Gregory Miller: The Importance of Relationship Building in Agile, And How To Prepare For A New Team

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In this episode, Greg shares a story during a time of large company changes. He was assigned to a team that had previously struggled with a problematic Scrum Master. Greg had a conversation with the team's manager to understand their expectations. However, he failed to address the manager's assumption that the Scrum Master should perform the team's work.

As a result, the team remained confused about the role of the Scrum Master, and they constantly questioned Greg's activities. The failure, in Greg's perspective, was his inability to establish a stronger relationship with the manager and gain a deeper understanding of their expectations. Greg emphasizes the importance of building relationships with the teams one works with, even if it means setting aside the framework of Scrum temporarily.

In this episode, we recommend the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie as a valuable resource for improving interpersonal skills. Greg also shares a couple of tips based on his experience. Firstly, he suggests sitting next to the team from day one to foster a sense of belonging. Additionally, spending quality time with the team can help in developing a better understanding of their dynamics and needs. Greg emphasizes that effective work happens through people and building relationships is crucial for success.

Greg's failure to build a better relationship with the manager resulted in confusion within the team and a lack of clarity about the Scrum Master's responsibilities.

 

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About Gregory (Greg) Miller

Greg is an Agilist and Coach who has been working in Agile software development for more than 10 years. He hosts The Agile Within podcast with Mark Metze (a previous guest), which promotes agile behaviors and mindset. He lives in Ohio with his wife and four children, two of which are twins.

You can link with Gregory (Greg) Miller on LinkedIn and connect with Gregory (Greg) Miller on Twitter.