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InfoQ Homepage Podcasts L. Adkins and H. Dunsky on the State of Agile Coaching and the Competencies Coaches Need to Build

L. Adkins and H. Dunsky on the State of Agile Coaching and the Competencies Coaches Need to Build

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In this podcast recorded at the Agile 2018 conference, Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods, spoke to Lyssa Adkins and Halim Dunsky about the current state of agile coaching, the competencies and skills that coaches need to develop, and the journey that the Agile Coaching Institute has taken since they became part of Accenture.

Key Takeaways

  • There are a wide range of approaches which exist in agile coaching, while remaining aligned with common learning objectives
  • There is a marked difference between people who have put in the effort to build deep and wide coaching competency and those who have not done so, and organizations are becoming more discerning about who they engage in the coaching role
  • Key competencies for effective coaching are about the ability to reach people on a human-to-human level
  • There shouldn’t be a distinction between the scrum master and agile coach roles – scrum masters should be coaches
  • Even the most experienced and knowledgeable coaches can and do fall prey to human system dynamics and make mistakes
     
  • 00:37 Introductions
  • 01:12 Are we in a “golden age” of agile coaching?
  • 01:22 The wide range of approaches which exist in agile coaching, while remaining aligned with common learning objectives
  • 01:52 There is a large group of organizations who know they need agile coaching, but don’t know what it is
  • 02:10 There is a marked difference between people who have put in the effort to build deep and wide coaching competency and those who have not done so
  • 02:30 Many organization leaders know the difference and are actively seeking to engage the more professional coaches
  • 03:14 Exploring what makes a good agile coach, referring to the panel discussion which explored the question, and referring to the learning objectives
  • 03:35 This is partly about skills and partly about way of being – how does the individual show up and step up as a coach caring for the growth of others?
  • 04:25 The second generation of leadership at the Agile Coaching Institute
  • 05:18 Skills are important, but the ability so show up and be a leader is more important 
  • 06:12 The most powerful learning that happens in agile coaching classes is how the leaders behave and what they do moment to moment
  • 07:38 Key competencies for effective coaching are about the ability to reach people on a human-to-human level
  • 08:45 Things that someone who aspires to become a coach needs to focus on in themselves
  • 09:28 The need for deep self-reflection in order to become an instrument of change for others
  • 09:52 There are very few clear or right answers to the complex problems organizations face today
  • 10:05 Agile frameworks set us up to harness change and chaos for good
  • 10:54 People come into the coaching role from many different starting places, and the learning outcomes help them move in new ways and build new competencies
  • 11:24 Having some battle scars is important – bring your real experience to the coaching role
  • 12:20 Challenging the dichotomy that has evolved between agile coach and scrummaster
  • 13:24 Someone in the scrummaster role should be a coach with coaching skills
  • 13:38 Someone who is fulfilling the intent of the scrummaster role is a coach
  • 13:48 The range of titles/roles who should have coaching skills
  • 14:44 The challenges of structure in organizations which lead to the perceived hierarchy of roles
  • 15:38 Exploring where agile ideas and approaches fit in the larger context of big organizations, and the challenges associated with that
  • 16:30 Exploring the way the Agile Coaching Institute (ACI) has evolved through the acquisition by Accenture
  • 16:48 Taking an integral view of the larger systems dynamics that were at play
  • 17:38 ACI largely created the groundwork for agile coaching as a profession
  • 18:05 Exploring what was happening with ACI in 2016 & 2017
  • 19:35 Even the most experienced and knowledgeable coaches can and do fall prey to the human system dynamics and make mistakes
  • 19:45 Lesson from experience - don’t wait to hire a coach for your organization
  • 20:58 Examining the thinking that led to the decision to sell ACI and using that as an example of sensemaking
  • 21:51 The experience of being inside a much larger organization
  • 22:48 The high bar to ensure standards are maintained, despite the pressure of demand
  • 23:38 Describing the journey to become an ACI co-leader
  • 24:32 Co-leaders are assessed against a set of competencies to ensure they are able to lead the ACI classes and that they constantly work on improving their own competencies
  • 26:08 Learning to work with each other as co-leaders as an example for the students in their classes

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