Jennifer Benson

🇨🇦 The Government had $1M in funding to train Black people in tech. But they couldn’t find a Black-owned bootcamp to deliver it. They asked if I wanted the opportunity. “Why me?” I asked. “Because someone you met at a networking event referred you.” 👉 The biggest opportunities don’t come from job boards. They come from people. That’s the hidden market: ✅ 30% of jobs are posted ✅ 70% are unlocked through relationships How to increase your odds: 1. Show up! Go out, be curious, learn about people’s pain points and desires. You'll start to see patterns. 2. Add value. Make intros, share ideas, position yourself as a connector. Don’t pitch. Learn. That’s why I’m in Houston at AFROTECH, building relationships that open doors. If you’re here, let’s connect.

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“Why Black organizations?” Because the data is clear and it’s been clear for a long time. - Research from Candid and the Center for Effective Philanthropy shows that less than 2% of philanthropic funding goes specifically to Black-led organizations. - McKinsey has reported that organizations serving predominantly Black communities are more likely to be undercapitalized and operating with outdated infrastructure, limiting their ability to scale impact. This gap isn’t about performance. It’s about access, trust signals, and visibility. And one of the most overlooked visibility gaps is digital. A nonprofit’s website is often the first thing funders, partners, donors, and community members see. When that site is outdated, unclear, or hard to navigate, it quietly affects credibility, enrollment, donations, and long-term sustainability. That’s why, this Black History Month, I’m focusing on infrastructure, not symbolism. This February, I’m rebuilding websites for Black-led nonprofits so their digital presence actually reflects the scale and seriousness of their work. • Five organizations will be selected • Two will receive a full website redesign completely free • Others will receive deeply reduced pricing based on organizational capacity And it doesn’t stop here. Throughout this year, I’ll be running similar initiatives tied to different moments of recognition and need supporting mission-driven organizations, health organizations, and underserved communities that consistently do critical work without adequate digital support. If you know a Black-led nonprofit doing meaningful work but whose website doesn’t reflect their impact, tag them below or send this to their leadership. Applications are open now and close February 15. Equity doesn’t scale on intention alone. It scales on systems. #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackLedNonprofits #NonprofitFunding #DigitalEquity #CommunityImpact #CapacityBuilding #VisibilityMatters

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I studied psychology, trained in counseling, and now work in IT as a Scrum Master—and I’ve come to realize how beautifully these worlds intersect. Skills like understanding human behavior, active listening, empathy, and conflict resolution—shaped through my background in psychology—have become some of my greatest assets in agile teams. Being a Scrum Master isn’t just about facilitating sprints or managing ceremonies. It’s about cultivating psychological safety, encouraging collaboration, resolving conflicts with care, and supporting people as they grow and deliver together. This blend of human insight and agile structure has helped me build healthier, high-performing teams—and reminded me that even the best technical frameworks rely on strong human foundations. To anyone exploring paths across disciplines: your unique journey matters. Sometimes, what we call "soft skills" are actually the strongest force we bring to the table. 💡💬 #ScrumMaster #AgileMindset #PsychologyInTech #CounselingSkills #CareerGrowth #PeopleFirst #Leadership #CrossDisciplinary

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“Where Do Scrum Masters Go Next?” Hey Agile family 👋, Let’s have a real conversation about career growth as a Scrum Master in 2025 because a lot of us are asking the same question right now: “What’s next for me beyond Scrum?” I remember when I first started out I was focused on getting my team to understand the why behind Agile, making sure we were delivering value, running retros that actually meant something, and keeping energy high during sprints. But over time, I started to realize something. At some point, you master the ceremonies, the framework, and the coaching rhythm and then you start to feel that nudge. The nudge that says, “You’re ready for more impact.” So where do you go next? 💡 Here are a few natural next chapters for Scrum Masters: 1️⃣ Agile Coach – You go from serving one team to influencing the culture of many. You start shaping how the organization thinks about agility. 2️⃣ Product Owner / Product Manager – You shift your lens from how the team works to what the team builds and why. You start driving value and strategy. 3️⃣ Delivery / Project Manager – Some Scrum Masters blend Agile with structure, ensuring delivery across multiple moving parts. 4️⃣ Release Train Engineer (RTE) or Transformation Lead – For those operating in scaled environments (SAFe, LeSS), you guide the coordination of many teams working toward one vision. 🎓 Certifications to Look Into: 🌀 Advanced CSM or PSM II/III – Deepen your craft as a servant leader. 💬 ICAgile Agile Coaching (ICP-ACC) – Perfect if your next step is coaching people, not just teams. 🧭 SAFe Scrum Master / SAFe RTE – Great for those stepping into enterprise or scaled roles. 🎯 CSPO / PSPO / PMI-ACP – For the Product-minded. ⚙️ PMP or Lean Six Sigma – If you want to merge Agile with process improvement or delivery management. ⏳ When should you make the move? When you start feeling that your biggest impact isn’t in running the ceremonies but in elevating how people think, lead, and deliver together. That’s your sign you’re ready to level up. The Scrum Master role is powerful but it’s also a stepping stone. The facilitation, empathy, and leadership skills you build here can take you anywhere: ➡️ Agile Coaching ➡️ Product Strategy ➡️ Delivery Leadership ➡️ Transformation Roles So wherever your path leads remember: you’re not “leaving Scrum”… you’re evolving beyond it. 🌱 Keep learning. Keep coaching. Keep growing forward. #Agile #ScrumMaster #CareerGrowth #AgileCoach #Leadership #ProductManagement #ProfessionalDevelopment #Scrum #ContinuousImprovement

