Lead, follow, or get out of the way

It has been a week of confusion and wildly changing situations at my day job.  I have been using this time to reflect on my leadership style.  I have also been using this period to think about the changing role of a leader in agile.  It is funny how scraps of wisdom bubble up during times of chaos and uncertainty.

In high school, I belonged to the Marine Corp Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.  I joined as a freshman because I wanted to improve my grades and develop some self-discipline.  In the four years since I made that decision, I rose from a lowly recruit to the executive officer of the company of cadets.  Thanks to the guidance of two Vietnam Veterans named David Ogle and Richard Weidner, I learned how to be a leader.

One of the inspirational signs that hung in the drill room said, “Lead, Follow, or Get the Hell out of the Way.”  That boring vinyl sign is stuck in my mind.  Marines are the definition of commitment; it is their job to go anywhere, at any time, to act as the long arm of American Military policy.  This is why they are often rescuing Americans from embassies or showing up at short notice when shots begin to fly.  The sign alludes to this because you are either leading fellow marines, part of the unit doing the work, or staying out of their way. After all, when you give marines a job, they will do it even if they have to pulverize something into dust.

So, what does this mean for a scrum master? Situations are going to change throughout your career.  This means you are going to have to adapt to the different people.  I am learning to get out of the team's way with a solid technical lead.  It is clear they know what they are doing.  It is also clear they do not want my technical guidance on anything.  This means that I have had to learn to step back and let the team succeed and fail because nothing I will say will change its mind.  In another situation, I see a scrum team that delivers code promptly and appears to be running correctly, but it is hiding some dysfunction.  It does not provide features wanted by the business. I wanted to get out of the way for that team, but I must take a more active leadership role.

So, a scrum master must change based on the situation in which he or she finds herself.  We are not empty heads in taupe blazers looking to extort billable hours out of our companies.  The Agile Manifesto says we must respond to change rather than follow a plan.  This tenant means we must lead, follow, or get out of the way.  Not learning that lesson means we are in for some uncomfortable failures.

Until next time.