I’ve kept things quiet here for the past two weeks. Doesn’t mean I’ve stopped blogging though. Quite the opposite — I’m working on carving out more time to write in German while focusing on different things here in Australia.
Been clear to me for a while that I don’t actually want to be a social media “evangelist.” The reverse, really. I’ve been avoiding social platforms because I’d rather spend my time on something other than listening to people pitch products or themselves. And I didn’t have much to share anyway, since I’ve been working on a master plan to establish myself here in Australia while continuing to work with German clients in my native tongue.
Remote coaching and video consulting at dawn or midnight
Also realised the time difference between Australia and Germany, plus video conferences, just don’t create the proximity I need for proper consulting or coaching. It’s nice working in peace here while my German clients sleep. But when projects need lots of coordination, that gets tricky. So I’m only offering editorial services to my German customers going forward — no more coaching or consulting. Often a good phone call or video conference is enough, then I can continue the work from here.
Another insight: this isn’t a sustainable long-term model. I’m here on the ground and don’t want to sit at home all day talking only to myself. Which means from April, I’m actively looking for clients or even employers here in Newcastle or Sydney. For almost my entire career, I’ve written about products or services someone else developed. Some made real sense, but for many I thought “nobody needs this.”
Back to the roots
I’m moving to the beginning of the value chain now. Actively supporting teams to create value for their customers. I don’t want to just write about it anymore — I want to be there. That’s why I’m positioning myself in Australia as a Scrum Master from Easter onwards. Been studying hard the past few weeks and just passed the Professional Scrum Master certification.
I know a title isn’t enough, so I’m working feverishly to fill possible gaps. But I’ve also realised I’ve actually been preparing for the Scrum Master role for the last 15 years. Because a Scrum Master needs to be a coach, mentor, and sometimes consultant. The big difference is I’ll be focusing mainly on people and processes, not content. Find that very exciting, and I think it’s a role you can age well in — getting better with more experience.
This note was just to signal “hello, I’m still here” and give a first hint about this realignment. Not much will change for my German clients. I’d been taking on more editorial work lately anyway. And I’ll write more about the Scrum Master topic soon.
This post started in German on reinergaertner.de — yes, 1997, I’ve been doing this a while. The translation was AI-assisted. Any remaining awkwardness is authentically bilingual.