Agile Coaching – Agile Leadership
When it comes to thinking outside of the box for many it is a real challenge after all their thinking is based on what they know and do.
Thinking inside the box is normal and it takes new questions and new ideas to push people outside of their comfort zone.
Traditions don't die easily or quickly and some traditions need to be evaluated and reviewed to see if they are still viable to address the needs of tomorrow. In the domain of software development teams and individuals are often challenged with increasingly higher demands without the resources to help them succeed.
In the domain of software development there is often difficulty getting to the point of understanding the full scope of a problem. At one time it was thought that command and control worked as a method of planning out and developing complex software solutions. Command and control did provide the transparency and collaboration needed to create optimal solutions. A new wave of software management practices were developed to answer the need for a more robust and engaging process so that customer needs were well understood by those trying to take an abstract concept and turn it into a viable solution.
Agile methods provided the kind of flexibility and structure that enabled teams to deliver software solutions faster and with better results. Still the envelope is being pushed and additional concepts are needed to better understand the relationship between solution provider and customer.
To increase engagement and empowerment software development teams need to collaborate with the customer and explore potential solutions to the problem the customer would like solved. Great leadership is needed to produce great results. How do we get great leadership?
Coaching teams and leaders is the next step in improving processes and improving organizational and team results. Coaching is what helps leaders lead better and coaching helps teams perform better.
Coaching helps teams think outside of the box. Coaching helps leaders think outside of the box.
To address the speed of change and the complexity of the software solutions being produced out of the box thinking is needed. Coaching helps people see beyond their own limits and that allows for greater creativity, faster solution development and better results.
An Agile coach doesn’t force change or judge a process or the people. An Agile coach helps people see what they don't see, opportunities for making positive changes.
I’ve helped introduce Agile methods to organizations and taught the basic processes, enough to get people engaged and using the methods. Now I have a broad set of experience in coaching working with people at all levels of life produce better results both in their personal and professional lives.
Coaching works and it helps people produce at much higher levels, some have reported 600% increases in productivity as a result of coaching. It does make a difference. It can make a difference for your organization as well.
