I’ve wanted to get off my chest for quite a while.
I’m sick and tired of agilists teaching and coaching things that they don’t have a real-world clue about.
For example, quite a few years ago, I was curious about how many Scrum Alliance CAL (Certified Agile Leadership) trainers had actually held leadership roles. I set up some simple criteria for actual leadership experience, and then I explored each of their LinkedIn profiles. I know, but I had some free time on my hands, and I was curious.
Only 30% of the CAL trainers had leadership experience that met my criteria. Yet, all were trying to explain what solid Agile Leadership and leaders should be. I remember being incredibly disappointed, yet not surprised. Thinking it was a clear case of Pareto and Peter Principles in action. All that said, I’m sure those ratios have improved over time 😉
Now, I am wondering if the same thing happened to Agile Coaches.
Luke
Extending my thoughts a bit, I saw this LinkedIn post from Luke Hohmann the other day—
So… you’ve decided to hire a transformation coach to help you transform.
Did you ask them how many people you will likely be terminating because they don’t want to change to Lean-Agile ways of working; they are part of a bloated organization; they simply aren’t good enough once you’ve adopted far more effective and transparent ways of working?
Have you asked them about their direct experience in making the very painful choices associated with terminating employees - real people who are parents, spouses, brothers, sisters? Real people who appear to be “working hard” but in reality, are not producing results or failing to work in service of the vision because they’re clinging to the past? And perhaps not terminating them, but simply accepting resignations?
Don’t be afraid to ask these questions. Don’t be afraid reflect deeply on the answers.
Embrace the idea that a true transformation isn’t always for everyone. Embrace the fact that some people will voluntarily leave. Embrace the fact that others may need to be terminated.
As you can guess, I’ve led directly and have helped guide multiple complex turnarounds and transformations. And in every case, we had to make very hard decisions.
And yeah, a bunch of people who have never actually had to make these decisions will flame this post. I appreciate that these commenters are coming from a likely well intentioned, albeit, likely inexperienced, frame of reference.
Ask the questions and make your own choices.
A few comments
Next, I’ll share a snippet of a comment conversation between Oluf Nissen and Luke—
Oluf
I see what you are not mentioning are the ways you may or may not have helped those who were asked to leave do so with dignity and enough reserves to bridge a potentially long income gap. I think asking only the questions you posed is missing an important part of what it means to remain human at work.
Luke
Oluf Nissen indeed. When I have had to make and implement these choices, I have tried to help others maintain dignity.
Oluf
Luke Hohmann I was certain of it. Thank you for making that clear.
And a comment from Anne Steiner that I appreciated—
Anne
Dead on, Luke. Ask your consultants about their experience actually DOING anything. It's so easy to coach from the sidelines when you haven't ever played the game and have no skin in the game
To be clear
I have been in this position multiple times, not as an external coach or consultant but as an internal senior organizational leader.
These are incredibly tough decisions and conversations to have.
The implications for the people and the organization are huge.
But this in-the-trenches, real-world experience has made my leadership and organizational transformational coaching much more natural and valuable. It’s the fact that I’ve been in the arena and done it. That makes a difference to my clients—practical experience versus academic good intentions.
Wrapping Up
I want to end this post by emphasizing what Anne said—
Dead on, Luke. Ask your consultants about their experience actually DOING anything.
It's so easy to coach from the sidelines when you haven't ever played the game and have no skin in the game.
And it made me think of this Teddy Roosevelt quote—
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Agile Coaches out there…
Do you have real-world experience in what you’re coaching about?
Do you have skin in the game?
And are you in the arena?
If not, then please move aside. If so, then welcome to the profession of Agile Coaching.
Stay agile, my friends,
Bob.
Christopher Lee, thanks for the inspiration!