Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches

The Great Product Owner: Leadership Skills Make the Difference | Marina Lazovic

Mar 28, 2025

Marina Lazovic, a Scrum Master and Kanban Trainer from Belgrade, shares insights from nearly a decade in the IT industry. She emphasizes that while product skills matter, leadership abilities set great Product Owners apart. Key topics include the importance of empathy, accessibility, and leading by example to foster team trust. Marina also highlights the consequences of POs not understanding their team's dynamics and offers strategies for improving communication and support, ultimately enhancing collaboration and productivity.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Unrealistic Expectations

A product owner didn't consider the team's composition of junior developers.
This led to unrealistic expectations and pushing too much work, resulting in lower quality.

ADVICE

Open Communication

Have open conversations with product owners about team dynamics and challenges.
Guide them to understand team members as individuals, not just resources.

ADVICE

Early Intervention

Address potential issues early on with the product owner.
This allows them to adapt to the team's situation, such as onboarding new members.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Marina Lazovic: Leadership Skills Make the Difference for Product Owners

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

The Great Product Owner: The PO as a Leader

Marina identifies that while product skills are important, it's leadership abilities that truly distinguish exceptional Product Owners. Great POs demonstrate strong empathy and lead by example, creating an environment where the team feels supported. Marina emphasizes the importance of availability – outstanding Product Owners make themselves accessible to their teams when needed, establishing a presence that goes beyond just attending ceremonies. This leadership through presence and support fosters trust, enabling teams to approach challenges with confidence knowing their PO has their back.

The Bad Product Owner: The PO Who Did Not Understand Their Team

Marina describes a problematic pattern where Product Owners fail to understand their team's strengths and weaknesses. These POs lack awareness of team composition – not recognizing the balance between senior and junior members or understanding their specific challenges. This blindness leads to unrealistic expectations about what the team can accomplish in a sprint. Marina suggests addressing this by establishing regular sync meetings with the PO to discuss team dynamics and challenges. By helping Product Owners understand team composition, Scrum Masters can bridge this knowledge gap and foster more realistic planning and expectations.

Self-reflection Question: How might you help a Product Owner better understand the unique composition and capabilities of your team without creating an adversarial dynamic?

About Marina Lazovic

Marina is a Scrum Master and Kanban Trainer from Belgrade, Serbia, with nearly a decade in the IT industry. Though not from a technical background, she is passionate about helping development teams and organizations optimize processes and build great products using Agile. She thrives on driving efficiency and fostering collaboration.

You can link with Marina Lazovic on LinkedIn.