The Human Aspects of Agile Coaching

There seems to be a mad dash to incorporate AI into everything, including the agile ways of working community.  

As an example, this article—Product Management Will Be Taken Over By AI In 5 Years, makes a bold prediction of the demise of an entire species.

Matt Davis made a very brief comment when he shared the article—

It's never too early to start leaning into the human aspects of Product Management. Roadmap planning? Prioritization? Feature definition? Market research? Measurement? - All automated. Focus on the other things.

That connected me with the actual response we all should have to AI. Particularly for us in the agile community.

So, instead of—

• Burying your head in the sand;

• Frenetically trying to learn everything you can about AI;

• Allowing it to replace your learning journey;

• Or Building AI replacements for yourself.

Perhaps we all should be—

Leaning into the human aspects of Agile Coaching…

I’ll leave it as an exercise for each of you to discover what that means for yourself. But it doesn’t mean asking powerful questions, getting more certifications, or blindly following framework definitions.

Stay agile, my human Agile Coaching friends,

Bob.

Goodbye 2023...Hello 2024

I’m seeing lots of end-of-year posts about how great a year 2023 was for folks and how much they accomplished. In my agile community, seeing posts about—

• How many classes I run or how many students I taught;

• How many events/groups I’ve spoken at/to;

• How many articles or books I’ve written, or podcasts and videos I’ve recorded;

• How much money I made;

• How this was the best year…ever!

and I’m happy these folks had a good year.

But I have a different sort of end-of-year wrap-up to share. Some good and some not-so-good news. In 2023— 

• My wife Diane was diagnosed with Stage 3 Parkinson’s Disease. She’s bravely navigating PD, and I’m navigating what it means to be a caregiver.

• For the first time in more than two decades, I attended very few in-person agile events; depending on how I count them, it was three, and I missed my tribe. Thank goodness I made it to Agile 2023 in Orlando!

• I had a very challenging business year and I experienced an 82% YoY revenue drop.

• My frequent flyer status on Delta dropped from Diamond to Silver; I know, but 😉

• On a positive note, I did more pro-bono work than ever before—to help others and to keep myself sharp.

• The 2023 Badass Agile Coaching Day event contributed $11,000 to Africa Agility and Ukraine charities.

• My DEI discounts to classes amounted to more than $20,000.

2023 was perhaps the most challenging year for me, professionally and personally. It’s tested my energy, resilience, mental health, and faith.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for my friends, colleagues, and acquaintances in the Agile community. The heart and spirit of this community have been an anchor for me during the year. There are some, you know who you are, who have played a special role in checking in with me and supporting me. To all of you, I humbly say—Thank you.

I’m writing to share a “not so beautiful” view of the year with others who may have been challenged in 2023 like I have been. And share my hopes for a better 2024.

My sincere wish to all of you is for a far better 2024. One where you find whatever you need to realize how special and unique you are. Where you find your “community of support,” as I have, and you lean into it.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Stay agile, my friends,

Bob.

What would I tell my younger self?

1985 - 2006 - 2023

I began exploring agile ways of working in 1995-96, inspired by the Scrum paper shared at OOPSLA 1995. 

Someone asked me—

I want to capture advice from experienced agilists as to if they were just starting out now in agile, based on their experience, what would they tell their younger selves?

And in no particular order, here is my answer—

1. The journey is a marathon, not a sprint.

2. Build and activate your trusted partner (friend, colleague, mentor, and cheerleader) network.

3. Remember, agile is an inside-out job.

4. Mindset is a thing, an important thing!

5. Certifications largely suck; experience wins.

6. When in doubt, trust your teams.

7. Reflect on your privilege.

8. Leave something positive behind, a legacy.

9. Agile is bigger than software; change the world!

10. Respect people…including leaders and managers.

11. Continuously build your personal brand.

12. Take better care of yourself (self-care)!

13. Take the time to build better relationships.

14. Stay humble.

15. And…always remember, you ROCK! Trust yourself and your gut.

I found this to be a great reflective question.

Stay agile my friends,

Bob.