To Reach Your Goals You Might Need A Detour!
If the direct way doesn't work, think of other ways to get there.
Dacia Took A Detour To Get Her Scrum Master Job.
Last Week Conversation I had a conversation with Dacia Markum for my How I Met My First Scrum Master Job-project. Dacia fell in love with the idea of Scrum and Agile Management during a Project Management training 3.5 years ago. She knew, she wanted to become a Scrum Master. But after trying to land a job for months, she decided for strategy change. So she took a detour via Quality Engineering. She quickly got a job in a Scrum Team which then helped her get into the Scrum Master position. Taking this detour was possibly the fastest way to get there!
Funnily enough the conversation with Dacia was due to myself wondering:
Should I Take A Detour?
What I want is to bring Agile Self-Management to Solopreneurs in the form of Go Scrum Yourself. To help them manage themselves, their time and their business better. Because the freedom of being a self-employed can be a real challenge!
But most people I interacted with on LinkedIn or in my Random Acts of Kindness Coachings were interested in becoming a Scrum Master.
So I decided to take a detour and started creating a small product for them.
Should Your Team Take A Detour?
When you’re starting to support a team in their transformation they might be overwhelmed with a total overhaul. So it might be time for a detour! Maybe you introduce a Kanban setup first to illustrate the flow of work. Maybe you only start with some parts of Scrum and add the others later. Resistance to change is natural and can be much easier overcome gradually than with a big bang approach!
Take A Detour, But Don’t Loose Your Vision!
The important thing when taking a detour? Remember why you are doing it.
There is a risk to get lost on that new path. You might end up in a completely different place, if you forget to return to the original route. Make sure not to loose your vision out of sight.
Unless you realise that it changed and your new direction is the right one!
Dacia’s Vision Remained With Scrum Mastery.
Even though her heart was with the Agile principles, Dacia stayed curious about Quality Engineering. Maybe this was the right thing after all? Maybe the Scrum Master accountabilities only sounded nice on paper? Or maybe she would even discover a passion for coding and software development? But after giving it a real chance, she still worked towards her vision to become a Scrum Master.
My Vision Is Still To Support Solopreneurs.
I really like to help aspiring Scrum Masters and will do it as good as I can. I started with some interviews, but already have many more ideas. Maybe there will be an ebook? Maybe I will do some 1:1 support? Maybe even create a cohort-based course similar to Jeremy Randall’s “Your First Scrum Team”.
And who knows? Maybe this will become my vision?
But at the moment my heart still is somewhere else. I'd still like to help people out of the dependency of one employer. From permanent employment to freelancing to Solopreneurship. I just have to do it myself first.
Your Team’s Vision Might Change. Or Not.
Your team might end up with a completely different framework! Scrum is so trendy right now, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. As a Scrum Master you might lead your team via Kanban towards Scrum. Or you might end up with something entirely different.
After all, the goal is to create value fast and become self-managed.
Adhering to a document of 13 pages (the Scrum Guide) is one way (and I think a very valuable one), but maybe your team creates something that works even better for them. You might not be a Scrum Master in the end, but end up as an Agile Coach. Would that be so bad?
Maybe You Should Take A Detour?
It worked out for Dacia, I’m confident it will work out for me and it’s definitely a great strategy for teams in an Agile transformation.
So maybe it’s also the right thing for you?
Maybe you should also take a detour?
If you’ve been struggling with a challenge in your life - and you only tried to solve it the direct way - maybe a new route could make the difference?
Are you trying to loose weight? Maybe improving the quality of your social life could be the detour you need. It could give you the confidence and happiness required not to numb your emotions with food.
Are you trying to solve your mental issues? Maybe a new job could be what actually helps you to get there. It could make you feel valued and needed, give your days a purpose and lighten up your mood.
Are you trying to improve your self-discipline? Maybe getting some external accountability could be the key. When you start experiencing the benefits of being disciplined, this could give you the extra motivation. Or you just fall into the habit and it doesn’t feel like discipline anymore.
A Detour Can Lead To A Truly Fulfilled Life!
We often think of purposeful lives as following a straight line, but many incredibly famous and successful people have taken a detour at some point.
Michael Jordan played Baseball for 2 years, before returning to Basketball and winning another 3 championships with the Chicago Bulls.
Elon Musk co-founded Paypal, before he returned to work on his vision of making life on Mars a possibility by founding companies such as Tesla and SpaceX.
Kurt Vonnegut worked for General Electrics, before he returned to his real passion of writing and created modern classics such as Slaughterhouse Five and Cat’s Craddle.
So to come to an end, let me summarise this in one sentence:
When One Strategy Doesn’t Work,
Maybe It’s Time To Try Another!
And until next time, don’t forget to:
Go Scrum Yourself!