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In addition, the pace of technological
change is one of the highest ever for the history of the industry -
techniques and methods which we experts only a year ago may no longer justify
themselves today. There
is a constant need for learning new things, standing at the forefront in
technology and business. You cannot
even wait a few months to produce your products, you need to work fast. You need to get use to change, and not
just get used to it, in order to survive in this industry you should embrace change
as a way of life, as your new reality. Customers
are not waiting; they change their minds because their reality changes as
well. Manufacturers must recognize that and develop methods to get used to
the change.
One of the things we're working on in agile coaching is
reducing these risks and teaching the agile teams’ new ways to respond
quickly to change, Improve and internalize practices that change
rapidly. The pace of change in the
world is only growing. We'd
better get used to it!
The need
to develop study habits and adapt to changes is the root of many coaching
process - if it is the programmer that needs to deal with new operating
systems, or a parent that has to deal with changes in the needs of his
children and his role as a parent, or if we need to take on a diet, quitting
smoking, changing business dealing and so on.
Change
and the human need to deal with, is universal. As coaches we all recognize
this need, particularly the difficulty that our coachees , learn and
understand what they need to change , and mostly the need to preserve this
change, so it will not dissipate within a week and a month, but will become a
habit of a new life. Which is exactly what agile
coaching does - helping coachees to change old habits effectively and
quickly, to leave the comfort zone and make a habit of dealing with the new
change.
So what can we learn from agile that can be related to personal coaching? Among other things:
● Create constant Heartbeat Or constant pulse - Agile teaches us to produce a pulse of
constant action - setting objectives, walking towards the goal immediately, collecting
feedback from the environment and learn from them and setting a new
destination. And back again,
creating a uniform and constant ‘doing and reflecting’ rhythm. This type of “Rotation"
(of placing a goal – moving toward the goal – collecting feedback - and a setting
new target) is usually set to be from 1 week to four weeks, while the tasks
are relatively small - sometimes the whole process takes an hour or even a
few minutes.
The
'secret' that enables persistence over time is to maintain a constant Heartbeat.
A team that finds that it work for them with the rhythm of the round of every
two weeks, would be good if they continue with the exact same rhythm over
time. The team should not be tempted
to "change the pace" - even if there is pressure to finish
something just in a week and a half. Using
Agile We have learned that changing the rhythm of things is like changes in a
human heart rate – the price we pay in the long term is greater than the
immediate shock that we may make.
● Visibility - Is
key . Things happen when you see them. We
will visualize all that stands in front of us and we will manage it. In some cases we will place big whiteboards and
sticky notes that will symbolize the road a head and the goals we see
and though create full transparency for ourselves and our friends to the
journey.
Using agile teaches how to reflect clearly in a way
that cannot be ignored-(processes, mindsets, priorities, problems and
solutions) . Using big
visual boards)
Information Radiators) Has become commonplace in agile teams. You will not find them
looking at a computer screen, looking for a file with a list of tasks, but
standing together in front of a huge board on the wall, where you see the
tasks, failures, obstacles, strengths of the team and their shared vision. The entire team related
information is large and clear for all to see, in an atmosphere of
trust, mutual support and joint motivation for action (Team Spirit).
In Agile personal coaching we use similar tools to help
the coachee manage the process of his transformation. Using the board’s visibility allows the change
to become a sustainable habit over time.
● Kaizen - Routine of continuous improvement
- The idea of
continuous improvement is first of all, do it all the time, and in small
doses. It is particularly effective when adapting
a routine or (the way we like to call it) a pulse, which we examine our doing
all time.
Agile holds a structured processes called Retrospective- This is an
hour of "coaching session",
held once a week / two weeks (depending on the rhythm of the team), the
session is run by a coach (or by
a Scrum Master). The purpose of the meeting is to allow the team -
together -to define goals and objectives of improvement – related to the
process of their work, interpersonal conduct, dealing with obstacles and
problems, and basically anything they see as contributing to or interferes
with their effective conduct together as a team.
In agile Personal coaching we also employ similar
methods to create a pulse of progress, improvement and problem solving in the
coachee. Make the improvement itself -
a habit for life.
● Value Focus- Value
as a motivator – in order for me to be able to
recognize the value generated for my own benefit, its best that I will
embrace an approach of which I think of myself as a customer that his money
is important to him and his quality requirements are high, and also think
about myself as a provider, and provide myself the best service I can.
A very important agile principle is placing myself in
my client's shoes (as a product manager or as someone that is responsible in
any way to provide a service). This
allows us to think like a customer and make decisions - sometimes not easy
decisions – that will ultimately serve the customer, and will allow us to
deal better with pressures directed against us from management, other
stakeholders, and most importantly - ourselves.
Agile developed structured tools and
techniques to define customer needs from the perspective of the customer
himself. Sometimes (and highly recommended to do
it as a routine ) we will seek our customer real feedback.
In
agile personal coaching we apply the same principle -we Identify the true
value for the coachee in every decision or in any progress direction, in
order to get to the bottom of it (and quickly), and realize what the coachee
really want and need in life.
● Baby Steps
- walk in small steps - Smaller is easier to control, easier to make a mistake and easier
to fix.
In our
experience, Effective change and the ability to make things happen - Better be happening gradually and Incrementally.
Using Feedback Loop will allow a proper understanding of the events in the
changing reality.
An
agile Heartbeat (mentioned above), in small doses produces the ability to
cope with changes, react to them and learn. This pulse, in small doses, creates a flow of action, and
routine, but a kind of routine that creates special feeling of success. Once we get used to it, this
routine will become a part of us and embrace the change as a habit.
● I am my own organizer
and director, and I learn to do it well even after
the coaching is long over and not just as part of a coaching period.
The
concept of self-management and self-organization Is fundamental in agile -
It enables employee empowerment, allowing him to discover and
invent for himself the best way he could function. It's
not as simple as it sounds - it is necessary to create supporting frameworks
and set clear boundaries. The role of the manager is turning at 180 degrees here
– from a manager that decides for his employees their tasks to a manager that
defines responsibilities, supports, protects workers against interference and
allows them to maximize their abilities (Servant Leadership).
The
principle of self-organization, decision making and taking responsibility for
them and for your own actions (both over the successes and over the failures)
- is also an essential part of the agile personal coaching – it’s the
accountability and responsibility the coachee in the coaching process, to his
own life and those around him.
There
is so much more to write about agile ... so much .... There
is an entire infrastructure in the heart of the agile practices that
ultimately enables action and constant growth, Continuous
improvement in work habits and life.
So what's next?
We wish to take the knowledge, methods and concepts of
agile into the world of personal coaching – we initiated a project called
Jelly – agile coaching. This is
the first article in the series.
And best of all .. Do
not forget to enjoy the way - it's also one of the most important agile principles. **
Shirly Ronen Harel and Avi Naparstek - both personal
trainers and activists for many years in the high-tech industry. Members of the Agile
Life group Whose goal is to
take the agile into other areas of life (education, art, society, etc.) and
project partners Jelly - Agile coaching- designed to bring the world of
agile into the personal coaching area.
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