The Seven Stances of an agile coach

Despite what some of you may have been reading about recently, I still truly believe in the value of an agile coach. And, as many of you know, being an agile coach isn’t just about knowing agile approaches inside out. It’s about meeting those you are coaching where they are, sometimes giving them they support they want, sometimes giving them the support they need.

Over the years we’ve come to notice a few common stances that an effective agile coach tends to switch between and those we’ve shared it with have found this model really useful so I thought I’d share it here.

1. The Mirror

Being “the Mirror” is all about reflection without judgment. You’re not there to give your subjective interpretation of what you’re seeing (either praise or criticism), but rather playing back what might be difficult for people to see about themselves. They can then choose what to do with the information that was previously in their blind spot.

I once worked with a team struggling with their velocity. Every sprint, they'd aim for the stars but end up short. By showing them a simple chart of their planned versus actual story points over several sprints, they could see the pattern themselves. The realisation? They were consistently overcommitting. Because of the lack of judgement, the team felt safe to adjust their sprint planning accordingly.

2. The Cheerleader

Everyone needs a bit of encouragement now and then. As a Cheerleader, your role is to instil a positive belief that progress is not only possible but inevitable. You're there to boost morale and confidence.

During a particularly challenging engagement, one of the teams I was working with was feeling disheartened. They’d hit roadblocks and were questioning their capabilities. I reminded them of their past successes and the progress they’d made, however small. A little cheerleading went a long way – they started to believe in their abilities again and tackled the obstacles with renewed vigour.

3. The Personal Trainer

This stance can be tough but necessary. Like a personal trainer, you push and provoke action, sometimes delivering harsh truths. It’s about challenging your team to reach their full potential.

I remember a time when a product owner was consistently unprepared for backlog grooming sessions. I had a frank conversation with them, highlighting the impact on the team and the sprint goals. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. The product owner stepped up, and the team’s productivity saw a significant boost.

4. The Oracle

As an Oracle, you draw on your wisdom and experience to teach and educate. It’s about sharing your knowledge to help the team grow.

A team was struggling with their Definition of Done (DoD). I shared stories from my past experiences, illustrating what a robust DoD looked like and how it benefited those teams. By teaching them the value and providing concrete examples, they were able to craft a DoD that significantly improved their quality and predictability.

5. The Impressionist

Sometimes, teams need a fresh perspective. As an Impressionist, you help them see things differently, often by changing the lens through which they view a problem.

During on particular team workshop, the team was stuck in a rut not really coming up with anything new. I suggested they think about the problem from the perspective of a psychopath. This shift in viewpoint sparked a wave of creativity, leading to innovative solutions they hadn’t considered before.

6. The Gardener

The Gardener creates an environment where great behaviors can naturally flourish, in this stance you nurture and foster growth.

Countless times I’ve adopted this stance to create an environment of psychological safety, trust and learning in order to allow the team - and great solutions - to grow.

7. The Detective

Finally, the Detective stance is all about uncovering hidden patterns or trends. You piece together data to reveal insights that aren’t immediately obvious. And from your knowledge of the best detective stories you know that a certain level of detachment is key to seeing the pattern.

DeadPaul & Wattserine

My good friend Paul Goddard and I are running a 3-day IC-Agile certified coaching skills class in London in a few weeks time. If you want to learn more about coaching stances and developing your abilities across these stances then come and join us.

And as a newsletter subscriber you can get £100 off the ticket price using code NEWSLETTER at this link below

Until next week…