I am still recovering from a Covid infection I picked up at or getting to Agile 2022. All in all, I have been lucky (and prepared) and have weathered a mild brush with this disease. My chest still feels like I was mugged, but every day I am getting better. The lack of self-awareness that I was getting sick until things were full-blown is fairly startling. It was more startling when I was re-reading Chapter 3 of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3 – buy a copy) again this week in preparation to write this essay.
There are several topics in chapter 3 that bear reflection. The first is the need to continue honing your practice. The author suggests that as a coach that we need to find our “growing edge” and then push the limit. The idea that as a coach we need to continually grow our capabilities is so important that it is included in the Code of Ethical Conduct for Agile Coaching. The exact wording is “ I will seek to improve my self-awareness and effectiveness through professional development.” Even though the code is contemporary to Lyssa’s book, as someone involved in the crafting of the document, I can confidently state that Coach Agile Teams directly influenced the requirement for professional development. Pushing aside the ethics of personal development for a moment, the practice of coaching and understanding how humans think and work is changing so quickly that if you are not growing you are stagnating.
A second topic that struck me in my re-read more than my first time through the book was the author’s interpretation of servant leadership. Servant Leadership is a term coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1991. The phrase is nearly ubiquitous in Agile circles, to the point that upon hearing it my shields go up. The basic concept has been interpreted, reinterpreted, and abused to the point that too many it could be conflated with butler, maid, or team administrator. The Author regrounds coaches in the real meaning of servant leadership. A servant leader helps others grow as persons. I have been a proponent of reflecting each evening (see http://bit.ly/2qdiWSL) on the success and failures of the day as a path to improvement. One of the chronic items I see when looking back is the habit of doing things more than I listen. Servant leaders need to listen first and talk and react only after centering themselves. I recently interviewed Jeff Perry, career coach at orethanegnineering.com, who pointed out that everyone in the software industry is a problem solver. Our natural bias is action not listening. Coaches need to develop themselves to understand how they react, the effect of their words, and to understand the power of being present and listening. Really embracing servant leadership starts with getting a handle on yourself and only then working to empower and grow others. I implore everyone that uses the term servant leader to read Greenleaf’s original article or stop using the term.
The final topic focuses on the content and impact of words. This will also be my challenge for the week. I need to rewind the weekly experiment from Chapter 2 – I dropped the ball. Early in the Chapter, the author introduces the section “How Violent Is Your Communication.” We live in a time where strident and hyperbolic language is the communication tool de jour. During Agile 2022 I sat in on a clean language session. Reflecting on the session, I can see that my language is more biased than I would like. While not intended I can see that it is often crafted to score points rather than generate contemplation. The checklist in the book to gauge whether your communication s hurtful is eye-opening. This week I am going to begin my day reflecting on this list to determine whether awareness changes my communication style.
Remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins and read along.
Previous Installments
Week 1: Logistics and Introduction – https://bit.ly/3A1aNTe
Week 2: Will I Be A Good Coach – https://bit.ly/3nzDAHg
