Check your moral compass

In the fantasy world of "Dungeons & Dragons", a character's actions are often defined by their moral compass - a system that categorizes ethical and moral perspectives. As Managers or Agile Coaches, understanding where you and your teams stand on this moral compass can offer valuable insights into team dynamics and individual behaviors, both why you behave the way you do - and what you may need to change about your beliefs and values in order to gain different moral outcomes.

The Moral Compass

The "Moral Compass" has two axes which combine to form nine possible alignments. This quiz is designed to help you discover your alignment within the context of a product development team. Understanding your alignment offers insights into your natural tendencies, decision-making style, and how you might interact with your team.

Before digging in, please realize that the Moral Compass does not pass any judgment on you - much rather, it helps you determine whether there's a gap between where you are and where you want to be.

There is no "right" or "wrong" alignment. The one you get represents you - and it's up to you to determine whether you are happy with that. In the past, I have made >my own considerations and was rather shocked - then happy - where I stood.

Try to answer the questions sincerely, and see where you land. You need to answer all 8 questions to see the result. (we do not store any data - it's 100% safe!)

The Moral Compass Quiz

A team member working on an urgent, critical task is struggling and may fail to deliver on time. What do you do?

I'll skip my daughter's birthday to help them out. Their problem, we'll see tomorrow what happened. I'll ask how they're doing, but will stay uncommitted.

A team member accidentally shares confidential information that could benefit you. What do you do?

Put it into "The Folder." It may come handy later. Report their mistake to our manager and ensure it’s handled correctly. Do nothing: They can handle it.

Your team needs a management decision, but your manager is away. What do you do?

Step in and take charge to keep the team moving. Follow the protocols and wait for the manager's return. Make and own the decision as a team.

Your team has an unrealistic deadline. There is a shortcut, but it violates a governance rule. What do you do?

Take the shortcut to meet the deadline. Stick to the rules, even if it means being late. Weigh the pros and cons before deciding.

A team member is being unfairly criticized during a meeting. How do you respond?

Defend them and let the perpetrator know they are being disrespectful. Interrupt the meeting to stop the criticism immediately. Wait. Afterwards, have private conversations with the critic and the criticized.

The team is divided on the best approach to a problem. What do you propose?

Encourage a balanced discussion while remaining impartial. Play "Thunderdome:" Two ideas in, one idea out. Create a decision proposal and have your manager decide.

A manager insists that you release a dangerously faulty product in order to keep the timeline. What do you do?

Secure your position by satisfying the manager in a way that lets you to deflect blame. Refuse to release the product and use the Whistleblower policy. Consider the request, but weigh the consequences.

You're tasked with institutionalizing a new, unpopular policy that benefits the company but harms people. What do you do?

Enforce the policy strictly and without exception. Implement the policy and work to mitigate its negative effects. Use the policy to your advantage.

Your alignment is: Undetermined.

Conclusion: Interpreting Your Results

Once you complete the quiz, your alignment will be revealed. Here's how you can read the results:

• Lawful Good (LG): You follow the law and act altruistically. You likely prioritize processes and structured approaches while ensuring the well-being of your team.
• Neutral Good (NG): You do good deeds without a strong adherence to law or chaos. You balance flexibility with a focus on positive outcomes for your team.
• Chaotic Good (CG): You act altruistically but value personal freedom over order. You may encourage innovative and unconventional solutions that benefit the team.
• Lawful Neutral (LN): You follow the law or a personal code strictly, without consideration for good or evil. You value consistency and reliability.
• True Neutral (TN): You maintain a balance between all opposing forces. You adapt to various situations, ensuring balance and harmony within the team.
• Chaotic Neutral (CN): You value personal freedom and follow whims without regard for good or evil. You bring creativity and spontaneity.
• Lawful Evil (LE): You use laws and rules in your own favor. Be cautious - this can make you the cause of unproductive conflict!
• Neutral Evil (NE): You do whatever it takes to achieve goals, whatever the cost. This alignment can be problematic with regards to collaboration and trust.
• Chaotic Evil (CE): You act purely out of selfishness, with no regard for laws or other people. This can severely harm team dynamics.

Understanding your alignment can help you identify areas for personal growth and improvement. It can also foster better communication and collaboration within your team by recognizing and respecting different perspectives. Use this knowledge to enhance your effectiveness and to support your team.

I will leave you with three questions to reflect upon:

1. "Why am I like that?"
2. "Do I want to be like that?"
3. "What does this mean for those around me?"

