with a situation, their response would most likely be: I have the intellect to solve all the problems, but I don’t have all the answers and for that I need other people’s brain. … its important to acknowledge that one person cannot know everything and that everyone needs or at some time will need his/her team members' help. A servant-leader will not take pride in the moments of success but will surely accept errors in times of failure.

#6 Emotional Healing Team members going through change all the time. There is uncertainty, and failures. Some of your people may have bruises. Many of them may go through emotional turbulences. Are you able to emotionally heal them? Offer your support? As per Tuckman’s Team Development model, teams go through Forming, Norming, Storming and Performing phases. As a Servant-Leader, any emotional healing and support that you offer can go long way in building an environment of trust and care within the team.

#7 Being Empathic … involves deeply connecting with the emotions of the other individuals without judgement and critique. It is an essential behavior of Servant-Leaders. Empathy starts with listening with your whole self, helps understand the other person's situation. How… slow down and listen with the intent to understand the meaning behind the words, meaning of what is being felt, and what is not being said.

#7 Being Empathic For Scrum Masters who are not naturally empathic, being aware of and caring about others' emotions is the starting point of developing empathy. Empathically listening to what your team members say and acknowledging what you sense and what you hear. When you lend someone your empathic ears, they get it. They feel safe and comfortable to share even more. Scrum Master builds relationships through Empathy, … earns trust and gains influence.

#8 Being Ethical Being ethical relates to the way in which a Servant-Leader makes choices, disciplines themselves and choose the right thing to do in the service of the team. The Scrum Master may also encourage the team to self-reflect and establish high standards of moral and ethical behavior. The Scrum Master may realize that the team needs to mature and they must be empowered, educated to handle their own meetings, hold each other accountable, collaborate with users and PO and deliver value.

Responsibilities of a Scrum Master as a Servant-Leader Responsibilities may include: 1. Setting up the Scrum framework in the service of the team, not as a way to commanding or micro-manage. 2. Empowering and Guiding the Development Team on selfmanagement. 3. Leading the team through healthy conflict and debate on ideas. 4. Teaching, coaching and mentoring the organization and team in adopting and using Scrum. 5. Shielding the team from disturbances, external influences, and potential threats. 6. Helping the team make visible, remove and prevent impediments.