Just Shut Up and Listen
Sit down and listen. Listen and Wonder. Ask the right questions. That's coaching for you. Still not clear what we're on about? Then you better sit down and read.
Agile Matinée is a fortnightly dispatch curated by Panaxeo, one Agile topic at a time. We bribe five Agile enthusiasts with croissants and expect them to collect interesting and read-worthy content in return. This one will make you a great listener and maybe teach you a thing or two about coaching.
Really? THIS headline after 10 editions full of advice?
You bet.
Seriously now. Coaching is a powerful yet underused skill that should be central to all Scrum Masters and leaders in general. Then, why is it so rare to meet Dr. Phil-like leaders in everyday life?
Not sure about you, but we’ve all been taught that in order to have an impact as a manager, you need SOLUTIONS for everything, all the time.
Now, imagine having just solved a burning problem and feeling good about saving the day.
What about the long-term effects? Did you just turn yourself into a bottleneck for all future problems? Have you helped your people learn to make their own decisions at all? Where is it all heading?
Turns out that in order to create wonderful teams you need to wonder more and advise less.
Let’s explore that a little more.
“Wisdom begins in wonder”
— Socrates
01.
The most powerful 4 minutes on coaching ever
(4-min watch)
Let’s say you still struggle to see any real value in coaching. Your mind screams “Things are under firm control! Blah blah, therapy is not gonna help!”
Trust us, we’ve been there too, and it took Michael Bungay Stanier only four minutes to shatter those hard-earned feelings of righteousness.
Watch the video by him and Marshall Goldsmith. That advice-first attitude is probably not only harmful to the team but also an example of some spectacularly bad leadership.
(By the way, if you don’t know who these two gentlemen are, Google them. It’s like Beyonce sharing the stage with Taylor Swift.)
02.
Mentoring, teaching, coaching… What’s the difference?
Love it when some of the most influential people create a TL;DR instead of writing another 352-page book.
So, if you’re getting confused by what’s the right tool for what in your teams, start here. Lyssa Adkins (best known for her 352-page book) co-created the Agile Coaching Competency Framework which pretty much sums up the basic definitions and purposes of all the “soft” competencies you as a Scrum Master should master.
In a wheel. You can never have too many wheel-shaped infographics
03.
Bend it! The arc-itecture of a great agile coaching conversation
(15-min read)
Let’s say you’ve bought into the importance of having coaching conversations now. But how do you start without sounding like a therapist?
Luckily, we have Francisco Manacorda, and Francisco has LinkedIn to share his coaching knowledge. He explains a simple and well-established concept of the “coaching conversation arc” and adds a lot of practical tips on top so you can relate better.
Even if you are already familiar with the “coaching arc,” give Francisco a read. He jammed so many useful extras into the post that even Chat-GPT couldn’t provide a succinct summary.
Grazie, Francisco!
04.
Huh? Eh? Powerful coaching question examples
(5-min watch)
Let’s imagine you already understand that as a coach, you’re:
a) Supposed to talk less than the coachee.
b) Not there to give advice.
So what the hell SHOULD I do, you might ask? Precisely that – ask. Be a Dr. Phil for a moment. Help the coachee find their own solutions and own them.
Here’s a good start – 8 powerful questions you can use to guide a coaching conversation + when to use them for what. (Should they not suffice, have another 7.)
05.
I’m All Ears! – 11 tips to level up your active listening skill
(5-min read)
Active listening is a cornerstone for a good coach. Sounds reasonable, right?
Since we’re all IT people, we had a hard time figuring out how such an abstract skill could be developed and improved in ourselves. Turns out there’s a list of actionable tips from some of the best coaches.
Thank you, Forbes! You helped us become better listeners.
PS: If you’re into more formal but still neat stuff; here’s one from ICF.
06.
Coaching confidently – 7 tips on how to avoid common coaching mistakes
(10-min read)
You’re brimming with motivation to coach your team to glory. You’ve got your agenda prepared, the coaching arc tattooed on your forearm – what could go wrong? Well, several things. Here are just seven of them.
If you’re about to step into your first coaching conversation, remember – you will make mistakes. It’s perfectly fine. Just reflect and adapt!
After all, a skill that can be learned just by reading a newsletter would probably not be a very useful one.
07.
Ready for more? The Coaching series by Scrum.org
Before we part, remember that most of your workplace coaching will have something to do with the Scrum Team and stakeholders. You’re not here to help a mate get over losing a pet fish 27 years ago.
To ground yourself a little, explore the library of to-the-point resources on coaching by Scrum.org. You might just spot a situation you’re dealing with right now. Start there! We all learn best by doing.
Social Radar
You may have heard about a neat tool called #dysfunctionmapping by our favorite LinkedIn bad-boy Michael Lloyd. What are the most common dysfunctions Michael encounters in teams, though? And, do you see a familiar one?
Something Special
We know you’re an Agilista, that’s why you’re reading this. But do you also code, perchance? We’re having a competition – the Coding Arena – and you can enter.
You’ll win awesome goodies! It’ll be fun, promised!
That’s it; we’re off.
Hope you’ve basked enough in this Agile well of inspiration. Now, go about your day and put this stuff into practice! Oh, and unless you want to miss our next digest, follow us on LinkedIn or share this post with your friends and frenemies!
Hasta la Agilista, baby!