Staying a Scrum Master Too Long Can Stall Your Career...Here's What You Can Do About It

Bart has been in ecommerce for over 20 years, and can't imagine a better job to have. He is interested in all things agile, or anything new to learn.

  Agile   Career Development   Scrum  

The scrum master role can be a powerful entry point into the world of agile leadership. It’s where you learn to facilitate, discover the ins and outs of the agile process, guide teams through change, and become a champion of continuous improvement. Many people step into the role with a lot of energy and excitement, only to find themselves in the same position three or five years later, wondering why they feel stuck.

The truth is that while the scrum master role can be incredibly important, and a great entry into an organization, it’s rarely intended to be a final destination. In fact, staying in the role for too long can actually stall your career if you aren’t constantly focused on expanding either your scope or your influence.

The sneaky part is that you won’t feel it at first. The team respects and values your thoughts, and you’ve built good systems and processes. You may even have a string of successes on your resume. But over time, the work becomes predictable and your learning plateaus. Even worse, your organization starts to think of you as a facilitator, and not the driver or the leader that you could become.

The role is a good one, but many people want more. It can be a great launch pad into agile coach, delivery manager, program lead, or even pivot into product or people management. Staying too long in this comfort zone can …

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.