Module 10 Attributes of Successful Agile Team Coaches

Welcome to Agile Team Coaching, Module 10. This is the

last module in the course.

This module covers the attributes necessary to be a

successful Agile Team Coach. First, we'll look at the
attitude and aptitude required for those who are
specifically interested in becoming a successful Agile Team
Coach.

Then we'll look at some of the soft skills that an Agile

Team Coach should be required to have in order to
effectively coach an Agile team.

Some of the skills that we'll be looking at are having a

very approachable demeanor, having very good communication
skills so that the Agile Team Coach can effectively convey
information within and outside the team, being
compassionate and understanding so that he or she has
empathy towards the behaviors and feelings of the teams and
the individuals, being a friendly and outgoing person so
that team members do not hesitate to freely express
themselves.

And finally, we look into the most important soft skill,

which is listening.

Dr. Mark Dussault is a renowned business growth strategist.

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Module 10 Attributes of Successful Agile Team Coaches

He says success is not determined by attitude but, rather,

by aptitude. Aptitude is a result of natural talent plus
that which you apply as a result of attitude.

You have to build a well-designed routine that improves

your chances of success without any false sense of
certainty. Your success in life is determined more by your
desire to succeed than by your natural talents.

More than the technical capability that we have is our

attitude and our mindset that makes a difference in our
success. Research points out that a person with low
intelligence quotient but high emotional quotient succeeds
more often.

Therefore, we need to take time to take the right action

that will lead to success. How much time and energy do you
spend working directly on your skills and how much working
on your attitudes?

Your attitudes determine, to a great degree, what you're

able to do and what you're not able to do. What you're
able to practice and what you're not able to practice.

And, lastly, it's all about building relationships with

people we interact with. It's critical that we build good
rapport with people.

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Module 10 Attributes of Successful Agile Team Coaches

One of the core skills needed for an Agile Team Coach is

the ability to influence people. We need to influence
people so that they look to us for advice. In order to be
listened to, we need to be trustworthy. We become
trustworthy by being ethical in our actions and behaviors
as well as making ourselves vulnerable by admitting our
shortcomings or failures.

Building a strong relationship with various stakeholders

becomes necessary. Often, as a coach, we need to negotiate
with several stakeholders as we help the iteration managers
shield the team from some external interference while
they're working.

Having those skills helps us. Teams are often faced with
issues that need to be discussed. There may be conflicting
priorities, cross-team dependencies or issues that need to
be addressed immediately.

The Agile Team Coach plays a part in helping resolve these

issues by asking questions and facilitating discussions.
Therefore, an Agile Team Coach should have a very
approachable demeanor.

Here we'll see why communication as a soft skill is very

essential for an Agile Team Coach. Poor communication

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Module 10 Attributes of Successful Agile Team Coaches

results in broken relationships that lead to a lot of

misunderstandings.

We as coaches need to be aware and vigilant while

communicating. The five elements for effective
communication are having a desire for excellence.
Understand the process of communication by using words,
images or gestures.

Mastering the basics, connecting, conveying information and

checking responses. Dedication to practice. Not trying to
be a rock star on day minus one, and having the patience
and persistence. Remember, time is our best friend.

And finally, consider reading a book or taking a course on

nonviolent communications. Here we explore being
compassionate and understanding as an Agile Team Coach.

As a coach, you embody the type of love and compassion that

rings so true that the team can see it in your eyes, in the
way you really listen to them and in the way you honor them
as experts in their own.

It helps teams to get to the next level of being Agile. An

Agile Team Coach demonstrates compassion by being kind,

caring and demonstrating a willingness to help the team and
individuals.

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Module 10 Attributes of Successful Agile Team Coaches

As an Agile Team Coach, you need to show that you are

trustworthy and that you can empathize with the team.
Understanding another person's condition through their own
eyes by feeling what they feel helps the coach to build
trust and a better working relationship with the team.
In this slide, let's talk about the Agile Team Coach being
a friendly and outgoing person. People usually don't
hesitate to reach out for help from someone who they see as
friendly and outgoing.

They have no fear of this person and can talk freely about
their concerns and share their feelings. As a coach,
learning how to present yourself to others, striking up a
conversation and looking confident does a whole lot of good
when you're working with teams and individuals.

Here are a few tips in how you can present yourself. Say
thank you often. Give frequent and sincere compliments.
Make eye contact and give a friendly style. And open-ended
questions that start with what and how.

Chat up with team members over a cup of coffee, in the

hallway or at their desk. Give them a sense of pride. Go

out for lunch or dinner with the team as often as you can.
Doing these things help the Agile Team Coach become a
trusted confidant.

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Module 10 Attributes of Successful Agile Team Coaches

The most important skill necessary for the Agile Team Coach
is the ability to truly listen. According to the
attachment theory, named after work done by psychologist
John Bowlby and Ainsworth, they say people are drawn by
needs, wants and desires.

Like a newborn child who's drawn towards their mother who

just gave birth to the child, people want to be perceived
accurately. They want to be in the here and now. They
want to be treated with positive regard.

People also want consistency, and they want you to support

them unconditionally. What is active listening?
Basically, this is a type listening where the listener is
fully engrossed with what he or she or hearing, even able
to detect environmental changes such as room temperature
changes, background noise and changes in the tone of the
speaker.

This type of listening has three modes. They are

comprehension. Here, the listener actively analyzes and
listening to what the speaker is saying without distraction
or thoughts about other topics.

Retaining. The listener remembers what the speaker has

said so that the speaker's full message can be conveyed.

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Module 10 Attributes of Successful Agile Team Coaches

And responding. This is the act of providing both verbal

and non-verbal feedback to the speaker that indicates the
listener is both hearing and understanding what the speaker
has said.

Some of the benefits of active listening are that it

focuses people to attentively listen to each other, helps
avoid misunderstandings. It tends to open people up, to
get them to save more, and it helps reduce confusion and
conflicts on teams.

Remember, active listening leads to effective listening.

Mevlana Rumi, a similar of spiritual studies, once said
since in order to speak one must first listen, learn to
speak by listening.

Finally, let's look at some tips on how to be an active

listener. Quiet your own internal voice. Don't think how
and what response you need to give. Let others speak and
listen without interrupting.

Maintain eye contact. Give the speaker your full

attention. Playback and summarize. Try to comprehend what
is being said and look at the discussion from the speaker's

point of view.

Orient to the emotions. Look at the emotions and adjust.

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Make the presenter comfortable. Show empathy and

compassion. And don't judge. It's the point of the view
of the person that is speaking.

This concludes the Agile Team Coach online education

series. Being an Agile Team Coach can be a very
challenging and rewarding experience. There is no greater
feeling than to help people grow and become better.

What you do from this point on is entirely up to you. Your

journey towards becoming an Agile Team Coach will be long
and not always easy. You must be strong in your personal
values and possess the courage to stand up for those
values, sometimes even in the face of extreme adversity.
Good luck. This is Steve Crago saying be safe and be
Agile.
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