Context Diagramming, Helping Agile Teams See Their Complex Communication Network | Zvonimir Durcevic

Anuj Ojha: From Process Police to People Partner, Self-Accountability and Self-Awareness for Scrum Masters Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. In this insightful episode, Anuj shares a powerful story of personal growth as a Scrum Master. Initially caught up in the mechanics of Scrum, he found himself trying to control situations and please everyone while rigidly adhering to the Scrum Guide.  Through a three-step journey of self-awareness, feedback-seeking, and actualization, Anuj discovered that his true challenge lay in understanding himself and his purpose. He learned to shift his focus from velocity and burndown charts to delivering value, and from being process-oriented to being people-oriented. This transformation led him to become more of a listener than a talker, embracing conflict as a natural part of growth. Self-reflection Question: How might your current focus on processes or metrics be affecting your ability to connect with and serve your team members? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] 🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥 Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people. 🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue. Buy Now on Amazon [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] About Anuj Ojha Anuj is the co-founder & Lead Consultant at Benzne Consulting. With more than a decade of consulting experience & setting up Agile environments. Anuj and his team partner with businesses to unlock their true potential and drive continuous growth. Anuj considers himself framework agnostic, purpose & data driven. You can link with Anuj Ojha on LinkedIn, or via his company’s website Benzne.com.

3 Mars 16min

BONUS: How To Build Trust and Manage Conflict, With Maria Arpa In this BONUS episode, we dive deep into the art of building trust and managing conflict in the workplace with Maria Arpa, an expert mediator and creator of the Dialogue Roadmap. Maria shares powerful insights on transforming workplace dynamics through compassionate communication and authentic dialogue. Understanding Power Dynamics in the Workplace "What we don't talk about openly, most people end up acting out." Power imbalances exist in every workplace and cannot be ignored. Maria emphasizes the importance of exposing and addressing these power dynamics openly, particularly the unspoken contracts that govern our interactions. These implicit agreements often drive behavior and can lead to conflict when left unaddressed. The Dialogue Roadmap: Moving Beyond Debate "We give children prizes for debating societies. We don't give children prizes for collaborative behavior." The Dialogue Roadmap offers a structured approach to authentic conversation that moves away from the traditional debate model. Maria explains how our societal conditioning toward debate and competition can hinder genuine communication and collaboration. Creating Safe Spaces for Difficult Conversations "You can't have these conversations while you're trying to do the work and meet a deadline." One key aspect of effective conflict resolution is creating dedicated spaces for challenging conversations. Maria emphasizes that these discussions cannot happen effectively while trying to meet deadlines or during regular work activities. The Power of Empathic Connection "Empathy drives change. It drives change from the inside out." Building trust starts with establishing empathic connections. Maria shares how this approach drives change from the inside out, rather than trying to force external changes. Managing Conflict as a Resource "Conflict, when approached compassionately, is our biggest free resource that opens the door to creativity." Rather than viewing conflict as a problem to be solved, Maria suggests seeing it as a valuable resource for positive change. When approached compassionately, conflict can open doors to creativity and innovation. Language and Trust-Building "Words can be windows or walls... language is the software in our brains that we use to tell us what to do." The words we choose can either build bridges or create barriers. Maria introduces the concept of "enforcement mentality" and its impact on workplace relationships. In this segment, we refer to the episode with Michelle Pauk on the importance of language in our work. Practical Tools for Leaders Maria shares several practical approaches for leaders to build trust and manage conflict: Slow down conversations using techniques like the metronome Use phrases like "If I understand you, what you really want me to hear is..." Create opportunities to restart conversations with "This isn't the conversation I meant to have. Can I start again, please?" Maintaining Accountability Without Enforcement "You can say 'What conversation should I be having with you?' - how the person answers tells you everything you need to know." Creating accountability without falling into an enforcement mentality requires clear communication about expectations and consequences. Maria emphasizes the importance of making contracts explicit and inviting people to take ownership of their responsibilities. About Maria Arpa Maria Arpa is an expert mediator, counselor, and advocate for meaningful workplace change, and the creator of the Dialogue Roadmap - a communications tool that moves away from accusative/blaming ways of communicating to a much more compassionate and collaborative way of working. In her book "Mindfulness at Work", Maria offers powerful strategies to transform stressful, conflict-ridden workplaces into environments of harmony and collaboration. You can connect with Maria Arpa on LinkedIn, or visit Maria Arpa’s Workplace Huddle website.

