An Epiphany About Agile Coaching
True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.
- Socrates
As those of you who read my blog often know, I recently made a career jump to a contracting firm to consult at different large scale organizations. To my dismay, my first assignment has been more as a developer than as a coach/scrum master, but I felt this would also be a good opportunity to observe and understand how to coach effectively. I might even experiment with seeing how well I could help improve practices from the trenches.
You see, I thought I knew all there is to coaching after being in an agile environment for three years and seeing a lot of good and bad approaches. The contrast between that and my current workplace has been profound… I’ve often been swift in pointing out rotten practices, often citing a lot of the good practices that I’ve experienced work well and know to be right. I’ve also found myself sometimes written off when I vocalize my observations. 
Anyway, while I was walking my dogs this afternoon it hit me… coaching isn’t about being right, it’s about providing options and helping the team discover better practices.
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November 1st, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Great discovery!
I have also learned this lesson about coaching. It’s nice to be right but being right does not change a team or company. Working with them, providing options, shining light on overlooked points and creating a communication framework allows them to change on their own.
Keep leading from behind. Over time, great things will happen!
November 1st, 2009 at 7:32 pm
While I’m not an agile coach, I’ve worked in enough senior positions on various teams to finally understand the meaning of “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.”
November 1st, 2009 at 11:13 pm
I couldn’t agree more James. The Socratic method is one of the best tools an Agile coach can have. As you stay in the post, it isn’t about providing the solution but rather helping the team find the best solution within their context.
Keep posting the nuggets you discover.