Do you, like me, often find yourself without the perfect solution, answer, or approach at hand?
What if we’d share what we know—and learn from what others know?
That’s exactly what the Scrum Guide invites us to do:
“Scrum engages groups of people … who share or acquire such skills as needed.”
As usual, let’s see what the Cambridge Dictionary tells us:
Share: “to have or use something at the same time.”
Acquire: “to get or buy something; to obtain or begin having something.”
Obtain: “to get something, especially by asking for it, buying it, working for it, or producing it from something else.”
Beautiful, right? It’s all there: togetherness, learning, and effort.
Sharing is the first layer of collaboration.
We don’t just sit next to each other; we use our skills together, synchronizing our strengths and perspectives.
That’s how collective intelligence emerges—the foundation of Scrum itself.
Acquiring goes deeper.
Scrum doesn’t expect teams to start with all skills on day one.
It encourages teams to obtain them—by asking, buying, or working for them:
- Ask: pair up, shadow, and learn from others inside or outside the team.
- Buy: bring in training, coaching, or tools that expand the team’s capability.
- Work for it: practice deliberately, reflect, experiment, fail, and improve.
Step by step, Sprint by Sprint, teams learn which skills matter most—and grow them empirically.
This year alone, I’ve been asking, buying, and working for new skills—drawing on insights from fellow trainers, colleagues, and clients. Each conversation, each experiment adds another layer of expertise.
Scrum isn’t about having it all figured out.
It’s about growing together—by sharing what we know and acquiring what we don’t.
So…
👉 What skills did you share last year?
👉 What new ones will you acquire this year?
👉 And how will you create space in your team for both to happen?
Because in Scrum, shared learning is the fuel for continuous improvement.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
I hope you find value in these short articles and if you are looking for more clarifications, feel free to make contact.
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Wishing you an inspiring read and a wonderful journey.
Scrum on!
