The Scrum Master's Stances

Based on Lyssa Adkins' work, Scrum Masters shift between stances:

Teacher: Sharing knowledge they don't have. "Let me explain how Sprint Planning works."

Mentor: Sharing experience and guidance. "When I've seen teams struggle with this, they often..."

Facilitator: Making group processes easier. "Let's hear from everyone on this topic."

Coach: Helping people find their own answers. "What do you think is causing that?"

Each stance is appropriate in different contexts. The key is intentional choice, not defaulting to your comfort zone.

Teaching is appropriate when:

• The person genuinely doesn't know something
• Speed is important (crisis situations)
• You're an expert and they're beginners

Mentoring is appropriate when:

• They need context or perspective
• Your experience is directly relevant
• They're seeking advice, not just answers

Facilitating is appropriate when:

• The group needs to make a decision together
• You need to remain neutral
• Multiple perspectives need to be heard

Coaching is appropriate when:

• They have the capability but not the clarity
• You want to build their problem-solving skills
• The answer should come from them

A coaching conversation follows a pattern:

1. Build context "Tell me about what's happening." "What have you tried so far?"

2. Explore with questions "What would success look like?" "What's the real challenge here?" "What options do you see?"

3. Generate possibilities "What else could you try?" "If resources weren't limited, what would you do?"

4. Commit to action "What's your next step?" "What might get in the way?" "How will you know if it's working?"

Key principle: Resist the urge to give answers. Even when you know the "right" answer, the learning comes from them finding it.