How do we make money?

Understanding how to generate revenue is a critical aspect of running a successful business. The way a business owner approaches the question, "How do we make money?" can reveal a lot about their strategy, priorities, and focus. This seemingly simple question is extremely profound: the answers are crucial to business success. But: how do you ask the question?

Intonation matters

Try emphasizing different words in this simple question: you'll see how various facets of running a business gain the spotlight.

In the table below, you can see how different emphasis leads you to explore how different perspectives influence business decisions and strategies. This analysis helps in pinpointing key areas for improvement and ensuring that the business's efforts are aligned with its financial goals.

Emphasis	Focus	Key Questions
How	Means	What are the specific steps, techniques, or strategies we are using to generate income? Are our current methods effective, or do we need to explore new ones?
Do	Confirmation	Are we actually making money? Can we confirm that our business activities are resulting in revenue? Let's verify our earnings and ensure our efforts are paying off.
We	People	What role does each member of our team play in making money? How does our collective effort contribute to our revenue? Is everyone contributing effectively?
Make	Generation	What activities or products are we creating that generate income? Are we being innovative or productive in ways that increase our revenue? How can we optimize our operations to make more money?
Money	Outcome	How well does our business drive profit? Which of our actitivies are aligned with the creation of profit? How do we ensure the business stays efficient in producing a positive bottom line?

You may find different questions and different answers for yourself. Whatever you discover - be aware that the answers are unique. They define your business. You can not copy these answers from others, nor can we give you the "right" answers.

If you find this exercise inspiring, and haven't had enough: try emphasizing two words and see how that changes your answers.

Conclusion

Dissecting the question "How do we make money?" by emphasizing different words provides valuable insights into the nature of your business.

Each emphasis highlights a different aspect of the business - from the methods and processes employed to the roles of the team members and ultimately, bottom line benefits.

By carefully considering these perspectives, business owners can develop a more comprehensive and effective approach to revenue generation, and also learn where currently, there are gaps between expectation and reality. This nuanced understanding enables them to optimize their strategies, enhance teamwork, and prioritize actions that lead to sustainable financial success.

Remember - the path to a successful business is not just about the end result but about the journey to get there.

The Scrum Master as a Trash Collector

In economics, "waste" can be broadly defined as "anything you must pay money for in order to not have." This expansive definition gives us a fresh lens through which to view the role of the Scrum Master: the trash collector.

With this new stance, we offer a unique perspective for Scrum Masters struggling to articulate their value when asked what they bring to the organization. Take a minute and reflect: when was the last time you asked a trash collector what they brought to your house? If you did that, what would they answer? "I'm getting rid of the trash so your place is clean" - that's what you'd expect! And you're happy with their service when there's no smelly pile of trash piling up.

Organizational trash

What is the "trash" that Scrum Masters should be collecting and disposing of? Here are a few examples:

• Meetings: Reducing unnecessary meetings that waste time, drain energy and break concentration.
• Overhead: Cutting down on administrative tasks that don't contribute to the team's goals.
• Processes: Streamlining or eliminating processes that hinder productivity.
• Effort: Removing redundant work to keep the team focused on what truly matters.
• Delays: Identifying and addressing bottlenecks to ensure smooth project flow.
• Stress: Easing team stress to promote a healthy and productive work environment.

This list is incomplete - ponder by yourself which other forms of trash that might pile up in your organization.

Where does this trash come from?

Just as when you buy a new product, you get the value you were looking for plus some packaging. This packaging is necessary to ensure the product's quality upon arrival. However, once you use the product, the package turns into waste. Most organizations fail to dispose of this waste — they keep it around because they don't even realize it's there and it's waste. Eventually, most dealing with the waste becomes a full-time job, and teams can no longer focus on creating value.

The Scrum Master as a Trash Collector

The more effectively a Scrum Master can take out this "trash," the more valuable they become. A good Scrum Master is identified not by what they add, but by what they remove — making the team's path to success clearer and more efficient.

This perspective also helps clarify the often-asked question of whether the Scrum Master role is temporary. Much like trash disposal, the need to remove waste is ongoing. Believing that "We already had the trash picked up last week, we don't need trash disposal anymore" is shortsighted. Initially, you may not see a problem with a bit of dust and litter scattered about - it's just a matter of time until you're knee deep in the trash and can no longer move!

Summary

The stance of the trash collector underscores the Scrum Master’s commitment to fostering an environment where teams can thrive and focus on delivering value, free from the burdens of organizational trash.