This week we re-read Chapter 4 of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond. Chapter 4, Badass Agile Coaching Agreements, focuses on the need for and structure of…coaching agreements (hence the name of the chapter :)). I use coaching agreements on a regular basis. They are an excellent idea. Galen states, “My point being: never, ever coach without establishing an agreement.” As I read and re-read this chapter I have thought long and hard about why I don’t use them all the time.
A coaching contract establishes the roles, goals, stances, and tactical dynamics for the coaching engagement. The document is a platform for synchronizing expectations. If I were using a user story metaphor, the agreement would set out the acceptance criteria (Gale actually points this out later in the chapter). On page 74 the authors share an example of a coaching agreement canvas. A canvas in this case is a visual representation of the agreement highlighting all of the key factors that need to be captured. As a side note, why is everything is a canvas these days, is there a difference between a canvas and a template?
When I use agreements, I use the structure of the agreement to lead a discussion with the person or team I am coaching to highlight the accountabilities and responsibilities all parties have to each other in the RELATIONSHIP. Coaching engagements are two-way streets, an agreement makes that plain.
Coaching is a core role for facilitating getting work done — all kinds of work. On the surface, coaching is a fairly simple role. On July 18, 2018, I wrote an article that premised that coaches had six basic modes of operation. Determining how to apply those roles is part art and part science. That’s code for “coaching is complicated.” This is why an agreement is necessary to make sure no one is surprised when a coach shifts from observing to action (and vice versa).
As a consultant, I would not start an engagement without a statement of work (SOW). However, sometimes I rationalize that the SOW is an acceptable substitute for a coaching agreement. On reflection, that rationalization is rarely true and sometimes dangerous. The statement of work might spell out success criteria but rarely exposes the stances or actions a coach might take and when those actions are acceptable. So why don’t I have a coaching agreement for every coaching engagement?
The primary reason for failing to have an agreement is that I am human and sometimes fall prey to the age-old problem of prioritizing action over planning (creating an agreement is a form of planning). Action feels good and crafting an agreement slows things down at a time when action is easiest.
In a similar vein, sometimes clients see crafting an agreement as overhead or as a sales function and don’t want to be involved. A few years ago, I had a short-term client suggest that they would not “pay” for the time needed to create the agreement – did I mention the client was short-term? We very quickly had a disagreement over the role that would have made me violate my code of ethics, the agreement would have highlighted the outcome of that event.
Bob Galen and the other authors of the book make a strong pitch for adopting a code of ethics at the end of the chapter. If you have not gathered, I am passionately invested in a code of ethics for Agile Coaches ( read my rationale for why). A CoE is important for a wide range of reasons, but most importantly it is important for delivering value to the people and firms delivering and receiving coaching. I am convinced that without a code of ethics agile coaches will be like Peter Pan and the children that never grew up. While that might be a bit of hyperbole, ethics are highly related to professionalism. As part of my goal in pushing for a code of ethics, I got involved with the Agile Alliance’s Agile Coaching Ethics Initiative. I agree with the authors: have a code of ethics and STICK to it.
Simply put, not having an agreement is poor practice and is most often within the control of the coach to make happen. I know what I need to do.
Remember to buy a copy and read along! Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link).
Previous Entries in Our Re-read:
Week 1: Logistics and Forewords – https://bit.ly/3zoAYlx
Week 2: Introduction to Badassery in Agile Coaching – https://bit.ly/3hcEPMs
Week 3: The Mindset of the Badass Agile Coach – http://bit.ly/3Eu0qJu
