4 Signs Your Agile Coach is a Fake
Today’s business world is saturated with Agile Coaches, Scrum Masters, and certifications. Everyone is “going Agile” (if they haven’t already). Companies across the globe are engaging Coaches to guide their organizations and teams.
Today’s business world is saturated with Agile Coaches, Scrum Masters, and certifications. Everyone is “going Agile” (if they haven’t already). Companies across the globe are engaging Coaches to guide their organizations and teams.
Why are some gaining immense value with Agile, and others frustrated and failing? Not to say it’s all contingent upon the Coach – company culture, structure, and leadership have a hand in it too. But without a great coach, what happens to nearly every team?
They lose.
Have you ever encountered an “Agile Coach” who can talk the Agile Talk, but in practice, they’re clueless?
In this post, we’ll share red flags that show whether your “Coach” is actually a Fake! You’ll learn how to spot a dodgy coach, and how to know when you’ve hit the jackpot and found a great one.
Red Flag #1: Your Agile Coach is obsessed with Buzz Words
“They won’t realize I have no idea what I’m doing if I use lots of Agile words.”
While we expect people to be honest on their resumes and at interviews, that doesn’t always happen. I don’t want a coach with an impressive resume and credentials galore if they can’t deliver results.
There seems to be an army of “coaches” these days who’ve never actually been on a team – of any kind – let alone an Agile team. They try to mask it by “sounding smart” and being vague about their experience. They are obsessed with Agile buzz words, and constantly use Scrummy language.
A great coach doesn’t need to show off their vocabulary. They know it’s just “the way we do our work.”
Take Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso. Ted successfully coaches a professional soccer team, and he doesn’t even know the rules of the game.
How, you ask? Keep reading to find out.
Red Flag #2: Your Agile Coach is extremely prescriptive
“This is how it’s done. Any other way is simply wrong!”
A Fake Coach sees their beliefs about Agile and Scrum as absolute truth. They are not to be questioned or altered in any way. They know the rules (or at least think they do), and treat everything as set in stone.
A good coach understands that the Agile Manifesto and Scrum Guide provide guidelines. Yes, there are prescribed roles, events, and artifacts. But how we incorporate these practices is up to the team.
One size does not fit all. No two Agile or Scrum adoptions look the same! People have a significant effect on how everything plays out.
Ted Lasso’s at it again with a radically different approach to managing the AFC Richmond team. They don’t have to function the same way as the team with the most wins.
Ted helps the team discover what’s best for them.
Wait a minute…I thought the coach had the final say?
Let’s dig into that a bit more.
Red Flag #3: Your Agile Coach always has an opinion…and they are always right
What are some other words for “coach?”
Trainer, instructor, teacher, mentor, educator.
I don’t see manager, executive, supervisor, director, or administrator on that list.
So why does your coach impose their opinions and ideas on everyone else?
A Faker masquerading as a Coach always has an opinion…and they believe they are right. They tell people what to do and how to do it. They focus on specific outcomes, putting their own goals over those of the customer and team.
What does a good coach do differently?
They ask questions. A lot of them!
To be great, a coach doesn’t need to know everything about how to do the work. I’ve coached four software development teams, and my technical skills stop at very basic SQL and HTML. Don’t even ask me the difference between C# and Python.
In all these situations, my teammates – the developers – knew what they were doing, and I trusted them to do it. The value I added wasn’t technical. It was focused on people.
The same can be said of Ted Lasso. He’s a soccer coach who doesn’t know the definition of “offside.” But the team, assistant coaches, and staff are experts. Ted asks questions, takes input from everyone, and keeps his ego in check.
We all have egos, there’s no denying it. But on a team, what’s more important – “me” or “we?”
Red Flag #4: Your Agile Coach doesn’t understand teamwork
Consider the synonyms for “coach” mentioned earlier – trainer, instructor, teacher, mentor, educator. Think about the mentors, teachers, and leaders who have most impacted your life or career. What made them positive or negative influences on you or your team?
In your worst experiences, did you feel psychologically safe? Was everyone on the team treated with respect? Was it ok to try and fail? Did you, your teammates, and the coach all have clear expectations? Did people work together and support each other?
Probably not.
A great coach makes people feel safe, and knows that failure is simply an opportunity to learn. They make sure all voices are heard. They understand the complexities of team development and dynamics.
Coaches help people work together, learn together, and improve together. They acknowledge the value each person brings. They are highly invested in other people’s success.
Like Coach Lasso says, “…success is not about the wins and losses. It’s about helping [the team] be the best versions of themselves on and off the field.”
So, is your Agile Coach the Real Deal, or are they a Fake?
I bet you already know the answer to that question.
If the red flags described in this post sound familiar, don’t panic! The Internet is full of misinformation, and “copying without knowledge” happens every day. Your coach may not even know they are too involved, too prescriptive, or that they sound like an Agile dictionary. If they do know and are still doing it…you might want to find a new coach.
Anyone who wants to learn can and will! And if they don’t, now you have the tools to spot your very own Ted Lasso in the crowd of mediocre “coaches.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Agile, coaching, or Scrum Mastery, check out our coaching services and upcoming courses here!
Apple TV+ Ted Lasso
This "Scrum" Thing Is A Waste Of Time.
