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Home > Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast > Fear-Free Teams—Creating Psychological Safety for High Performance | Mariano Gontcher
Podcast: Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast
Episode:

Fear-Free Teams—Creating Psychological Safety for High Performance | Mariano Gontcher

Category: News & Politics
Duration: 00:14:49
Publish Date: 2025-09-04 10:05:00
Description: Mariano Gontchar: Fear-Free Teams—Creating Psychological Safety for High Performance

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

Mariano's definition of Scrum Master success has evolved dramatically from his early days of focusing on "deliver on time and budget" to a more sophisticated understanding centered on team independence and psychological safety. Today, he measures success by whether teams can self-manage, communicate effectively with stakeholders, and operate without fear of criticism. This shift represents a fundamental change from output-focused metrics to outcome-focused team health indicators that create sustainable high performance.

Self-reflection Question: How has your definition of success evolved in your current role, and what would change if you focused on team independence rather than traditional delivery metrics?

Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Frustration-Based Retrospective

Mariano's retrospective approach focuses on asking team members about their biggest frustrations from the last sprint. This format helps team members realize their frustrations aren't unique and creates psychological safety for sharing challenges. The key is always asking the team to propose solutions themselves rather than imposing fixes, making retrospectives about genuine continuous improvement rather than just complaining sessions.

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