Consulting as an Agile Coach

Often, we talk about Agile Coaches needing the ability to act as a Consultant or Advisor or Guide as a competency. This also implies your having the experience to advise.

But what does the consulting stance look like?

I saw this LinkedIn post by Kent Beck and it helped me find at least one answer to that question.

I spent a full day consulting on-site yesterday. What a revelation! I haven't done that in a while, what with COVID & employment & all that. I came away exhausted, energized, & with absolutely no voice left.

What I'd forgotten was the engagement of my whole brain that came with the experience. I'm relating to the individuals in front of me as individuals while also keeping the company as a whole in mind, the company+customers+investors, the company's history & probable futures. No wonder I ended up collapsing into bed at the end of the day.

It reminded me of how multi-faceted or systems-aware you need to be when coaching with an advising stance. Kent mentions relating to—

• The individuals in front of me

• The whole company

• The company + customers + investors

• The company’s history

• The company’s probable futures

And I would minimally add—

• The reason I’m there in the first place—my goal(s).

• The company’s culture.

• Me, my experience, opinions, and biases.

I’m not focusing on the exhaustion, complexity, or difficulty of his post. It simply reminded me of the systemic nature of consulting and how challenging it can be to strike the right balance in your situational awareness.

It’s funny how such a small post inspired me to reflect so deeply. Thank you, Kent.

Stay agile, my friends,

Bob.