Have you ever purchased a diet book or exercise program that promises good things such as getting in shape, losing weight or making your clothes fit better? “Yes, I want all of those things!” you tell yourself and make your purchase.
Have you ever purchased a diet book or exercise program that promises good things such as getting in shape, losing weight or making your clothes fit better? “Yes, I want all of those things!” you tell yourself and make your purchase.
A few weeks into it you complain to co-workers, to family, to friends “This diet is a waste of time. This exercise program doesn’t do what it said it would do. It doesn’t work!”
Your listeners start asking questions:
“It says here what you’re supposed to eat and what you’re supposed to avoid. Did you follow this exactly?”
“No,” you reply. “I needed a cheat day and we have pizza night every Saturday night.”
Your listeners continue with, “It has exercise recommendations listed here. Did you really do these?”
“Well, no,” you reply. “I got busy and nobody can really exercise that much anyway, right?”
The truth is you didn’t actually follow the diet. You didn’t actually follow the exercise program either. But yet instead of taking responsibility for your own choices or actions, you decide to blame the diet. Blame the exercise program. They are a waste of time. They don’t work.
If you follow me on social media, you guessed what’s coming. I tire of people blaming Scrum for not delivering value any faster than their previous way of working. Does it really make sense to blame a framework when the truth is that the people claiming to use it, don’t follow it at all (other using some of the Scrummy words)?
I ask questions:
“So, you have disbanded your component teams and have created cross-functional delivery teams focused on one Product at a time right?”
People blaming Scrum answer, “Well no. We asked our existing teams to try to make Scrum fit into the way they do work.”
I continue with “Even though you know the goal is to change the way you are doing that work, not to keep the same structure but label it as Scrum now right?”
People blaming Scrum answer, “Yes but it’s our leadership that doesn’t get it, not me.”
I continue “So you’ve talked to your leaders and explained the confusion you are experiencing and they have told you too bad, is that right?”
People blaming Scrum answer, “No! I couldn’t possibly tell my leaders I’m confused by what they are doing or saying. Do you know how much trouble I’d be in? Besides since Scrum doesn’t work, they have now paid for us to go to SAFe training.”
At this point I leave the conversation as I have no desire to beat my head against a brick wall. Just the economics alone of this scenario should give every person in this situation great pause. If the company is wasting their money on training and coaching for something they won’t follow anyway, then turns around and spends even MORE money on another framework that they probably won’t follow either, how much cash do they really have to burn? And I’m not knocking SAFe. It’s more expensive and I don’t see companies “really” following it either. How much better off would an organization be if it saved its money and did nothing. Spending money to make change and then choosing not to change anyway and blame what they learned tells me the root cause of the problem isn’t any framework.
So here’s a radical idea. What if in spending all the money on Scrum training and coaching resulted in the company deciding to actually try it. What’s the worst that could happen? Make the minimal changes required by the framework for an agreed period of time. Inspect when that timebox expires. Adapt accordingly.
And hey, if it’s deemed a waste of time or a failure, just go back to the previous way of working. If the organization is meeting its goals and objectives and delighting its customers with the way it does work, why change in the first place?
New diet and exercise fads come and go. New ways of working come and go. If saying “we tried Scrum it doesn’t work” or “we tried Agile it’s a waste of time” resonates with you, take stock of whether you did try them or if you’re still looking for that next great way of working. Please post or comment what that next great work fad will be.
Headline: The Scrum Master Files: Secrets Every Coach Should Know
This book is for anyone in a Scrum Master or coach role who wants to improve their interpersonal skills. Angela shares her 15+ year journey out of project management and into Scrum. She leverages case studies from her experience to immerse the reader into the story.
For Immediate Release
Dateline – Minneapolis, MN August 1, 2021
Collaborative Leadership Team (CoLeadTeam), the Midwest’s premier Agile consultancy, is pleased to announce the release of “The Scrum Master Files” by Angela Johnson.
This book is for anyone in a Scrum Master or coach role who wants to improve their interpersonal skills. Angela shares her 15+ year journey out of project management and into Scrum. She leverages case studies from her experience to immerse the reader into the story. By working through the scenarios, any Scrum Master or coach will acquire improved observation skills and learn how to ask powerful questions.
“I’ve worked with Angela for over eight years. Getting this book into the hands of our students has been a goal of hers for some time,” said Christian Antoine, Vice President of CoLeadTeam, “I hope Angela’s stories can help people who are choosing Scrum as the way to do work. I am proud of what she’s accomplished.”
To learn more about “The Scrum Master Files”, please visit: https://thescrummasterfiles.com/
About CoLeadTeam: Collaborative Leadership Team provides customized training, coaching, and mentoring to individuals and organizations seeking to work in a different way. We guide business agility with the goal of teaching any company how to become a learning organization that can sustain their own agility.
CoLeadTeam’s core values are guided by Scrum values and the Agile Manifesto values. With experience in software, hardware, services, education and manufacturing environments, team members bring a depth and breadth of experience to the clients they serve. For more information, please contact us at: info@coleadteam.com
Contact Collaborative Leadership Team:
Christian Antoine
Vice President
Collaborative Leadership Team
612-845-3802
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