Servant Leader Or True Leader?
Some thoughts on how the Scrum Guide refers to Scrum Masters as true leaders instead of servant leaders
In the 2020 edition of the Scrum Guide, the Scrum Master as a servant leader was changed into a ‘true leader.’ Although it still emphasizes that as a true leader, the Scrum Master ‘serves,’ the concept of servant leadership isn’t part of the guide anymore.
I’m not a big supporter of this change. I keep referring to Scrum Masters as servant leaders. 🤷♂️
As a Scrum Master, you teach, facilitate, coach, mentor, remove impediments, and spark change with the mindset and attitude of a servant leader.
Although I don’t know the exact motivation for the change, my hunch is that Scrum Masters were considered powerless servants and not enough leaders. Despite the root cause, it misses the whole point of servant leadership (as I understand it). Being a true leader is an important part of servant leadership. 👊
The Scrum Master leads by example, respect, and ability to influence the organization for the Scrum team and its effectiveness. The Scrum Master should lead with values, courage, commitment, and stubbornness. Stubborn by having strong beliefs and the intention to change the organization.
Servant leadership is the backbone of the Scrum Master role. Its philosophy and practices increase teamwork and create an environment where individual growth can flourish and endure. 🌱
“Servant leadership is the backbone of the Scrum Master role. Its philosophy and practices increase teamwork and create an environment in which individual growth can flourish and endure.”
While ‘servant leadership’ is a philosophy you can find tons of material & content for, ‘true leadership’ is quite an abstract concept. Sure, there’s no shortage of leadership content, but ‘true leadership’ can easily be confused with the hierarchical boss. Before you know it, the Scrum Master is considered/considers him/herself the team boss, and self-management is thrown out of the window. 🙈
I understand that this isn’t the purpose of ‘true leadership,’ but I worry that the damage of misunderstanding ‘true leadership’ is bigger than the damage of misunderstanding ‘servant leadership.’
What are your thoughts about servant leadership vs true leadership, and how is it explained in the Scrum Guide?
