Not #Influence -- Offtopic today:
ScrumMasters moonlighting and taking two jobs? I just got asked about this at Lean Coffee. Gross. Like, seriously. The question started with one person and then two other people reported the same issue.
We had fun figuring out how to tackle this challenge. First and foremost, there is an HR/Legal angle here. Please consult with HR before taking action
As always at LeanCoffee, I ask others to go first. These were my suggestions (In 60 seconds)
1/5 #TwoJobs
1. Act from empathy, as one person in our group pointed out some people are having to take two jobs to make ends meet.
2. The observed behaviour is that the ScrumMaster was disengaged in various Scrum activities that they should be facilitating and participating in. Either they didn't care, or they were too tired or ???. This has been observed on multiple occasions by someone who is professional coach
2/5 #TwoJobs
3. The person has been difficult to contact outside of the scheduled events (i.e. Daily Scrum).
4. Engage in Systems Thinking (https://agilepainrelief.com/glossary/systems-thinking). Examine the problem from different perspectives: the ScrumMaster; the team's and any other affected individuals. Look at what pressures are being placed the ScrumMaster. Take sometime to understand what motivates this person (https://agilepainrelief.com/glossary/arc-motivational-model - this is a good starting point).
3/5 #TwoJobs
Systems Thinking takes the view that any problem we're working on is part of a larger, interconnected system. Instead of making a quick fix, Systems Thinking encourages us to work with our team to discover the larger context that surrounds our current problem. Resource Links: Dancing with Systems Guidelines for Drawing Causal Loop Diagrams Habits
....We're not trying to diagnose the person (I'm not a psychologist), instead, taking their viewpoint allows for empathy.
5. Have a 1-on-1 with the individual. Instead of raising the issue of two jobs, observe what you're seeing with respect to their engagement in their role as the team's facilitator, coach, etc. Act with empathy, and acknowledge the possibility of burnout or other problems.
4/5 #TwoJobs
6. Work with them on a plan to play their role effectively; invite them to consider changing roles or escalating to HR if they don't want to adapt.
#YourTurn - have you seen ScrumMasters working two jobs? What approach did you take to dealing with it?
Our LeanCoffee's (free) https://agilepainrelief.com/lean-coffee are always engaging, although they're not normally this spicy.
Grab a Virtual Coffee With Mark Many times I’ve been invited to have coffee with attendees after a training workshop, but I usually have to rush off to catch a plane or prepare for the next training. Since I’m not flying back and forth across the country right now like I had been, I have
Mark Levison