5 Common Mistakes New Scrum Masters Make
How to Fix Them
👋 Hey, Carlos here! Welcome to “The Holistic Leader”, your weekly source of simple and honest leadership, Agile, Management & team insights.
When you’re a new Scrum Master, it’s normal to feel like you need to get everything right. But let me tell you something: nobody gets it perfect from the start.
Mistakes happen and that’s okay.
What’s important is learning from them and making small, simple changes to do better next time.
Let’s talk about 5 common mistakes Scrum Masters make and, more importantly, how you can handle each one.
1. Trying to do everything yourself
When I first started, I thought being a Scrum Master meant fixing every problem.
👉 If someone was stuck, I’d jump in.
👉 If the team didn’t know what to do, I’d tell them.
But I quickly learned that doing everything myself wasn’t helping my team.
I know, you want to show you’re capable, so you take on too much.
Next time:
Ask more questions:
Instead of solving problems right away, try asking, “What do you think we should do?” This lets your team solve issues themselves.
Share the load:
Let team members lead parts of meetings or take ownership of tasks as a team, not just individual tasks. → The whole team is accountable.
Trust your team:
Remind yourself that your job isn’t to do everything, but it’s to guide the team so they can succeed.
Personal Experience:
Once, a teammate asked me how to handle a scheduling conflict. Instead of telling them what to do, I asked, “What options have you thought about?” They came up with great solutions.
2. Forgetting to connect with your team
In my early days, I was so focused on deadlines and tasks that I didn’t take time to really connect with my team. I learned the hard way that without trust, the team struggles to work together.
👉 It’s easy to get caught up in the work and forget about the people doing it.
Next time:
Schedule quick check-ins:
Spend 10-15 minutes each week talking to each team member. Ask things like:
“How are you feeling about your work this week?”
“Is there anything you’re stuck on?”
“How can I support you better?”
Celebrate small wins:
Point out when someone does something great, even if it seems small. For example, “Thanks for stepping up to help finish that task yesterday!”
→ This is really important.
Be curious:
Learn about your team’s hobbies, goals, or even their favorite snack. These little things help build strong relationships.
Personal Experience:
I started every one-on-one with a simple question: “How’s your week going so far?” This small habit opened the door for more honest conversations.
3. Making too many changes too quickly
When I first learned about Agile, I got excited and wanted to improve everything all at once. I changed how we tracked work, how we ran meetings, and even how we talked about goals, all in the same sprint. My team felt overwhelmed, and nothing stuck.
👉 You’re eager to help and think big changes will make a big difference right away.
Next time:
Start small:
Focus on improving one thing at a time. For example, start by improving how you run standups before moving on to sprint reviews.
Ask for ideas:
Say to your team, “What’s one thing we could improve next sprint?” This keeps the changes manageable and builds trust.
Be patient:
Small steps over time lead to big results.
Personal Experience:
Instead of overhauling our entire planning process, I started by adding 5 extra minutes for team members to share their ideas. That small change made a big difference in engagement.
4. Avoiding tough conversations
In the beginning, I avoided conflict because I didn’t want to upset anyone. If someone disagreed in a meeting, I’d quickly change the subject. But avoiding problems only made things worse.
👉 Nobody likes awkward conversations, especially when you’re new.
Next time:
Talk about issues early:
If something feels off, bring it up. For example, “I noticed we’ve had some misunderstandings in the past few sprints. How can we fix this?”
Focus on solutions, not blame:
Say, “How can we work through this together?” instead of “Who’s responsible?”
Create a safe space:
Let your team know it’s okay to share frustrations or ideas without judgment.
Personal Experience:
During a retrospective, I asked, “What’s something that’s holding us back?” A team member mentioned unclear priorities. That led to a great conversation and better alignment for the next sprint.
5. Only focusing on tasks, not growth
Early on, I thought being a Scrum Master was all about completing tasks and hitting deadlines. But I realized that real success comes from how the team work, how they communicate, solve problems, and improve over time.
👉 It’s easier to focus on visible things like tasks and deadlines than to track team growth.
Next time:
Celebrate progress:
During retrospectives, ask, “What’s one thing we got better at this sprint?”
Acknowledge personal wins:
If someone tries a new skill or steps out of their comfort zone, point it out.
Set team goals:
Talk about how the team wants to grow, not just what they want to deliver.
Personal Experience:
At the end of one sprint, I said, “I noticed we communicated so much better this time compared to last sprint. That’s a big win!” This shifted the team’s focus to how they were improving, not just what they were finishing.
Final Thoughts
Being a Scrum Master isn’t about being perfect
It’s about learning, growing, and helping your team do the same. Mistakes happen, but they’re opportunities to get better.
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Thanks for reading
See you next week!
- Carlos✌️
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