Podcast Summary

Podcast: Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches
Episode: When Product Owners Eat the Grass for Their Teams | Tom Molenaar
Host: Vasco Duarte
Guest: Tom Molenaar
Date: October 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores key patterns and anti-patterns in the Product Owner (PO) role within Agile teams. Tom Molenaar, an experienced Agile coach, discusses how over-involvement from Product Owners can hinder self-organization and provides insights into fostering empowered teams. The episode contrasts anti-patterns with positive examples, sharing actionable advice for Scrum Masters and Agile teams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Product Owner Anti-pattern: Micromanagement & “Eating the Grass”

[01:53 - 08:25]

• Micromanaging PO:
  Tom shares a scenario where the PO was “a bit too controlling in guiding the team”—hosting daily standups, assigning tasks, and “chasing people within that daily call.”

  • “The PO was… managing the team on a micromanagement level. So this is the anti-pattern that I want to discuss today because, yeah, it blocks the team from self-organizing.” (Tom Molenaar, 01:53)

• Impacts:

  • Blocks team autonomy and responsibility.
  • Stifles opportunities for the team to “stand up” and own their work.

• Dutch Expression:

  • Tom likens the PO’s behavior to “eating the grass for the team,” meaning doing work that the team should own themselves.
    • “The PO was taking all the space and eating the grass for the team, basically.” (Tom Molenaar, 04:52)
  • The host, Fresco, comments:
    • “Eating the grass for the team…that’s a great way to put it.” (Fresco, 04:59)

Motivations Behind Micromanagement

• Root Cause:
  The micromanaging PO acted out of fear from past team underperformance:
  • “He felt like if I’m not holding on to the team, if I’m not guiding them or managing them, they will perform less.” (Tom, 03:33)

2. Intervening and Coaching for Change

[05:21 - 09:05]

• Intervention Approach:

  • Tom speaks directly with the PO, surfacing the behavior and underlying motivations.
  • Re-frames the conversation to:
    • Highlight benefits of a self-organizing team.
    • Stress the time-saving and trust aspects for the PO.
    • Empower the team by clarifying roles and responsibilities.

• Role Clarification:

  • Tommy brings these topics to the team retrospective:
    • Reiterates team’s responsibility for “how to build it.”
    • Affirms PO’s responsibility for "what is being built."
    • Aligns everyone on accountabilities.

• Gradual Change:

  • Emphasizes this is not a switch that flips overnight:
    • “It’s not a one-time conversation… The PO will feel situations where he feels the need to step in, or the team is hesitating to step up because they need to get used to that space.” (Tom, 08:39)

Coaching Both Sides

• Quotes:
  • “We need to coach both sides…not enough to help the PO see the potential future. We also need to help the team walk through the different aspects that they need to take on.” (Fresco, 08:25)
  • “For us as Scrum Masters and coaches, it’s really important to guide the team in that process…” (Tom, 08:39)

3. Model Product Owners: Positive Patterns

[09:21 - 13:16]

• Vision and Enthusiasm:

  • Tom describes working with a PO who communicated vision and passion, inspiring both the team and external collaborators.
    • “He was able to communicate his vision and enthusiasm about the product so clearly towards the team that I really felt inspired as well.” (Tom, 09:37)

• Engaged Product Discovery:

  • The PO encouraged collaboration in discovery, moving teams from just “delivering features” to being responsible for outcomes.
    • “He was able to introduce techniques to have the team engaged in, for example, product discovery.” (Tom, 10:05)
    • Mentions Marty Cagan’s ideas about “empowered product teams” who collaborate on validating ideas.

• Connecting Stakeholders and Teams:

  • The PO invited customers and stakeholders for face-to-face feedback, reducing gaps and promoting transparency.
    • “He was physically inviting certain stakeholders to really make that relation between the engineers… and the users.” (Tom, 12:30)

• Measuring Outcomes:

  • The PO engaged the team in outcome measurement, connecting their work with real-world impact.
    • “Measuring the outcomes and really engaging the team on… what is the effect of the product that we worked on.” (Tom, 11:30)

• Host’s Summary of PO's Role:

  • “The PO needs to be the catalyst… all of the things that you said, they are so much more powerful when the PO is at the center, is the catalyst of all those things.” (Fresco, 12:59)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Eating the grass for the team. Is that a Dutch expression?” (Fresco, 04:54)
• “If he freed up that time and he could trust his team with building the product during the sprint without his day to day engagement… what it would mean for him if he no longer feels the need to micromanage the team.” (Tom, 05:40)
• “A team that is hopefully speaking up more on team matters that they're self-organizing on.” (Tom, 06:44)
• “We need to coach both sides… help the team walk through the different aspects…” (Fresco, 08:25)
• “He was able to inspire the team, to communicate his vision, to take the team along and really be enthusiastic about the discovery techniques.” (Tom, 11:05)
• “The PO needs to be the catalyst.” (Fresco, 12:59)

Major Timestamps

• [01:53 - 04:54] — Tom shares the “eating the grass” anti-pattern and its impact
• [05:21 - 09:05] — How Tom intervened: coaching, role clarification, retrospective work
• [09:21 - 13:16] — Tom’s example of a great Product Owner and positive team engagement

Resources & Follow-Up

• Connect with Tom Molenaar:
  • LinkedIn (to be included in episode notes)
  • Website (currently under construction)

Tone & Language

• The episode is practical, candid, and supportive.
• Both host and guest maintain a collaborative and positive tone throughout, emphasizing growth, reflection, and practical guidance.

For Agile coaches, Scrum Masters, and team members, this episode provides a nuanced look at the PO’s dual risks and potentials, illustrating why empowering teams while maintaining vision is the key to high-performance Agile.