Vasco (3:33)

Very good, very good. And because you have a business analyst background, I can imagine that the change in ways of working would immediately be something that you would consider would affect you.

Scott Smith (3:47)

Yeah, absolutely. Changes has always been something I feel. It really resonates with me. I think I noticed that more so when I was doing my MBA at university here in Perth and one of the units there was organizational change and that was really the course which I suppose I excelled in. Of the 12 courses that you do as part of the MBA, and that was probably the one that resonated mostly with me. So it set me on the right path, I suppose.

Vasco (4:27)

Yeah, absolutely. Great background, of course, to then applying all of that as a change agent, as a Scrum Master. But you know, Scrum mastering is not always as easy as we would like it to be. Sometimes it actually is quite hard and we fail. And that's okay. Failure is not a problem as long as we learn. And that's what we want to talk about with you, Scott. So share that story with us, the difficult moment you had as a Scrum Master, and we'll dive into the insights and lessons learned later. But share that story first, Scott.

Scott Smith (4:58)

Sure, you're absolutely right. Fail often and that's all part of the journey. There is one story that comes to mind. On the surface it might seem quite small and insignificant, but it sticks with me for some reason. The story is that I was working with a number of squads as a Scrum Master and we had showcases each Sprint where each squad had a five minute slot and they would share their outcomes from the sprint. And I coordinated and facilitated these showcases. In one instance, one of these showcases, I called out a particular individual in one of the teams for the fantastic work they had done during the sprint. And later on, once we finished the showcase, I got phone call from them and they were really unhappy, so I had upset them. The lesson that I now know and have taken forward with me is not everybody enjoys the limelight and being called out, I suppose without having prior notice or ask for their permission to do so. So that is something that, yeah, really sticks with me. And making sure that I check in with people before doing those types of things in the future is really important to me. So.

Vasco (6:37)

So the. If I understood you correctly, they. By them you mean the team.

Scott Smith (6:45)

No, this was an individual.

Vasco (6:46)

Oh, one that one person One person?

Scott Smith (6:50)

Yeah.

Vasco (6:50)

Wow, that. That is really surprising. So was that person, like, presenting the work that the squad had completed or were they more like in the background? Like, what. What was kind of their. Their. I suppose you could say their. Their stand. Their position in that. In that showcase.

Scott Smith (7:10)

So they were part of a team who were presenting, and this individual was presenting on behalf of the team. And as facilitator, I would go around each team and call up the next presenter, introduce them. And during that introduction, I had shared the fantastic work they had done. I suppose what they didn't like about that when they called me after. After the showcase was not having been told in advance or asked permission to be calling them out, even though I was calling them out for great work. They. They took offense to this and it's drove home, I suppose, the. The need to check in with individuals prior to doing such things. Even if it is, I think the.

Vasco (8:07)

Relationship with that individual continue later. Like, was everything okay after that and you respected their wish and that was all fine?

Scott Smith (8:17)

Yeah, absolutely. We did get hungry and had no issues or concerns. Is it really? I suppose, I think conservative person, someone who's quiet, introverted. So it makes sense that they perhaps didn't like, you know, being called out in a bigger audience where we had maybe 100 plus people on the call, which. Which was what happens.

Vasco (8:45)

That is very surprising because usually people feel proud in what they do, and of course, they are appreciative if that, you know, work that was done with pride and effort is recognized and highlighted. But this individual was not. And I think that your insight. Right, like, check in with people, I think it's incredibly important and for all of us who need to present and who need to work with teams that might, and especially if it is people in the software world that's a high likelihood, might be more introvert, more reserved, more conservative. They might not appreciate the limelight at all, and it might take great effort for them to overcome the anxiety of speaking to a large group and then being put on the spot, even for a good reason, might feel like just one step too far in that anxiety management that many of us still have to deal with.

Scott Smith (9:46)

Right, yeah, yeah, absolutely true. So that was my lesson learned.

Vasco (9:52)

Yeah, absolutely. And a great story and counterintuitive at that. So brilliant. Thank you for sharing that, Scott.

Scott Smith (10:00)

Yeah.

Vasco (10:03)

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Vasco (11:53)

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Vasco (11:56)

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