A moment of deliberate non-intervention

Sometimes the most important thing a Scrum Master does is not visible.

They do not interrupt.
They do not rescue.
They do not explain.
They do not tidy up the conversation too quickly.

They wait.

Not because they are passive.
Not because they are unsure.
But because the team may need the space to work something out for themselves.

Scrum Masters and Cynefin – when simple rules help

This is the first post in a short series exploring the Scrum Master role through the four main Cynefin domains:

Cynefin is useful because it reminds us that not all work is the same.

Some work is uncertain and needs experimentation.
Some work needs expert analysis.
Some work is urgent and unstable.

But some work really is straightforward.

Scrum Masters are often expected to help.

They notice tension.
They see confusion.
They spot inefficient conversations.
They recognise patterns before the team does.

So the temptation is obvious: step in, explain, fix, smooth, coach or redirect.

Sometimes that is exactly what is needed.

But sometimes the most helpful thing a Scrum Master can do is pause.

For the last few months, I’ve been using my 2014 Asus Zenbook UA303UA laptop for writing projects.

This month, I switched from Google Chrome OS Flex to Zorin OS (Linux) and I couldn’t be more delighted.