The speed of gaining experience depends on the possibility of carrying out conscious analysis and reflection on events. From this point, we will quickly come to an interesting conclusion: since reflection gives us experience, analytical skills allow us to build experience even from other people’s experiences. That’s why as Scrum Masters we have to carry out so many additional activities outside of work.
Just to name a few of the most important:
1. participation in meetups
We often discuss real situations there. Common conversation and analysis as well as a variety of ideas allow us a deep understanding of what has happened in the past.
2. mentoring process
The Scrum Master is to be a mentor and coach for the team, but he should accelerate his development of those skills by participating in and leading the mentoring process. Sharing experiences on a high-trust basis including shadowing opportunities are often more valuable than years of experiencing the same mistakes.
3. reading books
Is reading a book important if I already know how to do Scrum? Extremely. Even the basic books recommended for taking PSM I provide us with a different view of an author on the same issues. Sometimes one simple sentence triggers the thought process and something jumps back into the right place. Read on.
4. writing articles
Trying to explain a topic in simple terms is difficult. The written form forces you to think, focus and be precise. “but I do not know how to write!” It’s just an excuse. Write, give it to your Scrum Masters friends for review, they will tell you if it is good. Besides, Courage is important for us, right? 😉
5. conducting training
According to the old rule, “I explained it to others several times and finally I understood it myself” – conducting training forces you to prepare the material in a structured way. The need to explain the prepared material and answer participants’ questions force us to look at the issues from a different perspective. The result is a deeper understanding of the issues.
6. creating exercises, simulations and tools
Just like writing articles, this activity requires the creation and focus on what we want to convey. Creating, checking and improving tools leads to the collection of unique solutions. And what a pleasure it is to test and refine tools…
More about evaluating professional experience you’ll find here:
Which way of gaining additional experience is the most important? All of them. Don’t limit yourself to a point or two – take as many as you can. They complement each other.