1 Mars 37min

Season Hughes: From Defensive to Collaborative Product Ownership Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. The Great Product Owner: Building Team and Customer Connection A great Product Owner demonstrates deep care for both the product and the team members, understanding their challenges and experiences. Season highlights how exceptional POs actively advocate for customer involvement in sprint reviews and consistently conduct customer interviews, creating a strong bridge between the development team and end-users. The Bad Product Owner: The Defensive Questioner Season describes a challenging situation where a Product Owner would respond to team proposals with defensive "why" questions, creating an atmosphere where developers felt they needed to justify their suggestions. This approach led to team defensiveness and reduced collaboration, highlighting the importance of asking questions in a way that promotes understanding rather than creates tension. Self-reflection Question: How do you ensure your communication style encourages collaboration rather than defensiveness? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] 🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥 Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people. 🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue. Buy Now on Amazon [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] About Season Hughes  Season is a strategist and creator who empowers customers and teams to excel. From designing clever, fandom-inspired apparel at Tomorrowland Transit Authority to coaching high-performance teams, Season is passionate about delivering value and driving growth. Now focused on ecommerce success, Season's mission is to turn goals into epic adventures. You can link with Season Hughes on LinkedIn.

28 Feb 15min

Season Hughes: How To Be A Data-Driven Scrum Master Or Agile Coach Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Season approaches Scrum Master success by regularly referring back to the Scrum Guide and measuring progress against its principles. She emphasizes the importance of collecting data and measuring key indicators like self-management, which she tests by occasionally stepping back from daily Scrum meetings to observe team autonomy. Season also stresses the value of one-on-one conversations to understand individual goals and assess team event effectiveness. Self-reflection Question: How do you measure the effectiveness of your role as a Scrum Master beyond just following ceremonies? Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Lean Coffee Season recommends the Lean Coffee format for retrospectives as it puts control directly in the hands of participants who decide the discussion topics. This approach naturally increases engagement and ownership of the retrospective process. She emphasizes the importance of including warm-up activities to set the right mood and ensuring everyone speaks early in the session, while also following up on previous retrospective actions. [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] 🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥 Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people. 🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue. Buy Now on Amazon [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] About Season Hughes  Season is a strategist and creator who empowers customers and teams to excel. From designing clever, fandom-inspired apparel at Tomorrowland Transit Authority to coaching high-performance teams, Season is passionate about delivering value and driving growth. Now focused on ecommerce success, Season's mission is to turn goals into epic adventures. You can link with Season Hughes on LinkedIn.

27 Feb 15min

Season Hughes: Understanding the "Why" Behind Agile Transformation Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Drawing from her consulting experience, Season shares valuable insights about leading successful Agile transformations. Rather than simply implementing Scrum, she emphasizes the importance of understanding organizational motivations by asking crucial questions like "Why do you want this change?" and "What does success look like?"  She outlines a comprehensive approach that begins with foundational training using the Scrum Guide, followed by Liftoff workshops to establish team foundations, working agreements, and regular check-ins to support continuous improvement. In this segment, we refer to the Liftoff book, by Diana Larsen and Ainsley Niles. Self-reflection Question: What steps are you taking to understand and align with your organization's transformation goals? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] 🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥 Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people. 🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue. Buy Now on Amazon [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] About Season Hughes  Season is a strategist and creator who empowers customers and teams to excel. From designing clever, fandom-inspired apparel at Tomorrowland Transit Authority to coaching high-performance teams, Season is passionate about delivering value and driving growth. Now focused on ecommerce success, Season's mission is to turn goals into epic adventures. You can link with Season Hughes on LinkedIn.

26 Feb 15min

Season Hughes: Transforming Workgroups into High-Performing Teams Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. Season shares insights about a common anti-pattern she's observed across organizations: calling a group of people a team doesn't automatically make them one. She discusses how many supposed teams are actually workgroups - collections of independent contributors rewarded for individual rather than collective achievements. Season provides specific criteria to distinguish between workgroups and real teams, emphasizing the importance of shared goals and collaborative success metrics. In this segment, we also refer to the One-Team, One-Goal (OTOG) article by Vasco. Featured Book of the Week: The Scrum Guide Season emphasizes the fundamental importance of The Scrum Guide as essential reading for Scrum Masters. She stresses that since Scrum Masters are accountable for coaching Scrum, they should regularly revisit the guide and stay current with updates. She specifically highlights how many Scrum Masters might miss crucial elements like "product goals," demonstrating why continuous engagement with this foundational document is vital for effective Scrum coaching. Self-reflection Question: How often do you revisit and reflect on the fundamental principles in the Scrum Guide? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] 🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥 Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people. 🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue. Buy Now on Amazon [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] About Season Hughes  Season is a strategist and creator who empowers customers and teams to excel. From designing clever, fandom-inspired apparel at Tomorrowland Transit Authority to coaching high-performance teams, Season is passionate about delivering value and driving growth. Now focused on ecommerce success, Season's mission is to turn goals into epic adventures. You can link with Season Hughes on LinkedIn.

