I’m sad to tell you this, but if you’re an Agile Coach, chances are you’ve been leaning the wrong way. This has harmed your skill set, professional value proposition, and coaching results. I know that’s hard to hear, but it’s true.
It’s the central driving force behind the #nosuchthingasanagilecoach discussions inspired by Huy Nguyen, Marcelo Lopez, and others.
This post is intended to call it out and to rally many of you to think and act differently.
What exactly do you mean, Bob?
You’ve been leaning too heavily toward Professional Coaching stance or competency in your coaching. You’re not sharing your experience (hopefully you have experience). And you’re not on the field (in the arena) with those you’re coaching.
In other words, your major coaching tool is the Professional Coaching stance (hammer), and all your clients look like (nails). 😉
But it’s not all your fault.
You see, all the Agile Coaching certification providers (Scrum Alliance, iCAgile, and ScrumInc.) have been misleading you about the importance of Professional Coaching in Agile Coaching contexts. This is largely because it’s easier to teach and qualify over advising, leading, and mentoring stances while leveraging your broad and deep domain experience.
Many Agile Coaches and their firms have become far too enamored with Professional Coaching, mostly because many of them lack broad and deep experience in technical product development domains.
How can you tell who these “leaners” are? Many have letters like ACC, PCC, and MCC after their names, but you can also see it with their extreme emphasis on Professional Coaching techniques.
Note: not all coaches are leaning too heavily in this direction. I know many who are much more balanced, but there are still quite a few, including many thought leaders, who aren’t. This has done much damage to the profession and diluted the value perception of Agile Coaching.
And no, I’m not naming names.
Bob, is it that big a deal?
YES!
I’ve seen coaches fired because of asking too many powerful questions in the wrong place or context. I’ve seen entire teams of Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches laid off because their value wasn’t clear. I’ve seen great Agile Coaches rejected from the CTC/CEC path because they weren’t focused enough on Professional Coaching. I’ve also directly seen the damage that under-skilled and inexperienced “Agile Coaches” can do to our client organizations and our profession’s reputation.
One of the central drivers of the downsizing challenges for Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches in our current environment is this leakage. It’s undermined our ability to deliver our business value effectively. It’s also diluted the value of all Agile Coaches, even the “good ones.”
Bob, is it too late to correct it? And how do I fix it?
I’m glad you asked.
To the first question—I don’t think so, but we need a sense of urgency to change things. Otherwise, I do think it will be a more permanent shift. We need many more highly skilled Agile Coaches—
Those with serious domain experience
Those with the ability to operate across most of the ACGW competencies
Those with a strong sense of Self-Mastery and self-awareness
Those with the courage to stop being one-stance ponies.
To step forward and step up.
Regarding the second question, I’d say first to look at the Agile Coaching Growth Wheel. It’s a newer Agile Coaching model that details the depth and breadth of the skills you need to be or become a competent Agile Coach. Yes, Professional Coaching is one of the competencies. But it’s not the only one or the most important.
I think you need to step away from the traditional coaching classes offered by the above-named groups and look for one that is more immersive and well-rounded in the skills it emphasizes and teaches. I offer one that I’m quite proud of. It’s a 14-week cohort-based class titled EBAC Masterclass, and you can find out more information about it here.
Is it the only way forward?
Of course not. Other, more experiential and depth/breadth-focused classes are emerging, but mine is one of the first.
My Mission
I’ve made it one of my life’s missions to rebalance the world of agile coaching. That is why I wrote my book, Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching. That is why I’ve developed the masterclass. And why I’m taking a stand as a role model and influencer in the agile community.
To be clear, this isn’t just a disagreement or minor adjustment. This is a fundamental change in the development and practice of Agile Coaching skills that needs to be quickly navigated.
Wrapping Up
I invite any questions or clarifications to this article to be sent directly to me.
I invite anyone who wants an idea of what good Agile Coaching looks like to read my EBAC book. Here's a link for a free e-copy.
I invite anyone curious about the Agile Coaching Growth Wheel and the skills associated with a well-rounded Agile Coach to take the Comparative Agility free assessment here.
I invite anyone from the Scrum Alliance, ScrumInc, or iCAgile to discuss rebalancing your coaching programs to better support Agile Coaching in the real world.
Stay agile, and Badassed, my friends,
Bob.
It’s a challenging time for Agile Coaches, Scrum Masters, and Change Agents. But the profession isn’t dying. It’s simply realigning around coaches with the chops, depth & breadth of experience, and skills to deliver value.
Please consider joining Peter Fischbach and me for our next Badass Agile Coaching Masterclass, beginning January 28th, 2025. Now is the time to raise your Agile Coaching competencies; there is no better way than our class.
We have significant DEI discounts available, so DM bob@rgalen.com for more info.