The Dos And Don’ts Of Servant Leader Role For Scrum Masters

What is understood by the term “servant leader”?

Several experts have tried to define the role of a servant leader, as to what it should ideally include, and what scrum masters should do to be considered as good servant leaders. To summarize what the authors have to say about the role, individuals desiring to function as good servant leaders should be compassionate, exhibit humane characteristics, act as a facilitator, and be a mentor for individual team members. Rather than discussing in details about each characteristic, the role can be briefly understood by going through the Dos and Don’ts associated with the servant leader role.

What the scrum master should ideally do to become a good servant leader

• Protect the team and its members from distractions and diversions
• Facilitate the planning activities and sessions
• Encourage team members to participate in sprint reviews and retrospectives  
• Implement scrum methodology and coach scrum to team members
• Help the team to collaborate
• Publicly represent and protect the team’s position
• Anticipate issues and problems likely to occur during the sprint activity
• Discover ways and means to remove the impediments faced by the development team
• Ensure daily scrum meetings are properly conducted as per scrum principles and rules
• Support and encourage transparency while implementing the project
• Properly understand and present the team’s progress to the investors and stakeholders
• When necessary, arbitrate on behalf of the team members

What should be avoided or prevented

·      Provide instructions directly or indirectly to the development team
	The scrum master should act as a facilitator and help the team members to find solutions on their own through guidance, advice, and suggestions.
·      Manage the daily scrum meeting
	Rather than directing the team and providing development related solutions, the person should supervise scrum and ensure the team members follow it properly.
·      Estimate the work taken up by the team
	If the team is coming up with an estimate, the scrum master should not interfere by suggesting or advising as to what the estimate should ideally include. If required, the person can arbitrate on behalf of the team.
·      Remain uninvolved or be unconcerned about where the team is heading
	Always try to maintain a holistic attitude about how the project is proceeding, and how the project can be affected by the work carried out by the development team. One should be clear about the project goals and how the team is currently achieving them.

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How Can A Scrum Master Successfully Carry Out The Servant Leader Role While Implementing Scrum Framework?

What does the term servant leader actually mean?

Many scrum reference books and articles explicitly state and describe the role of the scrum master as a servant leader. While most of the definitions try to state the same meaning, they can often lead to confusion as to which definition is perfect and should be followed. The importance of a definition comes into the picture once its meaning is properly understood. So, rather than concentrating upon the definition, it would make more sense to understand what the concept really means. In a nutshell, the role of being a servant leader would actually refer to maintaining a positive and humane attitude towards the team members, being sensitive towards their difficulties and problems, and putting in efforts to act as a facilitator so that goals can be achieved in a collaborative manner, with each team member contributing towards the fulfillment of the project in a proactive way. It is important for a scrum master to possess certain characteristics to be a successful “servant leader”.

1. Listening

An individual who is a good listener can also make informed decisions and successfully solve problems. It is important for the scrum master to listen attentively, with an open mind. The person should try to pick up pointers during the daily scrum meetings as to what the team members are really trying to say, and what kinds of problems they are really facing. Some individuals are extroverts and find it easy to speak about their problems in a crowd, and demand solutions from others.  Introvert individuals may find this very difficult to do, and so it would be up to the scrum master to encourage such individuals to open up and be vocal about their problems. Moreover, the person should also try to encourage self-organization and self-learning amongst team members. If the team is facing impediments, it becomes necessary to engage with the issue in a proactive manner and start finding solutions, rather than wait for the team to approach the scrum master with the particular issue. To be a good servant leader, the scrum master should also be a good listener.

2. Awareness

While leading teams, it becomes imperative to develop a holistic view and look at things from a general point of view, rather than be concerned about the micro level issues when a particular issue or problem arises. It is important to look at problems from a higher level and get an overall picture of where the issue is actually heading to before arriving at a consensus with the team members. It is also required to look beyond the role and scope as a programmer or a developer and grasp the problem at its root level before striving to provide solutions. Scrum methodology advocates that the scrum master should not get directly involved with the development work and start directing the team members. At the same time, the servant leader role indicates that the scrum master should act more as a facilitator and help the team members to resolve their problems by providing guidance and advice, even on an individual basis if required. Therefore, it becomes necessary to strike a correct balance between the two aspects of the role.

3. Persuasion

Traditional project managers can be autocratic while delegating their authority. Scrum is in antithesis of autocracy – it supports teamwork and collaboration. The team works as a whole and delivers results. Moreover, the scrum guide indicates a specific role for the scrum master. He or she should primarily supervise, and ensure that scrum is properly implemented, and followed by the team members. Rather than issuing commands and orders, the servant leader role encourages persuasion – discuss and talk with the team members, and encourage them to do things rather than demand action and activities from them. 

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How Can A Scrum Master Be A Good Servant Leader?

What is understood by the servant leader role?

There are several interpretations of the servant leader role, and many experts have contributed their versions as to what the exact definition should include. However, to summarize all those definitions, the role can be best defined as a virtue, or a trait, which can put the priorities of others first, and maintain a humane attitude towards them. While a debate can extend indefinitely as to how the word “humane” should be understood, a person acting in the capacity of a scrum master might exhibit certain characteristics common to the role to be considered as an ideal servant leader.  

