I WANT TO CONVINCE YOU THAT...
I interviewed a Scrum Master candidate last week. This blog is inspired by him.
I began the interview with my first question - "What questions do you have for me?". He was prepared with his top five questions. Those first five questions, led to many others, and before we knew, 25 minutes had passed. Then I asked him to hold his other questions for sometime, and I asked my first - "What outcome would he like to achieve from this conversation?"
One of the answers startled me - "I want to convince you that I am the best person for this job!"
HOW WILL YOU CONVINCE ME THAT...
I told him that my wish was that he also use this conversation to seek answers from me to these questions...
- Ravi, how will you convince me that you are the best hiring manager for me...?
- Ravi, how will you convince me that your opportunity is the best opportunity for me...?
- Ravi, how will you convince me that your client is the best client for me...?
The way an interviewer responds to these questions might give you some signs about how they might treat you if you choose to accept the offer. The signs might be subtle, so you must know how to see, hear and feel them.
THE PURPOSE DRIVEN SCRUM MASTER
Many Scrum Masters I meet are purpose driven. This is not a job for them. It is a calling. It is a calling to honor their life purpose - to serve others. It is a calling to live by principles and values higher than the principle of survival.
They might have tried all they could to suppress or ignore this calling. But it refuses to be ignored. It refuses to go away. It is waiting at their doorstep and must be let-in. It must be answered and honored. They are most joyful when they lead a life of resonance, where this calling, these principles and values are honored.
THE DISSONANT SCRUM MASTER
This is why Scrum Masters can suffer when they find themselves in environments that are misaligned with their life purpose, their principles and values. When they realize that they have surrendered the privilege of writing the story of their life to authors who shared neither their purpose, nor their principles or values.
This could be their Boss, their Product Owner, their Developers, Account Manager, Client, the list goes on and on. It is not a good feeling to have these squatters in their home, dishonoring their life purpose, violating their values and writing their story. This dissonance between the people writing the story of their life and their highest, truest inner self is the root cause of suffering.
THE FULFILLED SCRUM MASTER
An important question to explore in the interview is whether this is an opportunity to experience fulfilment as a Scrum Master. But what is "fulfillment"? In the world of Co-Active Coaching...
"Fulfillment is about being wholly alive. It is the state of fully expressing who we are and doing what is right for us, in every situation. Fulfillment is a natural state of being – our birthright – and living a life of fulfillment is a radical act. Transformation occurs when we step fully into living in alignment with our values, are on purpose and consciously choose the resonance of Fulfillment over the dissonance of the saboteur voices."
THE LEADER WITHIN THE SCRUM MASTER
An important question to explore in the interview is whether this is an opportunity to honor your leader within. But what is the "leader within"? In the world of Co-Active Coaching...
"Your Leader Within is your inner authority who leads by example, standing in full self-acceptance and claiming full self-authority of your life’s journey. Your Leader Within is both an expression of who you are now and who you are becoming. They are the chooser within you who knows how to make life-affirming choices that lead you to the fullest expression of your life purpose and values in every aspect of your life. Your Leader Within has always been a part of you and is always available as one of many inner resources."
THE SELF-AUTHORITY SCRUM MASTER
An important question to explore in the interview is whether this is an opportunity to live with self-authority. But what is the "self-authority"? In the world of Co-Active Coaching...
"The active expression of your Leader Within is self-authority. Self-authority is the ability to lead your life rather than having life lead you. We don’t always get to choose the circumstances of our lives; however, we do get to choose to create from circumstance rather than react to it. Self-authority is recognizing that you have the power to create from what is, and author your own story. Self-authority is linked to the wisdom of the gut; the strong, sure place of knowing exactly what is needed."
THE FIVE MOST IMPORTANT SCRUM MASTER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
So this leads me to my wish for you, my precious Scrum Master, as you prepare for your next interview - use it to get answers to these five questions..
- Who will be writing the next chapter in the story of my life?
- What have they have written recently? What are they writing now?
- What will they write for me?
- Is that what I want?
- Do they deserve me?
THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE
Over the years, the story of your life will be read and heard many times. My wish is that it is written by the truest, highest version of yourself - your inner leader. The next chapter is about to be written. Make it a good one.