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Home > Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast > From Permission-Seeking to Forgiveness-Begging—Agile Team Evolution in Self-Management | Bernie Maloney
Podcast: Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast
Episode:

From Permission-Seeking to Forgiveness-Begging—Agile Team Evolution in Self-Management | Bernie Maloney
Category: News & Politics
Duration: 00:14:00
Publish Date: 2025-09-11 10:05:00
Description: Bernie Maloney: From Permission-Seeking to Forgiveness-Begging—Agile Team Evolution in Self-Management

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.

Bernie defines success for Scrum Masters as creating teams that can thrive and do their best work independently. His ultimate goal is to make himself unnecessary - developing self-directing teams that step out of waiting for direction and instead seek permission or even beg forgiveness when needed. Using the "Circles and Soup" framework, Bernie helps teams stretch their circles of influence and control. He recognizes that every manager wants teams to succeed but may lack the necessary tools, making it crucial for Scrum Masters to coach managers as well. Bernie recommends building a backlog of organizational impediments and focusing on the top priority that will move the ball forward most effectively.

Featured Retrospective Format for the Week: Sailboat

Bernie champions the Sailboat retrospective format for its simplicity and adaptability. While the basic format is straightforward, he appreciates that you can add layers of complexity as needed. Bernie tends to keep retrospectives simple and also mentions the "What the Duck?" technique as another valuable retrospective tool. He suggests incorporating creative elements like having people build LEGO representations of what they're discussing, which helps teams visualize and engage with concepts more effectively.

To know more about LEGO Serious Play, check out the Serious Play book. 

In this segment, we also refer to Dissociation in Psychology, which helps with "third position" coaching/thinking, and Bernie’s video on creative retrospective formats. 

Self-reflection Question: How are you measuring whether your teams are becoming more self-directing, and what specific behaviors indicate they're ready to operate with less guidance?

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