Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast

Episode Summary: How to Break the Cycle of Dominant Personalities in Agile Teams

Guest: Mohini Kissoon
Host: Vasco Duarte
Date: January 12, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Vasco Duarte welcomes Mohini Kissoon, an experienced agility lead from Australia, to discuss a prevalent challenge many Agile teams face: how dominant personalities can hinder collaboration and stifle team growth. Mohini shares a candid story from her early days as a Scrum Master, explores her failures and learnings, and provides practical techniques for fostering inclusive environments where every voice is valued.

Guest Introduction & Journey to Scrum Mastery

• Mohini’s background:
  • Started her IT career as a developer and moved through roles such as BA, SAP Analyst, and PMO (02:17).
  • Initial skepticism about Agile, seeing it as “just another framework” pushed from above (02:53).
  • Realization: “Agile is not a solution being handed down. It is a different way of thinking about how we solve problems together.” (03:35)
  • Embraced Agile through hands-on practice, moved from organizing Scrum events to mentoring other Scrum Masters and scaling Agile practices (04:40).

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Failure: Focusing on Process over People

• Mohini reflects on her first year:
  • Focused too much on Scrum “by the book” and less on people and team dynamics (06:17).
  • Quote: “I was mainly focusing on the process and less on the people, which is very different to what the Agile Manifesto preaches.” (06:28)

The Dominant Developer: "Tom"

• Team context:
  • Mid-sized product team with a senior developer (“Tom”), brilliant but dominant.
  • Tom “would speak first, would speak longest and often override others’ ideas.”
  • Standups became reporting sessions to Tom rather than collaborative planning (07:19, 07:59).
• Initial mistake:
  • Mohini observed but didn’t intervene, assuming others agreed with Tom because they remained quiet.
  • “For me, I thought, well, if we just followed the framework perfectly, everything else will just fall into place. And this is where I failed.” (08:36)

Recognizing the Problem

• Host Vasco probes for Mohini’s emotional perspective:

  • Felt uneasy about Tom’s style but rationalized his dominance due to his experience.
  • Real turning point after speaking privately with junior developers:
    • "They didn’t feel that they had a say in anything that was being developed, so they felt they were just a cog in the machine." (10:09)
    • One junior was considering leaving the organization due to the toxic environment.

• Self-realization:

  • “My silence as a facilitator, as a Scrum Master at that point, has been giving the wrong impression to the team, which was that this kind of dynamics is acceptable.” (11:00)
  • “I confused silence with agreement.” (11:19)

Addressing the Issue: Dialogue & Experiments

• Feedback with Tom:

  • Mohini shares feedback with Tom (without naming names); surprised by his openness.
  • Tom’s intention: believed he was helping the team grow, unaware of negative impact (11:53).

• Collaborative solutions:

  • Together, Mohini and Tom brainstormed ways to create space for others:
    • Tom would allow others to speak first in planning sessions
    • Reduced pressure on Tom, let the team share and own ideas (12:29)

• New facilitation techniques:

  • Introduced “silent brainstorming” and “round robin” to encourage broader participation.
  • Created more space for all voices and reduced influence of the dominant personality (13:14).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Agile is not a solution being handed down. It is a different way of thinking about how we solve problems together.” — Mohini Kissoon (03:35)
• “I confused silence with agreement.” — Mohini Kissoon (11:19)
• “My silence as a facilitator… was giving the wrong impression to the team, which was that this kind of dynamics is acceptable.” — Mohini Kissoon (11:00)
• “The facilitation strategies kind of maximizing the opportunity for others to express their views without being influenced. I think those are very practical tips and approaches.” — Vasco Duarte (13:29)

Practical Tools & Approaches Shared

• Silent Brainstorming: Everyone writes ideas independently before sharing, reducing dominant influence (13:14).
• Round Robin Sharing: Each person takes a turn, ensuring all voices are heard (13:14).
• Direct, private feedback conversations: Approach both the juniors and the senior explicitly and empathetically to surface perspectives and open dialogue (09:22–12:10).
• Encouraging reflection in dominant members: Creating a safe space for them to learn about their unintended impacts and adjust (11:53).

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:17] — Mohini’s Agile Journey: from skeptic to Scrum Master
• [06:17] — First-year mistakes: process focus over people
• [07:19] — The emergence of the dominant personality issue
• [08:36] — The hazards of “just following the book”
• [10:09] — Impact on junior developers and realization of team dysfunction
• [11:00] — Mohini’s self-reflection on facilitator silence
• [11:53] — Tom’s perspective and the first feedback session
• [12:29] — Experiments in team facilitation and the path to improvement
• [13:14] — New facilitation techniques: silent brainstorming and round robin

Conclusion & Takeaways

• Dominant personalities can undermine the collaborative spirit essential to Agile.
• Silence from the facilitator can unintentionally condone unhealthy team dynamics.
• Addressing such issues requires empathy, direct feedback, inclusive facilitation techniques, and experimentation.
• Even the most well-intentioned team members may be unaware of their impact; feedback and openness can spark real change.
• Scrum Masters should prioritize creating psychological safety and space for all voices, not just follow the framework "by the book".

For Scrum Masters and Agile practitioners, this episode is a valuable guide for navigating complex team dynamics with humility, courage, and practical action.