The most important, perhaps the only reason to become a Scrum Master is that it's the right job for your skills, personality,
and interests.
But there's one skill that's especially hard to learn that might help you decide whether you have what it takes to be a scrum master.
Hi, I'm Mike Cohn and I am the author of three best-selling books on Agile and Scum.
I help teams succeed with Agil and want to help too.
And I want here to share with you the one question to ask yourself if you're thinking about becoming a scum Master.
The best scrum masters excel at certain soft skills, listening, conflict resolution, humility, and a desire to help others.
I've written a blog about the seven questions you should ask yourself if you're considering a career as a scrummaster.
Follow the link above to get the full list.
But by far the hardest thing to learn is how to influence without authority.
I find this especially true for those who transition to Scrum Master from roles that do have authority, such as project manager and tech lead.
One of my favorite ways of influencing is by asking questions.
For example, if a team is trying to make a decision or has just made a decisions that they're explaining to me, I might ask,
what was the second best option you considered?
I may follow that up with, why did you prefer the option that you chose?
These questions can help bring out any dissenting opinions that still exist on the team.
If you enjoy leading this way, count that as a point in your favor for a career as Scrum Master.
Don't rule out being a Scum Master, though, just because you're in the habit of saying, because I told you so.
In my earliest leadership roles, I fell into the trap of that unfortunate style.
You can overcome it.
It just takes a little time and training.