Why your Agile Coach shouldn’t tell you what to do
And what he or she should do instead
As an agile coach, I come to work with you, probably because someone else has told me to. Some other part of your organisation has probably decided that I will “help you become (more) agile”. The inherent expectation is that I come to you with expert knowledge and wisdom to impart to you, and that through the imparting of knowledge, you will become, somehow, better.
That may be true, but only partially. It’s certainly not the whole story.
Yes, I have a certain amount of knowledge and experience that I am happy to share, but there’s an awful lot I don’t know.
I don’t know your applications, your systems, your products, your team members, your organisation structure, its objectives and aspirations and its politics. I don’t know about your particular challenges, your personal objectives and aspirations.
So, how can I possibly tell you what to do unless I understand all of that? Whatever I do tell you without understanding all of that, without context, is only ever partially applicable. If I tell you what to do, but there are factors I am unaware of, you may be unable to apply what I am advising.
So while I come to you as an expert, I come knowing that you are an expert too.
There is no hierarchy to our working relationship; we are partners.
I cannot simply tell you what to do, but here’s what I can do:
I can align us
Align our mutual objectives to create a shared understanding of what we are going to achieve together, and how we will work together to achieve it. Together we can create an agreement on when I will advise you, when I will offer guidance or provide feedback, when I will summarise what you have told me or ask questions to clarify understanding, or to raise awareness, and when I will reflect or simply listen.
I can listen.
Listen to what you understand your challenges to be. Listen to what you have already done to overcome them, to what still lies in your way.
Listen to what constraints you are operating under, to what competing objectives or incentives you face, to what skills or knowledge gaps you are aware of, to what you believe I can help you with.
For even when just listening, I can be helping. When I give you my full attention in an environment of ease and encouragement, and you can give free rein to your thoughts and feelings, when you can truly think, you may come up with your own solutions to your challenges.
I can question.
In powerful, incisive questions lie awareness and greater understanding.
And then, when there is trust between us, when there is greater awareness and understanding, my suggestions and advice may be relevant and helpful. But not before. So don’t be surprised if I don’t immediately start giving you advice or suggestions or telling you what to do. There will come a time for that — when I have sufficient understanding of your context, and you are ready to apply the advice.
Think of me not as the expert, but as an expert, as your partner.
I’m not going to tell you what you should do. But together, we can figure it out.