Listening

A good listener can grasp the finer points of a discussion and make informed decisions. It is very important to be sensitive to the team’s needs and the problems faced by them. The scrum master should listen carefully to what the team members have to say during the daily scrum meeting. He or she should make efforts to pick up clues and pointers pertaining to self-organization and try to encourage the team members to accept them. People have different types of natures, and while some are extroverts with an ability to express their views and opinions easily and loudly, many developers are of introvert types and may find it difficult to vocally express their ideas. The scrum master should be on the lookout as to what these types of individuals want to say, and help them to open up and express their views and opinions without any inhibitions. It is also equally important to detect any impediments faced by the team members, and advise them how to go about them.

Awareness

The awareness concerning a particular situation ought to be gained keeping in mind a holistic view to avail a better understanding regarding the ethics and moral values. It is very important for the scrum master to understand and look at situations from a much higher level than the rest of the team to gain a complete picture associated with a particular scenario. The person should ideally think above the role of a developer, and try to act more as a facilitator than anything else. It is important to remain detached with the team, yet remain close to it. 

The scrum master should maintain a proper balance between the two different parts of the same role. It becomes easy to implement scrum in a systematic manner if you remain detached, since it helps you to observe the workings as a third person. Scrum does not support active participation of the scrum master in leading the team directly by providing instructions to them. At the same time, the servant leader role supports compassion and closeness, which is only possible if you involve yourself on a personal basis with the team member. Therefore, it is important to be aware about both these antithetical requirements of the role, and carry it out by balancing both the aspects.   

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How Does Scrum Methodology Benefit Through The “Servant Leader” Role?

What is understood by the term “servant leader”?

The term can be misleading if we are to literary interpret the words as per the definition stated in the dictionary. In scrum, the term has a specific meaning. It is used to describe a particular type of leadership role which has proved to be effective for many organizations and scrum masters. It has helped many team members to deliver good productivity. Generally, people are used to traditional business models in which a manger delegates his or her authority in varying levels, and subordinates are inclined to follow the orders issued by the senior person. The total responsibility of the outcome lies with the project manager. The team members and subordinates are not liable for the success or failure of the project. 

All this changes when the manager assumes the role of a “servant leader”.  The person does not delegate his or her authority in an autocratic manner. Instead, the person puts in efforts, and tries to understand the problems faced by juniors or subordinates. He or she tries to get involved with the business flow, and proactively seeks solutions which can help the team members to effectively deal with the issue on hand. The manager contributes his or her skills and abilities to ensure that the team members and the project benefit from a healthy leadership. When the role of servant-leader is properly implemented, it can lead to a fruitful and healthy working atmosphere which can lead to a successful completion of the project on hand.

What are the benefits of a “servant leader” role?

There are several benefits which are summarized as:

 1. It creates and fosters an atmosphere of healthy teamwork 
It all depends upon how you conduct yourself in front of others and the manner in which you try to delegate your authority. Traditional managers prefer to use words like “I” and “me”, while an individual following the servant-leader role uses words like "us" and "we". It makes a lot of difference to other people and the team members. By using words such as “we”, the subordinate automatically feels more involved, and responsible for the results associated with the project. The main issue is about feeling “involved”. In the servant leader role, the subordinates feels more involved, and therefore tries to contribute his or her efforts in a genuine manner. Moreover, the leader tries to lead by example. He or she also tries to reduce the intensity of the “senior-junior” professional relationship which is so prevalent in most organizations, even today. One of the main advantages is that the role fosters a healthy working environment which is conductive to all. 

2. It adds on to the value of the team members
It has been found that when people feel they are valuable and their efforts can lead to success or failure of the project, they tend to be more productive and responsible. It is important for them to feel that they “count” and they “belong”. These two virtues are important not only from the professional point of view, but also on a personal level. They help to lower “red-tapism” and create a one-to-one rapport between the senior level management and the subordinates. It can lead to open discussions in which people put in genuine efforts to find solutions rather than follow the daily rote of seeking answers to difficult problems. The servant leader role helps to add on to the value of the team members.

3. You reap what you have sown
It is actually very simple, you receive the same type of treatment that you render to others. If you are good to people, they will be good to you. By being good, you don’t necessarily have to compromise upon your professional obligations and accept unethical or unwarranted behavior, or make do with substandard work delivered by subordinates. You should be firm with what you have to convey to people and what kind of work you want them to deliver. It’s just that you could achieve a lot in terms of cooperation and help from people if you are genuine in your behavior towards them.   

4. It creates trust
The servant-leader role is great for building trust. The main reason is people around you know about your helpful and understanding nature, and respect you for putting in your efforts while dealing with the project. Since you care about people, they are most likely to respond in a positive manner and depend upon you for guiding them along the correct path. It fosters trust.

How do scrum projects benefit from the “servant leader” role?

• It is the scrum master’s responsibility to help the development team perform at the highest levels. Scrum supports collaboration and joint efforts. The servant-leader role helps to break down the senior-subordinate relationship. It encourages active participation owing to the personal relationship created between the scrum master and the team members.
• Another responsibility of the scrum master is to remove any problems or impediments faced by the team. The role helps to facilitate effective communication, and so the problems get identified early when they occur. It is much easier to tackle problems in their infancy, and before they assume gigantic proportions.    
• The scrum master is often looked upon as a protector of the team. One of the duties of a scrum master is to protect the team and the sprint by ensuring that the team members do not over commit while taking up tasks from the sprint backlog. Over commitment can lead to unsuccessful sprints. The servant-leader role facilitates healthy communication between the scrum master and the team members. It becomes much easier for the scrum master to provide suggestion which may be taken positively by the members.   

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