21 New Year’s Resolutions for Scrum Masters

As we come up on the end of the year, it's time to make some New Year's resolutions. Since one of my resolutions for this year was to provide useful and actionable advice, and since I know you’re busy, I’m going to help you get started.

So here are 21 New Year’s resolutions for ScrumMasters to consider:

1. Offer to facilitate another team's retrospective
2. Update the team's definition of done (or write one if they don't have one)
3. Have that tough conversation you've been putting off
4. Learn something new
5. Help your team learn something new
6. If you've personally been giving the demo during sprint reviews, have someone else do it
7. Inbox zero
8. Ban email for one day between team members (talk instead)
9. Have a private conversation thanking each team member for their contributions
10. Remove something from your process
11. Instead of maintaining an impediment list, remove each impediment the day you hear about it
12. In team meetings, ask more questions and make fewer statements
13. Trust your team
14. Admit when you've made a mistake
15. Celebrate little wins as well as big successes
16. Never type or look at your phone while a teammate is talking to you
17. Ask your team how they most want you to improve
18. Try sprint planning a completely different way
19. Encourage cross-training while allowing people to do what they're good at and enjoy
20. Ask a sixth why
21. Eat more fiber (my doctor told me to include this one)

What Will Be On Your List?

What do you think? What’s going to be on your list of New Year’s resolutions for next year? And how did you do at any resolutions you made for this year? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to know what you think.