Agile Mentors Podcast from Mountain Goat Software

#2: Succeeding in the Scrum Master Role with Mike Cohn

Join Mike Cohn and Brian Milner as they discuss the Scrum Master role: its distinctions from project management, Scrum Master responsibilities for team success, and advice for new Scrum Masters.
In this episode, Brian Milner talks with Mike Cohn about the Scrum Master role from the inception of its title to the role it plays in agile today.
Mike Cohn has trained more than 30,000 Scrum Masters and shares his experience of the challenges he faced early on helping project managers to transition to effective Scrum Masters.
Brian and Mike discuss the distinction and overlap between traditional project management styles and the servant-leadership role of the Scrum Master. They also talk about how responsible a Scrum Master should be for the success of the project and the success of a team.
Finally, Brian and Mike share the advice they would give to Scrum Masters who want to be valuable to any team and organization—including those looking to get their first job in this role.
Listen now to discover:
02:14 - Why the Scrum Master title was created to help people succeed in this position
04:54 - Job role, title, or accountabilities? Is one more important for defining someone’s position in a Scrum team?
07:41 - The key differences between a project manager and Scrum Master
08:43 - How responsible should a Scrum Master be for the success of a project?
13:21 - Facilitator or leader? How not to fade into the background
17:46 - How to deal with people in power who make bad agile decisions
22:06 - Continuous improvement doesn’t mean you should play it safe
26:34 - How do you know when you’re ready to break the rules to be a successful Scrum Master?
27:06 - No experience and looking for your first job? What to do (and not do) to improve your resume
Listen next time when we’ll be discussing…
The product owner role with guest co-host Lance Dacy. You’ll learn what it takes to be a great product owner as well as common misunderstandings people have about the role.
References and resources mentioned in the show
Monty Python’s Dead Parrot sketch
Kaizen approach for continuous improvement
Lyssa Adkins Coaching Stances
Want to get involved?
This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.
Enjoyed what you heard today? Take a second to leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com
This episode’s presenters are:
Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work.
Mike Cohn is co-founder of the Scrum Alliance, and founder of Mountain Goat Software. He’s a veteran of applying Scrum and agile principles and practices to help organizations build better products, and ship them on time.
Show edited by Rhett Gill.

#1: Scrum vs Agile & Keys to Success with Mike Cohn

Join Mike Cohn and Brian Milner as they discuss succeeding with agile, including how to choose a framework, the best place to start, & when to break the rules.
In this first episode of the Agile Mentors podcast, Brian Milner and Mike Cohn explain why it’s important to understand and sometimes break the rules if you want to succeed with an agile approach like Scrum.
While the Scrum Guide states that the rules are ‘immutable,’ clinging to the rulebook mindlessly only holds you back. Instead, you need to know which rules Scrum teams can flex (and when), and which agile principles should always be adhered to.
Brian and Mike share their real-world experience of team members getting things right and wrong, and how you can improve your chances of making long-lasting change as you move to agile.
Listen now to discover:
05:12 - Why people still confuse the terms agile and Scrum
9:01 - How moving to Scrum changed (and improved) Mike’s traditional management style
10:51 - Which rules are OK to break, and how to know when to break them
13:51 - The daily scrum has to be conducted left to right…doesn’t it?
17:38 - An agile culture or agile practices? Which do you adopt first for a successful agile transformation?
22:19 - What do people need to get right for an agile transition?
24:15 - Does continuous improvement mean cross-functional teams are worked to death? (And a fight breaks out on LinkedIn)
30:03 - Of all the methodologies and agile frameworks you can choose (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, extreme programming, etc) which one should you start with?
Listen next time when we’ll be discussing…
The history of the Scrum Master role, its connection to project management, and tips to succeed in this vital Scrum role.
References and resources mentioned in the show
Agile Project Management with Scrum by Ken Schwaber
Scrum Guide
The Princess Bride
The Agile Manifesto
The Karate Kid
Nameless Organizational Change: No-Hype, Low-Resistance Corporate Transformation by Glenn Allen-Meyer
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Dan Pink
Spotify Engineering Culture Part 1 and Part 2
Want to get involved?
This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input.
Enjoyed what you heard today? It would be great if you left a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one.
Got an agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com
This episode’s presenters are:
Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He’s passionate about making a difference in people’s day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work.
Mike Cohn is co-founder of the Scrum Alliance, and founder of Mountain Goat Software. He’s a veteran of applying Scrum and agile principles and practices to help organizations build better products and ship them on time.
Editing by Rhett Gill