A Respectful Approach to Agile Coaching

At the heart of The Agile Coaching Circle is the knowledge that every team is unique. This may seem like an obvious statement but is seemingly often overlooked as teams experience the imposition of pre-defined ideas and practices, for example, strict and fixed planning meeting formats, inflexible inception exercises or specific and prescribed approaches to estimation.

 Within each team a particular blend of individuals, goals, requirements and technology combine to create a unique setting. Teams have different needs, operate in a unique context and will sometimes need to take varying approaches to similar problems. It’s therefore important that we respect the uniqueness of teams and give them the environment they need to harness their individuality and the strengths that come with it. By association this means that motivational, consultative and educational (MCE) coaching levers are not only likely to be different in nature between teams but also different in nature within the same team when faced with differing scenarios.

This means that with the use of MCE coaching levers we don’t give teams a list of practices, tools or instructions on how to approach a particular problem, but aim to give them the skills, knowledge and freedom to find their own.

Moreover, one of the tenets of the Team Coaching Model is to prevent the mindless adoption or execution of pre-defined routines and practices in favour of the team carving out their own more suitable strategies. Prescriptive approaches to agile coaching can all too often have the unfortunate and ironic effect or limiting an agile team’s ability to shape and evolve their performance strategy. One might argue that the word ‘coaching’ is often used to mask an approach of direction and control, underpinned by a lack of respect for the uniqueness of the team.  I would suggest, sadly, that such approaches are not that uncommon.

A foundation of the Agile Coaching Circle is therefore that every team is unique. That uniqueness deserves carefully considered coaching interventions, something that can be achieved through the appropriate use of the MCE levers. Moreover, such an approach can be a powerful motivational driver by its own accord – with teams driven by the trust and respect extended to them, values not only at the heart of the Agile Coaching Circle but at the heart of Agile itself.