Diary Entry 1

For some random reason today, I thought it would be good to start a diary of all things Agile Coach related or related to me as the Agile Coach and my current thoughts in my head, either way i have loads going on in my head and think it would be best to write it down (incase it helps or not!)

So here goes:

1. Default settings: do we all have them, bear with here, I like to think I am pretty open minded, I am open to great conversations, debates, cultures and different opinions (knowing we cannot all be the same, that would be boring), but I do wonder if I have deep default settings, like my beliefs and values, and whilst they are fairly straight forward I wonder if they hold me back? and in-fact are they my biases?. So for example, I have a belief that people should be totally empowered to make a great decisions and work how the see fit, given we are the people that was hired because we but does this help others, with this belief am I putting my biases on the Executives or teams I coach? I often wonder, so have asked for feedback on this, so will keep you updated
2. Consultancy firms: So I have a talk in progress, which I was meant to speak at Lean Agile London about this topic but Covid stopped me. This is something as a coach, I have witnessed in many companies whilst being hired as a coach. These are my thoughts on that topic, I see they hire one of the Big 4 who come in and embed Agile or run a transformation by what seems like powerpoint or a collective bit of every framework out there, we arrive and have to unpick this, we have all been in companies, that bring in one of the Big 4s. So part of my talk was to ask us (Agile coaches) what are we going to do to change this, how can we get businesses to see the value of hiring us who have experience and war wounds. How can we go in and show them what good looks like, re-affirm the foundations, build the values and principles back into conversations and sorting this out. Or for those of us that are contractors/old timers are we saying out light bulbs are dimmed due to the crap that we accept? We see it, yet as some might say we sign on take the money, and accept the crap these Big 4s apply, but are we not empowered/a vessel to show these businesses what the 1/10 of those Agile transformations/Journeys that shine and succeeded look like??
3. Outcomes: — I am going on a bit of a journey about this very topic, I talk to rapid and tangible outcomes and not outputs, but again am I using my biases or beliefs/default settings to coach these to business, surely my interpretation of this may not be the same as yours? — Anyway I continue to learn about this topic and open to discussion with anyone who wants to chat.
4. Certifications: I just saw on Linkendin that Geoff Watts is not renewing his CSM certs, his belief is that mastery goes beyond the 2 days we attend when taking these courses, its a journey and I have to say I totally agree with him, and its very much food for thought when I come to renew mine, it gets me asking do companies really need these, or will they take the years experience you have on your CV etc — Again another thing I am continuing to think about in my head.

Well thats some of my thoughts in my head, its a very scary place somedays but its felt good to put it into a diary entry!

Be safe and well

As always — Shelby