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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗝𝗶𝗿𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲! Remember the early days of Scrum? where scrum master was the ultimate 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿.  We protected the team, facilitated events, and cleared impediments we were the awesome, behind-the-scenes glue holding everything together. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱.. Staying just a servant leader in today's complex world is like being a brilliant GPS that only knows how to say, 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥. The destination has moved! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗿. Here is the simple analogy- 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱-𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘄 for a Formula 1 team.  Where they are hyper-focused on the car (the team): changing tires, refuelling, and making it run flawlessly and this is essential and foundational! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁.  Where they still care about the car, but they're looking at the bigger picture: the track, the weather, the competitors. They ask: "Are we on the right tires for the changing conditions? Is this the optimal pit strategy to win the race? Is the driver getting the right data?" 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀:  • 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗽𝘂𝘁.  It’s not about burning down story points, it’s about burning up customer value. They relentlessly ask- >> Why are we building this? >> What problem does it solve? >> How do we know it's working?  • 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵.  They move beyond the single team to tackle systemic impediments. They coach the PO on sharpening the backlog, help leaders understand the cost of delay, and guide the entire organization toward a more agile flow of value.  • 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁. They shift the team's focus from "completing a sprint" to "owning a product's success." They foster experimentation, feedback loops, and data-informed decisions. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 - 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮. 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨- 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. Your new superpower is connecting the dots between the team's work and the business's bottom line. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵- 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. #ScrumMaster #Agile #ValueEnabler #ScrumMastery #Scrum #Leadership #AgileCoach #ValueDriven

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Everyone Wants to Be a Scrum Master—But Few Know What It Really Takes Becoming a Scrum Master isn’t just about passing an exam or adding a certification to your profile. It’s about thinking differently, leading with empathy, and growing continuously. If you’re serious about building a career that blends leadership, agility, and servant mindset, here’s your roadmap:--- 9 Steps to Move from Curious Learner to Confident Scrum Master: 1. Understand Agile and Scrum Dive deep into Agile principles and the Scrum framework. Books, workshops, and online courses are your starting point.
 2. Get Certified Certifications like CSM, ASM or PSM validate your knowledge—but remember, they’re just the beginning.
 3. Gain Practical Experience Apply Agile practices in your current role or volunteer for projects. This is where theory meets reality.
 4. Develop Soft Skills Communication, facilitation, and coaching are the heart of Scrum Mastery. These skills take time and practice.
 5. Continue Learning Agile evolves. Stay updated through webinars, conferences, and meetups.
 6. Seek Mentorship Learn from experienced Scrum Masters and Agile coaches. Guidance from someone who’s been there can accelerate your growth.
 7. Apply for Scrum Master Roles Target Agile-friendly organizations and showcase your passion, experience, and certifications.
 8. Grow and Adapt Reflect on successes and failures. Adapt continuously to support your team better.
 9. Inspire Others A great Scrum Master doesn’t just manage—they inspire teams to embrace agility.
 --- 💡 Which step do you think is the hardest for new Scrum Masters? For many, it’s Step 3: Gaining Practical Experience—because applying Agile in real-world scenarios is where the real challenge begins.--- ✅ If you’re on this journey, remember: Certifications open doors, but experience builds confidence.
 Soft skills turn you into a leader, not just a facilitator.
 Adaptability keeps you relevant in a changing world.
 --- Looking for guidance or mentorship? I regularly help professionals and teams understand Agile deeply, develop practical skills, and grow into confident Scrum Masters. If you’re ready to take the next step, let’s connect and explore how training or mentorship can accelerate your journey.--- 👉 Which step challenged you the most?👉 What advice would you give to aspiring Scrum Masters? Let’s share and inspire!--- #ScrumMaster #AgileLeadership #ServantLeadership #AgileCoach #Scrum #AgileTransformation #LeadershipDevelopment #ContinuousLearning #CareerGrowth #AgileMindset #ScrumMasterJourney #AgileCommunity #EmpathyInLeadership #ProfessionalGrowth #MentorshipMatters #AgileTraining

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