For years I’ve been asking and coaching Scrum Masters to partner with the managers/leaders of their team members. To sit down with them periodically, weekly perhaps, and over coffee, to discuss their teams. For example—
Sharing stories of success for their reports
Sharing the challenges (delivery, mindset, performance, etc.)
Sharing the team’s vision, goals, impediments, etc.
Discussing alignment with organizational goals
Asking for help or looking for guidance
All with an eye towards giving each manager a window into the dynamics of the team and how their direct reports are “doing”.
But this isn’t a performance report or a status report. It’s a partnership, as the manager and Scrum Master are in a unique collaborative relationship to build the overall maturity and performance of the overall team AND each individual.
And the discussions should be focused on continuous improvement and actions the manager can take to coach each individual. Which is, in fact, their job.