Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast

“Tell me about the worst [role, e.g., Product Owner] anti-pattern you've ever witnessed.”

This is his signature opening move, used to ground the conversation in a concrete story of failure.

“What were the consequences of that behavior on the team or product?”

He asks this immediately after the failure story to explore the real-world impact of the anti-pattern.

“How do you actually measure or keep track of that?”

A follow-up question to ground a guest's definition of success in concrete, practical metrics.

“Now, what did the *best* [role] you worked with do differently?”

This question creates the core contrast of the episode, pivoting from the problem to the solution.

“How do you define success for yourself as a Scrum Master?”

Used on 'Success Thursday' episodes to understand a guest's personal framework for their role.

“What's one of your favorite tools or techniques, like a retrospective format?”

This question seeks to extract a specific, actionable tool that listeners can try themselves.

“When you measure team effectiveness, is that from the team's view or the customer's?”

He uses this to clarify the perspective of a guest's metrics, distinguishing internal health from external value.

“What's your specific method for collecting that external feedback?”

A practical follow-up to understand the 'how' behind a guest's data collection process.

“Where can people find out more about you and your work?”

This is his standard closing question to allow guests to promote their own work.