9 Signs You Have a Good Manager
How can you as a Scrum Master support your manager and grow your career?
Hello 👋, It’s Vibhor. Welcome to the 🔥 paid member only🔥 edition of Winning Strategy: A newsletter focused on enhancing product, process, team, and career performance. Many subscribers expense this newsletter to their Learning & Development budget. Here’s an expense template to send to your manager.
Being a Scrum Master puts you in a unique position.
You guide others, but who guides you?
You coach teams, but who coaches you?
You remove impediments, but who removes yours?
This is where having the right manager becomes extremely important.
But…there is one problem!
How do you know if your manager truly understands the complex nature of your role?
How can you tell if they can actually support your growth as a Scrum Master
How do you build a partnership that enhances your effectiveness and career trajectory?
This is a challenge.
A challenge that every Scrum Master faces at some point in their career.
The relationship between a Scrum Master and their Manager IS NOT like other reporting relationships. It requires a unique understanding of:
servant leadership,
organizational change, and
the delicate balance between influence and authority
Having coached hundreds of Scrum Masters and “managed” some, I've noticed some effective ways of doing this.
These ways differentiate Scrum Masters who thrive from those who struggle in their roles and careers.
It often comes down to the quality of support you receive from your Manager.
In today's post, I'll share:
9 clear indicators that you have a manager who truly gets your role
How to leverage this relationship for career growth
Practical strategies to strengthen this crucial partnership
Let's get into it.
#1 They Advocate For You
A great manager doesn't just understand the Scrum Master’s role — they actively advocate for it.
How does this advocacy show up in practice?
When you have the right manager, you'll notice they:
consistently highlight your contributions during leadership meetings
ensure your work is visible to stakeholders who matter
position you as a strategic partner rather than just a "process person"
When your manager advocates for you, they reinforce your authority and influence within the organization.
I've seen firsthand how this transforms the impact of what Scrum Masters do.
When your manager introduces you as "our agile transformation expert" rather than "our meeting facilitator," it fundamentally changes how others see your role.
Most importantly, it aligns with the principles of servant leadership.
When your manager advocates for you, it allows you to focus on what really matters: coaching the team and promoting continuous improvement, instead of constantly justifying your value.
#2 They Provide Leadership Air Cover
Even the most skilled Scrum Masters need someone to watch their back.
A great Manager stands behind your decisions when it matters.
When leadership questions why you spend time on team dynamics rather than "just finishing the sprint," a good manager doesn't throw you under the bus.
They explain:
"Our Scrum Master is addressing the root causes that will make this team sustainable in the long run, not just for this sprint."
This backing happens in meetings you're not even part of, where important perceptions about your work are being formed. A manager who provides air cover ensures your decisions ARE NOT undermined when you're not in the room to defend them.
They help you navigate organizational politics.
Let's be honest — implementing agile values often means challenging established power structures and comfortable habits. Good managers:
alert you to potential resistance before you encounter it
share context about historical attempts at change
offer insights about stakeholders' unspoken concerns
This political intelligence is invaluable.
One Scrum Master I worked with (no, I didn’t manage him) puts it like this:
"My manager's heads-up about the VP's previous failed agile initiative saved me from making the same mistakes and losing credibility."
That's what real support looks like.
They don’t protect you from accountability. They ensure you can focus your energy where it matters most, i.e. helping teams embrace Agility and deliver value.
#3 They Value Your Indirect Impact
A great Manager knows that traditional performance metrics can’t always measure the Scrum Master’s impact.
They don't just look at numbers — they see the whole picture.
They're more interested in the meaningful indicators of your effectiveness:
How has psychological safety improved since you began working with the team?
Are stakeholders experiencing greater transparency in the development process?
Has the team's ability to adapt to changing requirements increased?
These outcomes don't fit neatly into spreadsheets but are the true measure of a Scrum Master's impact.
They celebrate when you report: