Coach, what type of coaching style you will adopt?

This question asked by one my colleagues, I thought for a moment and respond in a very generic story type answer.

Later he explained about these detailed style what he is using. Many things to learn!

“Coaching is people management – getting people to do what you want them to do and like doing it.”

Anonymous

The three styles of coaching are based on leadership studies conducted in the 1930s by Kurt Lewin, a German-American social psychologist, and pioneer in the psychological study of group dynamics.

Autocratic Coaching:

Autocratic coaching is the dictatorship of coaching styles. The coach is typically the only one who has input and makes decisions autonomously when dealing with the direction of their team. With autocratic coaching, coaches might explain the objectives and goals to their players , but the coach has an absolute say in regard to how the team acts and plays.

Democratic Coaching:

This coaching style prefers active communication and team involvement. Coaches who adopt the democratic style encourage participants to articulate their opinions and thoughts in order to establish the best decisions. This engagement usually results in a deeper relationship with the team as well as a closer inter-team bond.

Democratic coaching provides a broader array of ideas for the coach to choose from thanks to the team’s input.

Holistic Coaching:

This style involves more than just sport-related interactions: Holistic coaching adds aspects of life coaching to the responsibilities of a sports coach. It is a style that considers aspects beyond the athlete’s physical and mental states such as their emotional and spiritual states.

In the holistic style, the coach creates a relationship with every individual athlete based on interpersonal communication and genuine care.

All three styles have advantages and disadvantages.

Coaches should be ready to alter styles and realize they are working out so for a specific reason.

For example - when there is a safety issue, the style must be ‘autocratic’, there is no time for negotiation!

When starting a set play, such as a penalty corner, try the ‘democratic’ style, supporting the players’ considerable input and ideas, rather than dictating which techniques to pursue.

With a set unit of performance, apply the ‘Holistic’ style, providing players to carry out a pattern and to try this without intervention or judgment by the coach.

A holistic coach works with individuals who want to obtain higher flow and balance in their life.

“You don’t demand respect, you earn it.” - Steve Seidler

By examining, and accepting, each individual’s special attributes, experiences, creative thinking and personal requirements a holistic coach is competent to guide, motivate and inspire positive life changes.

After I have listened about all these talk, unknowingly, sometime we apply any of these while coaching the team members. Coaches rarely choose one style and stick to its guidelines.

How I became extrovert from introvert in the last two decades

An introvert is generally considered of as a quiet, reserved, and thoughtful human being.

People who are introverted tend to be inward direction, or focused more on internal thoughts, feelings and moods rather than seeking out external stimulation.


According to Eysenck’s theory, introverts are those that have naturally high levels of arousal. Because introverts tend to experience chronically high arousal levels, they tend to seek activities and environments where they can escape from over-stimulation. Because of their naturally high arousal levels, they are more alert and take in more information from the environment. Escaping somewhere to have time alone to recharge gives them the opportunity to process and reflect on what they have learned.



Psychologist Carl Jung was the first person to describe these two personality extremes back in the 1960s.



He wrote that introverts and extroverts could be separated based on how they regain energy. (The term “extrovert” is now used more commonly than “extrovert.”) Introverts, his basic definition said, prefer minimally stimulating environments, and they need time alone to recharge. Extroverts refuel by being with others.



“Quiet people have the loudest minds.” Stephen Hawking
Till at the end of college, I was an Introvert person. I always avoid social congregation, I choose to work alone. I had a very few friends.but all my friends are my very deep friendship with me.



Once I get the job and gradually advancing in the corporate world, I started realizing the benefits of Introvert and also getting into the extrovert world. Initial of the career when I was in transition period Introvert personally did help me in my professional career.



Now after at the 20 years of corporate career when I look back, I have changed a lot in my nature. I do like all this stuff which I used to avoid



Some of the general characteristics associated with extroversion include:

• Various, deep interests
• Likes to communicate by talking
• Enjoys being at the focus of attention
• Tends to act first before thinking
• Enjoys group work
• Feels isolated by too much time spent alone
• Looks to others and outside sources for ideas and inspiration
• Likes to talk about thoughts and feelings.

In western society, extroversion is celebrated. The outgoing and enthusiastic nature of a person who gets things done and is a great communicator is considered an asset.



Researchers at the University of Chicago, and Harvard and Stanford Universities found that introverted chief executives make better leaders.



No alt text provided for this image
"I restore myself when I am alone" - Marilyn Monroe
Both of the styles are positive and negative based on the context.



Extroversion is more common than introversion. If we understand and develop both in balance will be beneficial we can channelize ourselves based on the need.


At least I can switch on and off based on the demand.


No alt text provided for this image
It takes polish Introvert personality to compose a book! and takes polish extrovert personality to promote the book!


"Hardly anybody ever writes anything nice about introverts. Extroverts rule. This is rather odd when you realize that about nineteen writers out of twenty are introverts. We are been taught to be ashamed of not being 'outgoing'. But a writer's job is ingoing." - Ursula K. Le Guin

Junk food for Motivation, Please identify and avoid

People are the primary and the most significant support of each company. For achieving remarkable results each leader needs to have a motivation approach to establish and sustain the spirit of enthusiasm among employees.


Please avoid this list of mental foods

• Extremely poor compensation, number one junk food for motivation, if you have this, It will demotivate immediately
• Poor ambient workplace, Individuals will not able to concentrate and perform better work in substandard working condition
• Work which is monotonous and does not challenge the intellectual level of the employees
• Cowboy team members or outstanding individual contributor who does not support team members, when we have many such team representatives, it will demotivate others.
• There are no vision or road map for the team members, one of the worst junk food for the motivation
• Leaders are not communicating with the team members, Team members are perplexed, excellent junk food for the motivation
• No appreciation for the valuable work done, or no recognition for a long time
• Team members are not able to discover any career growth plan
• Team members are receiving instruction from top to execute each and every step, less autonomy to work out anything fresh and new
• No support available for any challenging work
• Getting criticism every now and then, leaders are rebuke in front of others most of the time
• Each team members are fighting with each other to meet their target goal, there is a race in the team
• A minor small mistake will create an huge issue on the job floor, individuals are scared
• Boss is asking report of work progress in every hour
• Hardly team members recognize each other as everybody is in the competition, no moment to spare
• All the critical decisions are happening at the close door, inviting a few key team members
• People are getting treated like a machine, they are tagged as a billing resource with a number
• The yearly appraisal system is broken, the particular case-by-case performance instances has been picked to evaluate team members
• Every team members are complaining all the time, negativism is in the air, backbiting, and criticism is visible
• People are not getting leave for more than 3 days until an emergency, there is always work, people are always busy.
• Attrition and layoff are extremely high, people have asked to leave without prior notice, nobody knows why
• Few powerful people are running the show, it is not merit but positional power which is driving the organization. Leaders are acting like tough parents
• Team members are stressed and getting into health issues

If you find these into the menu items, please do not entertain these foods, avoid or do something

Win-Win negotiation what has worked with me

“The Law of Win/Win says, ”Let’s not do it your way or my way; let’s do it the best way”
-- Greg Anderson

When I work out below, I could discover a road to a win-win arrangement.

• I do my homework before the conversation
• I try to identify a way through which both of us will get benefit for long term
• I look at the process not at the person. Ignore all the particular emotional baggage
• I find what if alternative avenues, 
• I try to exercise as creative as possible to uncover an alternative value proposition
• I applied all optimistic attitude ( Glass half filled) 
• I ask many questions to understand, discover and listen 
• I am honest, transparent and authentic in my agreement
• I show due respect to the opponent and his/her present condition etc
• We discuss consequence upfront and who will pay what 
• Once we finalize , let us document the same and sign

If you start a conversation with the assumption that you are right or that you must win, obviously it is difficult to talk.
~ Wendell Berry

Fostering Positive Relationship at work

What I have observed as a Scrum Master, we have taken this topic as one of the important items to practice.


Though it is for all, in coaching we give importance to the relationship as a key enabler in collaboration


In Agile transformation when collaboration is key, especially when we are going for large scale transformation.



My own feeling is we need more compassion, we need more empathy, we need more togetherness, in terms of working together. Cindy McCain
How scrum master resolves some of the conflicting priorities without having a better working relationship with many scrum teams? We need to learn this skill.


Let us look into the below practice and rehearse for sometime

• It takes time to establish a stable relationship. Have patience and continue to have a trusting relationship.
• Establish trust, give utmost attention to strengthen trust. It is one of the essential for a long lasting relationship
• Take care of your emotion when dealing with others. Calm down when you are with others.
• Identify a common ground for a win-win solution
• Express yourself and share what is significant. The more you share another person will also share more. It creates binding.
• Be positive and optimistic with others
• Support your team members, people like when someone cares about them
• Appreciate when you find something remarkable has been accomplished by your colleagues
• Show curiosity to discover more, it will encourage you to understand other better
• Discuss something else other than work and pick up the common interest
• Do not try to educate others without their concern, including free advice
• Let us not interrupt, let others finish
• Always highlight the benefit when someone is working with you
• Explain what motivates your in the work, highlight the positive aspects of the work, it inspires others also
• Walk the talk in the change initiative
• Look for an opportunity to the social gathering
• Build knowledge power and earn respect for it
• Listen, listen and demonstrate care.We have 2 ears and 1 mouth
• Respect others view and encourage others to express more
• Always keep your promise and commitment
• Nasty gossip at work is poisonous
• The blame game does not work, it creates more side effect, try to understand the big picture
• Strengthen your likability factors, raise all those factors

Sincerely practice these for sometime, I do see that these behaviors when I meet with few great scrum masters.

We need to make sure we're all working together to change mindsets, to change attitudes, and to fight against the bad habits that we have as a society. Justin Trudeau

Antifragile

Comment from MS 23rd June 2019

Many thanks to my readers and wellwisher for sharing their insight after going through the Agilist Guidebook. I received a fresh review @Amazon book review section.

By applying Socrates techniques to read any book, my couple of colleagues called me and shared that they are doing the same techniques!

Socrates would read one chapter, but then he will take a moment and challenge himself how this applies to his life, and what he can do to think better, what action we can take about each concept what the author has shared.

I am sure most of us are already exercising same and advancing in wisdom building journey...

Keep reading and keep sharing, strengthening each other for the future.

How I became extrovert from introvert in the last two decades

An introvert is generally considered of as a quiet, reserved, and thoughtful human being.

People who are introverted tend to be inward direction, or focused more on internal thoughts, feelings and moods rather than seeking out external stimulation.

According to Eysenck’s theory, introverts are those that have naturally high levels of arousal. Because introverts tend to experience chronically high arousal levels, they tend to seek activities and environments where they can escape from over-stimulation. Because of their naturally high arousal levels, they are more alert and take in more information from the environment. Escaping somewhere to have time alone to recharge gives them the opportunity to process and reflect on what they have learned.

Psychologist Carl Jung was the first person to describe these two personality extremes back in the 1960s.

He wrote that introverts and extroverts could be separated based on how they regain energy. (The term “extrovert” is now used more commonly than “extrovert.”) Introverts, his basic definition said, prefer minimally stimulating environments, and they need time alone to recharge. Extroverts refuel by being with others.

Till at the end of college, I was an Introvert person. I always avoid social congregation, I choose to work alone. I had a very few friends.but all my friends are my very deep friendship with me.

Once I get the job and gradually advancing in the corporate world, I started realizing the benefits of Introvert and also getting into the extrovert world. Initial of the career when I was in transition period Introvert personally did help me in my professional career.

Now after at the 20 years of corporate career when I look back, I have changed a lot in my nature. I do like all this stuff which I used to avoid

Some of the general characteristics associated with extroversion include:

• Various, deep interests
• Likes to communicate by talking
• Enjoys being at the focus of attention
• Tends to act first before thinking
• Enjoys group work
• Feels isolated by too much time spent alone
• Looks to others and outside sources for ideas and inspiration
• Likes to talk about thoughts and feelings.
• In western society, extroversion is celebrated. The outgoing and enthusiastic nature of a person who gets things done and is a great communicator is considered an asset.

Researchers at the University of Chicago, and Harvard and Stanford Universities found that introverted chief executives make better leaders.

Both of the styles are positive and negative based on the context.

Extroversion is more common than introversion. If we understand and develop both in balance will be beneficial we can channelize ourselves based on the need.

At least I can switch on and off based on the demand.

It takes polish Introvert personality to compose a book! and takes polish extrovert personality to promote the book!

Invest in Kindle

The Agilist Guidebook can contribute to many thoughts, reflections, ideas and opinions in your Agile Transformation Journey. Kindle version is greatly affordable to start your pilot and experiment. I am confident you will build up higher than what you will invest.

Comment from Alhad

My friend Alhad is sympathetic enough to read my book and shared his points of view with others. Thanks, Alhad to find time from your hectic schedule. I realize you are already studying many other relevant books parallelly, nice to have the comment from you.

Thanks to all the readers to share the comments.

More we are into the transformation journey we will come across related types of challenges mentioned in this book but in a unique situation, it would be nice when all of us share our journey and challenges with what works and what we should shun.

We establish a community of writers by sharing our journey story.

To perform the transformation, we require to study the transformation book?

How do we get fresh ideas to take action? Do you get those ideas in the dream? do you get those views in team discussion? are you wondering how other changes agents are remarkably creative?

How to obtain various thoughts which we can experiment? Imagine a situation where we can generate meaningful, practical ideas related to our work context and we can recognition every now and then!

Agile transformation is all about experimenting with something which is good enough for the context where you are operating. It is collaborating with team members and establish something unique solution together.

It is less prescription, and more possibility finding.

What has worked with many of the team members, which I have gathered, we require to read various initiatives other team members are taking?

Read as many books, blogs as feasible to pick up those different ideas.

Sometimes, we run of ideas, today’s organization needs those people who are the idea generating machines.

We need many creative team members who can think differently and come out with many ways of things can be done.

So that organization can experiment with ideas and uncover the useful implementation proposal.

Most of the time I have studied organization hire the best consultant who has worked with numerous other organizations for the short term. They bring in fresh views into the organizations. Once they run out of ideas they jump into other organizations where they find other diversified team members to pick up different ideas. They read a lot to maintain thoughts clear bring new original solutions.

We require to study and come up with our own ideas, experiment with the prevailing context to substantiate those ideas and strengthen our understanding.

What do you think? are you seeking something like this or applying the same techniques again and again and complaining things are not working?

Are you capturing your thoughts, what is working with you? are you picking up your learning to share with all of us?

It would be a magnificent support when all we capture our learning and share with all. Your own understanding will reinforce and contribute to others.

Read and experiment and distribute your unique learning.

I have shared my sailing experience in this book.....

Comment from Prabir

One more readers’ comments have emerged in the review basket. Thanks, Prabir to spend precious time to read and share your remarks with all of us. I am confident that this book will create positive development in your prospects which strengthen you to explore something unique in organizational agile transformation and bring in fresh learnings which you may share one day with all of us. Please continue reading and share with all the other agilists.

Thanks for supporting and encouraging me by promoting this book.

This book in 8 months into production, printed 410 copies!!!

One more book reader has shared the feedback with all of us. I am indebted from the core of my heart to all these 45+ readers who had read "The Agilist Guidebook" and devote time to share their point of view with all of us. In today’s busy life we all are super busy, still, these few took out time to share. It helps another reader to determine if they should spend time with the product or not. It’s been scientifically proven that sharing an experience amplifies the emotions related to that experience.

Book Review comment from Stefan Bengtzing, Manager System Engineering Network Manager@ABB

Learning from Expert Scrum Masters

When I examined a few experience scrum master, I notice a pattern.

I notice that they recognize the distinction among all these skills  and mindful of when to exercise all these skills effectively.

I have captured all these skills( Training, Teaching, Mentoring and Coaching) skills through Mindmap.

Over a period of time, they have mastered these skills.

They may be excellent at domain knowledge but all these skills they have polished.

When I am coaching I consider for all these skills maturity and encourage the scrum masters to polish these skills as a part of their scrum master journey.

Do you recognize the commonality among all these skills? Most of these skills are soft skills.

It takes years to achieve mastery of these skills.

You can also read some more about these skills.

For sure we are looking for the Scrum Master or Agile Coach who are working to polish all these skills.

What do you think?

One latest review in at Amazon about the Agilist guidebook, thanks to Bharat for sharing his remarks about the book, I am yet to find Bharat in my network, thanks to the reader like Bharat who inspires the author to compose further, acknowledge the effort invested by the author.Happy to discover many such readers.

How Socrates would have read The Agilist’s Guidebook?

Socrates would read one chapter, but then he will take a moment and challenge himself how this applies to his life, and what he can do to think better.

Socrates had a method to his genius, and that process was straightforward: Ask questions.

Socrates was a scholar, and he instructed his students to ask questions.

He told his student to Take the time to think about their problems and any other thing in their life. He explains not just blindly accept what they hear or read, think about it.


Draw his/her own resolutions and understand where they can continue from there.

When his student read The Agilist’s Guidebook, they will think through and analyze everything. Most of their problem can minimize through this approach.

According to Socrates while reading a book, give it a pause every now and then. Analyze how this concept can solve some of your own problems? what action you can take about what the author has shared.

Sit down and Read, and figure out below questions while reading the book,

• Whatever I am reading is it significant to my work?
• Why I am reading these chapters?
• How much you acknowledge with these concepts?
• What action I can take if it is applying to my life?
• Am I able to understand all the facts what the author is trying to communicate through this book?
• If the concepts are not applicable, in future these approaches will useful for me?
• Can I practice and demonstrate this to someone else?
• Have you already thought through and implemented about these concepts earlier? How did it function?
• Are you agreeing with the author? if not, do you think if you have a stronger means to deal with the situation?
• What do you think about the author’s story or journey look like?
• In what way you can compose better about these chapters?
• Do you think is there any other better way this chapter/concepts could have committed? with better examples?

Please have a look at The Agilist's Guidebook

Change Management steps for Change leaders

If you try to google search "Agile coaching and transformation books", you will get my book, The Agilist's Guidebook. You get a glimpse of Transformation challenges from my book.10% discount in Amazon with free shipping.

Building Personal Leadership

When I commenced composing about my book, The Agilist’s Guidebook, my focus area was Organizational Agile Transformation challenges.

My purpose was to capture all the issues I had experienced and thereafter I wish to reuse those in my forthcoming endeavors.

As I organizational challenges are moving targets and there many such challenges when I started capturing all those, can develop into an epic! And in my next book, I should highlight something else.

One of the comments which Dr. Rajeeb Jha, Consultant in Germany, shared has changed my way of thinking and pushed my book to a diverse set of readers.

Why only Software Developers community, this universal challenges can be used by any individuals to any field to improve self and become a stronger leader.

Just have a look at the chapters and they are so generic concepts anyone will get benefit out of these concepts.

Let us share this with all and develop each other. It does not cost much to experiment with this book.

One more comment from Niraj Bhandari, Product Manager , Indeed.com, Japan also on similar line echoed the same.

Few of the chapters which talks about developing self

Rajeev comments

The Agilist's Guidebookk can be used for Personal Leadership development,

This comment from Dr Rajeev Jha, changed my way of thinking...

Comment from Germany

My first book comment for Amazon Germany! Dr. Rajeev has read my book and shared his valuable remarks. I am indebted for his time and feedback.

Sriharsha comments: The Agilist's Guidebook

My First book comments from London!! One of the best comment so far I have ever received. Love this reader for his writing proficiency. I cherish the passion Sree has been revealing. His commitment to becoming better on a regular basis is magnificent. It inspires me as a writer when I have such a reader. There’s no dearth of words from his expression, there is abundance in his thought while appreciating others works, he looks for possibilities and digs deeper into the work product by using his optimistic glasses.

I admire this attitude. For certain one day you can be a writer, I recognize you will write..…thanks for your time and effort.

When I run out of the Cave!

When I first read about the THE ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE, I thought for a moment and start thinking how can I apply this concept in my own life and my work.

It is a short excerpt from the beginning of Plato’s book, The Republic.

Plato explains that a man who is a slave is born in a cave and spends his entire life chained inside the cave.

He has never had any experience in the open and has never even seen the sun except through a small opening that comes into the cave just a few hours every day.

During these brief encounters with the outside world, he and his fellow slaves see shadows of birds flying on the cave wall, and the slave gets curious.

One day, he breaks his chains and runs to the opening of the cave to see the outside world for the very first time.

He sees real birds with feathers flying through the air and is amazed. So excited, he returns to his fellow slaves to explain what he has seen.

Of course to the slaves, a bird is not a feathered, flying animal. It is a black spot that hovers on the rocks a few times a day.

To them the shadow is their reality of what the bird is, and they think that the returning slave has gone mad. He is so uprooting their reality of what truth is that they have to stop him, and the mob kills him.

Socrates says, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”

This metaphorically represents our arduous ascent to higher learning.

It calls for our undying drive for the truth.

The prisoner that escaped from the cave questioned all his beliefs as he experienced a change in his view of the world rather than just being told an alternative.

Being a passive observer, as the prisoners who wish to stay in the cave, would generally prefer to keep things as they are.

According to Plato, education is seeing things differently
Plato's point is that the prisoners would be mistaken. For they would be taking the terms in their language to refer to the shadows that pass before their eyes, rather than (as is correct, in Plato's view) to the real things that cast the shadows.

If a prisoner says "That's a book" he thinks that the word "book" refers to the very thing he is looking at. But he would be wrong. He's only looking at a shadow. The real referent of the word "book" he cannot see. To see it, he would have to turn his head around.

As Scrum Master, I was passionate to go out of the prison and explore the world. My experience, I have started noting down for myself.

I was getting better value when I shared the original story from my experience with others. I commenced working out the same more and more.

I believe we all require to explore the experience as a Scrum Master or Agile coach or Product owner in real time.

Let us go out of the prison by working out level best and explore the real Sun, not the shadow.

You can read about more stories of my life from the book, The Agilist's Guidebook.

The Agilits's guidebook reach to 240!

At the closure of 5 months, the Agilist’s Guidebook has launched, The Publisher shared the statistics that there are 240 readers have chosen to read this book and own this book. There are readers who are reading and sharing observations with others and I am grateful to all who are supporting me and Spreading the awareness about this book(Directly and indirectly). All my reader’s comments are accessible at Amazon and The Agilits’s Guidebook landing page. I choose to carry out different in other’s thought through this book. A slight dent is adequate to create another writer. It is a magnificent feeling when someone reads, what you write. It is an awesome feeling when someone read and comment, when you write.

If you Google search “Agile Coaching Books”, You see all the needed books which all we should read. You see my book also , “The Agilist’s Guidebook” !!! Gratitude to all colleagues and Google to bring it to all!

Book Readers comments.....

Points from few of my ardent readers. There are many more remarks, I just picked few, thanks for your devotion to know and distribute the stories to other aspiring readers.

Comments from Ash

40 Review comments

Today The Agilist’s Guidebook got 40 review comments from those passionate book readers who cares for others. This will encourage diverse readers to determine if this book to be any benefit or not. The book landing page (theagilistguidebook.blogspot.com) has some further message. This book has come to this stage by assistance from the community member like you. It would be challenging for me to compose, push and bring light for this book without your encouragement. Thanks for all who are invariably promoting others to look into this book.

https://www.amazon.in/Agilists-Guidebook-Reference-Agile-Transformation/product-reviews/9387456641/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewopt_srt?showViewpoints=1&sortBy=recent&pageNumber=1

Why individuals seek for ready-made solution?

