Glad I Showed Up

Today I am grateful I showed up one day in June 2017.

On November 18th, 2020 there is going to be a new release of the Scrum Guide. For us Scrum nerds it is a big day. This day is also an opportunity for me to pause and reflect on what has happened in my journey since that day a few years ago.

I’m glad I showed up that day because I got to meet Dr. Jeff Sutherland (the co-creator of Scrum) and Steve Daukas, Scrum Master extraordinaire (and more, I came to learn later). I was there to take a Product Owner course and learn Scrum. I was there because I was curious about what Scrum REALLY was about. In my career as a technical, functional manager I worked with Scrum teams, even impersonated a Product Owner at one point years ago. But, the dude who co-created Scrum was teaching a class at MY company. I had to go see what this was all about.

What I found during the course was something for which I did not bargain, and this moment of self-discovery set off a series of events that took my career (and my life, for that matter) into a brand new direction. That first day of class I saw what true authenticity looked like in both Jeff and Steve — they both truly believed in what they were teaching — and they clearly had the receipts to back it up. Even in the face of a barrage of doubters also in the room that day, they stood confident, committed and proud. I had to be a part of that.

The next day I decided to follow my instinct, and pursue this new direction. I remember vividly upon making that commitment, my Inner Critic showed up saying loudly:

“What the &^%& are you doing?”

Brian’s Inner Critic

I knew at that moment I was in it — outside my comfort zone, but learning and personal growth was ahead.

Here is just some of the the things that happened to me after I made that decision:

Because I showed up, I had the opportunity to teach and speak about Scrum in four countries.

Because I showed up, I had the opportunity to share my personal Agile journey with an author, and it was told in a book.

Because I showed up, I had the opportunity to meet Michaele which led to discovering Agile Best Self, and then together creating this community.

Because I showed up, I took advantage of the opportunity to train for a week with Dr. Jeff Sutherland to learn how to teach Scrum to others with the same passion and authenticity.

Because I showed up, I have met some of the most authentic, passionate people that truly want to make the world a better place — unlike any other group of professionals I have ever encountered.

Because I showed up, I am unafraid about how my career will wind down, but how I might contribute to the world for another 30 years.

Because I showed up, I get to do this stuff again tomorrow and the next day.

So, on November 18th, 2020 we are not only receiving a new Scrum Guide, but also celebrating 25 years of Scrum. I’ll also be grateful for all that has happened to me because I showed up that day welcoming change with curiosity – Agile Best Self Principle 2.

It’s going to be a good day.

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