25 Feb 20min

Season Hughes: How A Product Cancellation Tests a New Scrum Master's Growth Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes. As a new Scrum Master, Season faced a challenging situation when her team learned their product would be canceled. Initially, she made the mistake of telling team members they could skip daily standups if they had higher priorities, leading to unexpected low attendance. During the retrospective, she transformed this challenge into a learning opportunity by helping team members reflect on their personal growth and lessons learned. This experience taught her the importance of maintaining team ceremonies while providing individual support during difficult transitions. In this segment, we talk about ORSC, a systems inspired team and relationship coach training. Self-reflection Question: How would you maintain team engagement and motivation when facing a product cancellation? [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] 🔥In the ruthless world of fintech, success isn’t just about innovation—it’s about coaching!🔥 Angela thought she was just there to coach a team. But now, she’s caught in the middle of a corporate espionage drama that could make or break the future of digital banking. Can she help the team regain their mojo and outwit their rivals, or will the competition crush their ambitions? As alliances shift and the pressure builds, one thing becomes clear: this isn’t just about the product—it’s about the people. 🚨 Will Angela’s coaching be enough? Find out in Shift: From Product to People—the gripping story of high-stakes innovation and corporate intrigue. Buy Now on Amazon [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends] About Season Hughes  Season is a strategist and creator who empowers customers and teams to excel. From designing clever, fandom-inspired apparel at Tomorrowland Transit Authority to coaching high-performance teams, Season is passionate about delivering value and driving growth. Now focused on ecommerce success, Season's mission is to turn goals into epic adventures. You can link with Season Hughes on LinkedIn.

24 Feb 15min

BONUS: How to create psychological safety at work with Mehmet Baha   In this BONUS episode, we talk about the essential elements of creating psychological safety at work with Mehmet Baha, one of Facebook's first European employees and a renowned psychological safety expert. Drawing from his extensive experience and new book, Baha shares practical tools, inspiring examples, and thought-provoking insights that can help transform workplace culture. This episode builds on Mehmet’s guest blog post on the concepts we discuss. You can find Baha’s guest blog post on psychological safety here.  The Power of the 16-32-64 Framework The conversation begins with Baha introducing his innovative "16-32-64" framework, a comprehensive approach that combines head (cognition), heart (emotion), and hands (practice). This framework provides 16 inspiring examples, 32 practical tools, and 64 questions designed to foster psychological safety in the workplace. Baha explains how this interactive approach encourages readers to reflect and take action, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with professionals worldwide in developing these thought-provoking questions.   "When I was writing the book, I thought about how I could make this interactive. How can I make readers take action? So, I realized that questions are a powerful tool to help readers to reflect and take these ideas into action." Debunking Psychological Safety Myths Baha addresses three major misconceptions about psychological safety that often hinder organizational progress. He emphasizes that psychological safety isn't just about being nice or avoiding difficult conversations, nor is it solely about encouraging conflict. Through real-world examples, including a compelling story about a mining company leader who transformed workplace safety through psychological safety principles, Baha demonstrates how this approach can drive tangible business results.   "According to research, when employees feel that their opinions count, we see happiness, reduction in turnover and more productivity." Practical Tools for Immediate Implementation The discussion explores two powerful tools from Baha's collection of 32 practical approaches. The first tool, "Movers, Movables, Immovables," (from Jason Little’s Lean Change Management) helps leaders navigate resistance to change by identifying different employee groups and focusing on achievable wins. The second tool, the "Green Card" technique, demonstrates how one director successfully transformed a silent team into an engaged workforce by explicitly encouraging dissent.   "Don't spend so much of our time with resistance. Find the movers, and find the small-wins."   The Journey of Self-Reflection Baha emphasizes the critical role of self-reflection in developing psychological safety. He outlines a progression from awareness to action, stressing that leadership transformation begins with self-awareness and requires consistent application of knowledge.   "Everything in life starts from within. Without leading ourselves, we can't lead others." Recommended Reading For Further Study Baha’s Guest Blog Post: https://scrum-master-toolbox.org/2025/02/uncategorized/how-facebook-scaled-psychological-safety-mehmet-baha-shares-their-journey/ Baha’s Book: "Creating Psychological Safety at Work: The Essential Guide to Boosting Team Performance" by Mehmet Baha (Available on Amazon) Free Resources: solutionfolder.com/free-resources - access video series on psychological safety About Mehmet Baha Mehmet Baha is a psychological safety expert and one of Facebook's first European employees, with over 24 years of experience working with top organizations. He delivers global talks and learning sessions, equipping leaders with practical tools and strategies to foster trust, innovation, and collaboration, creating safer, more inclusive workplaces worldwide.   You can link with Mehmet Baha on LinkedIn.

22 Feb 34min