The Agile Coach Podcast - Transitioning from Scrum Master to Agile Coach with Adam Miner

Transitioning from Scrum Master to Agile Coach with Adam Miner

07/26/23 • 23 min

In this episode of The Agile Coach, host Vivek is joined back again by Adam Miner, an experienced Agile Coach with a background as a Scrum Master. He has worked in various roles in the Agile space, including coaching and mentoring teams in Agile practices. Adam has a deep understanding of the Agile mindset and values and is skilled in facilitating change and driving organizational agility.

Adam shares his experience transitioning from a Scrum Master role to an Agile Coach role. He emphasizes the importance of developing the skill of influencing people through organic trust and respect. Adam believes that the ability to influence is crucial for both Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches. He also highlights the value of understanding the Agile mindset and principles, rather than focusing solely on specific frameworks or certifications. Adam discusses the challenges of working with leadership and management teams, particularly in overcoming resistance to change. He emphasizes the need for Agile Coaches to balance their knowledge of Agile practices with strong interpersonal and leadership skills. Adam encourages new Agilists to be opportunistic and step out of their comfort zones to gain experience. He also advises seeking guidance from experienced professionals in the desired role.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

"The most effective skill in an Agile environment is the ability to influence people through organic trust and respect."
"If you understand the mindset of agility and take the values and principles to heart, you can apply them to any process or situation."
"It's difficult to convince leadership that changing the way they think is necessary to achieve different results."
"The best coaches have a delicate balance of training and coaching, combining Agile knowledge with strong interpersonal skills."
"The goal for any coach should be to scale Agile leadership and create self-organizing teams."

Get to know Adam and what he’s up to:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-miner-77793129/

Connect with Vivek and Pabitra to find out more about what they're up to:

Vivek’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekkhattri/

Pabitra’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabitrakhanal/

The Agile Coach LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc/

Agile Coach Website: https://theagilecoach.com/

If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at our website https://theagilecoach.com/

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

"The most effective skill in an Agile environment is the ability to influence people through organic trust and respect."
"If you understand the mindset of agility and take the values and principles to heart, you can apply them to any process or situation."
"It's difficult to convince leadership that changing the way they think is necessary to achieve different results."
"The best coaches have a delicate balance of training and coaching, combining Agile knowledge with strong interpersonal skills."
"The goal for any coach should be to scale Agile leadership and create self-organizing teams."

Get to know Adam and what he’s up to:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-miner-77793129/

Connect with Vivek and Pabitra to find out more about what they're up to:

Vivek’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekkhattri/

Pabitra’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabitrakhanal/

The Agile Coach LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc/

Agile Coach Website: https://theagilecoach.com/

If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at our website https://theagilecoach.com/

Previous Episode

Abbie DeMartino: From Sports coach to Scrum Master to Dev Manager

In this episode of The Agile Coach, Vivek is joined by Abbie DeMartino, a development manager at Meijer, to share her journey from a sports coaching background to becoming a scrum master and eventually a development manager. She discusses the transferable skills she gained from her previous roles and how she applied them in the tech world. Abbie emphasizes the importance of being competitive, continuously learning, and building relationships with team members. She also provides insights into the challenges and rewards of her current role, including the need to keep up with ever-changing technology and the satisfaction of driving change and coaching others.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

What is it like being a scrum master and product owner - Abbie: “I think the scrum master and the product owner roles are tough. Like they're, it's a unique personality that you need. You need someone who's driven. You need someone who can handle conflict. You need someone who's able to have difficult conversations”

Scrum Master vs. Leadership Role - Abbie: “As a scrum master, I always felt like I could see pain points at the team level and I didn't have any power to do anything about it per se. Now being in a leadership role, I think I can drive change here. What's impacted my team? And I don't know what other word to say besides authority, but I don't mean authority but the ability to implement some of that change has been really exciting and just seeing wins in my team, right? So they're getting out a big body of work to production that they've spent, you know, multiple sprints on and to see it through and celebrate that with them.”

Get to know Abbie and what she’s up to:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbie-gortsema123/

Connect with Vivek and Pabitra to find out more about what they're up to:

Vivek’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekkhattri/

Pabitra’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabitrakhanal/

The Agile Coach LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc/

Agile Coach Website: https://theagilecoach.com/

If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at our website https://theagilecoach.com/

Next Episode

Interviewing for an Agile Coach Role

In this episode of The Agile Coach, host Vivek is joined back again with Adam Miner, an experienced Agile Coach with a background as a Scrum Master, to share his journey of breaking into his first Scrum Master role and transitioning into an Agile Coach role. He emphasizes the importance of personal growth and development outside of the nine-to-five job to set oneself apart in interviews. Adam also highlights the significance of understanding the company culture and team dynamics during the interview process. He advises candidates to focus on showcasing their unique experiences and perspectives to stand out from other candidates.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

"If you can speak to personal growth outside of your nine-to-five in leadership, communications, discipline, success habits, you will probably set yourself apart from eight or nine out of ten other candidates in the process."
"It's very much about what you are saying that another candidate is not saying."
"You do not need a degree to succeed in corporate or agile. You don't have to have a technical background."

Get to know Adam and what she’s up to:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-miner-77793129/
Connect with Vivek and Pabitra to find out more about what they're up to:

Vivek’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekkhattri/

Pabitra’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabitrakhanal/

The Agile Coach LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-coach-llc/

Agile Coach Website: https://theagilecoach.com/

If you enjoy The Agile Coach and are interested in learning more, you can check us out at our website https://theagilecoach.com/