This is a typical phenomenon in most of the workshop.

Individuals show up to the workshop and demand there will be someone who will provide them a magic pill which will solve their problems!!!

Most of the workshop hijack with such problem they were facing, sometime we also felt that they need a platform where they want to vent out their challenges.

Most of the time they are not eager to discover their own solution!
Only a few percentages are ready to experiment and try, the majority are seeking for a ready made solutions!

Though as a coach we work with them to change the mindset.

I was thinking to detect this answer, Why? Why the majority are like this?

• Fear of the Unknown
• Lack of resources
• Individuals choose to gain pleasure and avoid pain
• They do not discover “Why” 
• What is the bigger picture?
• The individual is not willing to learn and going beyond the prescribed boundary.
• The ecosystem is not ready to admit failure and not free from the blame culture
• Few passionate pessimistic individuals are spreading negative energy on a daily basis

Most of the transformation assignment, I identify these typical patterns. Team members do not take action because of all the above reason.

Once we discover in some teams where individuals are performing reasonably better, I could understand all these typical characteristics are missing by the team members.

Without action, you aren’t going anywhere– Gandhi

How do we change? 

• For any adjustment to take place, someone has to figure out something and start executing differently
• Massive problems are most often solved by an array of small solutions over a longer duration of time; sometimes over weeks and occasionally over decades.
• A desire to provide crystal clear direction on what specifically individuals should start doing, stop doing or continue doing
• We must need to single out the applicable behavior. Most often it must be a positive feeling,
• We must establish that the change or task won’t be unusual big and dreadful 

My book, The Agilist's Guidebook, has 88 problems and solutions!! 

For those who want to discover my journey and reuse some of those steps. Please read.

Why we need Agile Consultants for Major Agile Transformation?

A tale from my companion.

My companion is an Agile coach in one of the product based company. She is responsible for Agile transformations for the numerous team for a Business line. She is reporting to the business line head.

She is coaching many teams and over a period of time she realizes that bringing cultural changes; it need some structural changes. And those changes can come from top leadership.

Any change initiatives she is proposing for organization transformation to bring agility,those ideas review through the business line Head. 

Anywhere business line Head is anticipating some elements which are causing threats to his existing structure and people, those proposals are not getting approved.

In a similar company in another business line, there are also agile coaches but only distinctions are business line head is from overseas and driving the transformation from there with many reputed consultants working with that business portfolio.

Similar types of the proposal are getting approved and significant organizational changes are taking place to accomplish enterprise agility.

To save her job as she is under the payroll of the company under that business line head, she is not able to show Scrum Value- Courage!!!

Recently One person lost his job by demonstrating courage.
His change management approach was approved but the reason to get rid of him was unusual.

It has generated a scary situation under change management team.

Every coach is doing business as usual. 

There is a talk to bring external consultant, who are temporary and can influence, propose many pilot initiatives. Most of the consultants are for 6-12 months contracts. They are bold and pursue to top executives for change initiatives. Most of the time it works!!

My friends say in her 2 years stay with that product company she has seen many consultants who come and goes but they bring a lot of new, innovative change proposals and many got triggers top management to change. And it works!! But employee from the payroll lost all the courage to propose such initiatives!

It constitutes a thought in-house change initiative if it is a major organizational change management, not healthy for employees? or better to do such risky changes by the consultants and business as a usual part take care by the in-house coaches. 

Risk-independent transformation!
Have you come across such story ?

What I have learned from my few master coaches

I have worked with few great coaches whom I consider to be the role model coaches. They have inspired me to perform and better and continuously improve.

They are constantly excelling themselves and stimulating others to raise towards the sky.

• We require to Prove, define, exhibit repeatedly, practice and provide valuable comment to the team members whom we are coaching.
• Team member listens when the coach listens to them.
• Let us holistically challenge team members mental skills. They can be cultivated just like we develop physical skills.
• Inspire the team members to be all they can be, every day and in all that matters.
• Body language replaces many expressions: It is not what we say, but how we express it. Our attitude and thoughts reflects in our delivery.
• Praise and positive reinforcement are mechanisms for the coach.Let us keep using these appropriately
• Self-reflection is our eternal companion: we are our own strongest critic but seek to be objective rather than self-destructive. Pessimism is also a big killer!
• Take interviews and throwback answers. Challenge the team members to identify the answers for themselves and to understand lessons.
• Desire: protect the dream alive, daily. Motivation is a attitude, not a one-off incident.
• Let us construct a healthy, challenging, interesting coaching environment where team members enjoy coming to gain and grow.
• Constantly challenge self and the team members for different peak to accomplish.
• Look for actions to develop in self, Deep observation is the key.
• Provide an ounce of instruction and a bundle of practice to be execute. Let them get experience from the execution.
• Persistence pays–never give up.
• What we believe will take place, will crop up. What the mind can envision it will bring about.
• Strive to establish self as an redundant and develop coach independent professionals.
• Listen with the eyes and look with the ears.
• Raise their standards of achievement and career aspirations to scary heights.
• Redesigned how team members precious moment, attention and energy is devoted.
• Eliminate those once-important practices and routines that no longer benefit them effectively.
• Challenge and left bare team members most intimately held beliefs and assumptions.

• Gain a vastly magnified view of the team members amazing strengths and capacities.

• Rediscover team members lively, creative side that had long been detained in exile.

Why Proxy Product Owner is Relevant?

We all are aware that the Proxy Product Owner(PPO) is an anti-pattern. 

There is no such role called proxy product owner.

but we notice this role still survive and continue to remain!!

Should we eliminate this role?
Should we deliberately create this role?
Does this role not add any value at all?
Does this role create a Chinese whisper syndrome?

Couple of teams I have observed there is a legitimate demand for this role. After tried several attempts to establish real product owner, but failed in the attempt due to the circumstance. And circumstance is so powerful , we are not able to change, but the system continues to run with PPO as efficient as possible!

Most of the time, we obtain a terrible point to persuade business to provide PO. We are ready with coaching and training for the business communities for on-boarding a new role called PO. But we do not get. In Traditional IT organization BA used to accomplish all this activity. Now Agile way of working, Business is not ready as fast as demanded. so some PPO gets created to do someway to do Agile. We call this role as Powerless PO( PPO)!!

I have a feature team, where we have full stack team members. The feature team supports business for Hongkong, Singapur and Malaysia business. Business from each location does not eager to identify one person as a PO for this job, as requirement is very limited. From IT side one person playing the Proxy PO role and enabling all the business stakeholders to fulfill the regular demands and delivery requirements. It works fine and business is happy with this setup.Powerless PO( PPO)!! works.

One more typical scenario, one product line named as Costarica, where Business has identified one person as a PO, But she is managing many other products and an extremely knowledgeable individual. She does not have so much time, she is spending 10% of her effort for the Feature team named Costarica product. And Feature team has one senior BA who is supporting all the requirement engineering side and communicating with PO for all the expected support required. PO decides but BA who is Powerless PO( PPO) enables all to be on the same page.Powerless PO( PPO) works.

One more typical scenario, I have one Feature team where business is in Germany, most of the users are in Germany. A feature team members are in India. None of the team members knowGerman! One of the Sr. BA we have hired who has domain expertise and knows German. It has become a gift for the team members to interface with business and users. We established that BA as a PPO will interface with the business and PO. Though the PO knows English and is in Germany, PPO enables the team to perform better.Powerless PO( PPO) works.

We were once become very strict and determined that we should eliminate PPO from the system, but once we realize many such typical scenarios; we started asking, does this PPO role not add any value? causing inconvenience to the agile team? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Though we are not some time finding an excuse not to look systemic and figure out the tremendous obstacle we are having by not eliminate PPO. 

PPO does not exist in scrum role, but it can be traceable in the Agile system!!!!