It’s great news that the Scrum Guide contains a new (ok, not that new anymore) focus on five values: Commitment. Focus. Openness. Respect & last but certainly not last: Courage.
These values give direction to our work, our behavior and our actions. In a Scrum context the decisions we take, the steps we take, the way we play Scrum, the practices we add to Scrum, they all should re-enforce these values.
Recently I watched this video from Simon Sinek , it’s about leadership and what makes a leader a leader, but from 10:19 he starts a passage about courage and the importance of this value, or behavior. Not for leaders only.
In a Scrum context we say things about courage like :
It takes courage to say “No” to people you like.
It takes courage to work with imperfect specifications.
It takes courage to be open and true in a retrospective every 2 weeks.
It takes courage to consider change as an opportunity.
But how do I create an environment that fosters this kind of behavior?
In the video Sinek states about courage:
Here’s the catch. Courage is not something from deep inside: you’ll find Courage external. Our courage comes from the support we feel from others. When you feel that someone has your back and you know the moment you admit: i cant do it, there will be someone for you, helping you, that’s what giving you the courage to start working on the difficult things. That’s courage.
Simon Sinek
Beautiful!
I myself feel loved, appreciated, valuable and, at work, backed by my boss.
So, this gives me the courage to back the people I work with and as a result, I can give them courage as well. Very practical : among others I try to be open, real, show interest, be vulnerable, honest, show emotions.
Perhaps I just try to be a human at work too.
I believe that showing courage is one of the most important parts of my job, whatever the role.
Enjoy the video! ( related part starts at 10:19)