Does it ever appear that your Scrum team members can express the same thought in four different ways?
- “Let’s knock this product out of the park!”
- “If we can reach consensus, we can move to the next level.”
- “The SOP will tell us what to do next.”
- “To be efficient, we must eliminate the fluff and complete only what is absolutely necessary.”
Some of these languages are pleasant and palatable to us. Others repel us like vinegar. Our challenge as Product Owners, ScrumMasters and teammates is to peel the words and find value in the thought. Let’s revisit the statements and reveal what the intent truly is.
“Let’s knock it out of the park.” This person is a risk-taker and consistently pushes us to move from good to great. They share information though experiences and action. They learn by jumping in and doing. If the doing is wrong, well, then they learned something!
“If we can reach consensus, we can move to the next level.” Team community is the cornerstone value of this team member. They truly embrace the well-formed team approach. They are reflective, yet thrive in environments that are experiential. Feelings about teams and the product are not to be discounted. There is deep realization that teams produce better products when they work in harmony.
“The SOP will tell us what to do next.” Structure and rule following drive this team member to do their best. This person thinks in black and white, right or wrong. They will strive to keep the team on the correct path. As reflective, analytical thinkers, they speak with great precision and deliberation.
“To be efficient, we must eliminate the fluff and complete only what is absolutely necessary.” This team member is built with pure efficiency in mind and they expect the team to follow suit. They are active and analytical and it is a powerful combination. They get down to business and get it done. Executing the thing right trumps doing the right thing every time.
As ScrumMasters and team members, we must navigate the terrain of foreign languages everyday. They may pop with our customers, our vendors, or with each other. The sooner we understand the source of the language, the sooner we can find value in it.
Join us at 3Back to learn more team navigation skills with 4MAT for Scrum Teams.
