What has leadership got to do with ‘being a servant’?


Well, by now I’m sure you must’ve understood about the topic of the post and what it is all about – servant leadership of course! One of the attributes of a scrum master is “being a servant leader”.

But what are the attributes/actions that qualify a scrum master to be called a servant leader. Let’s look at some of them below –
  • Serving others and not yourself; in other words, selfless management of team members
  • Being a servant means you do not or should not command others. On a lighter note, does your housecleaner/household help ever give you instructions regarding what to do? No right?
    •  Let go of the command and control that our traditional managers are used to exercise as part of their role, in your journey to become a scrum master.
  •  Leading by example & helping people develop and perform as high as possible
  • Think of the Scrum Master as a personal trainer who helps you stick with an exercise regimen and perform all exercises with the correct form. A good trainer will provide motivation while at the same time making sure you don’t cheat by skipping a hard exercise. The trainer’s authority, however, is limited.
    •  The trainer cannot make you do an exercise you don’t want to do. Instead, the trainer reminds you of your goals and how you’ve chosen to meet them.
  • Focus on building a foundation of trust and encourage collaboration within the team.
  •  A servant leader is also a person who removes impediments, is empathic and a good listener.

  • Last but not the least, this is how the Scrum Guide describes the Scrum Master – a Scrum Master is not a master of the team, but a master at encouraging, enabling, and energizing people to gel as a team and realize their full potential.


Best,

Jasdev Singh (PMI-ACP, CSM)
https://in.linkedin.com/in/singhjasdev

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