Warren Buffet may be one of the best and renowned investors in the world, and believe me, he’s made quite a fortune throughout his career. But is money or material the only things you can invest in? If your career involves interacting, communicating, helping and guiding groups and individuals, it may be worthwhile to consider yourself as the hottest commodity on the market.

This is particularly true for Agile coaches, Agile managers, and Scrum Masters. With the rise in popularity of Agile methods and their implementation, investing in self-development is no longer an option. Organizations are now seeking for individuals who are able to guide, positively influence, and make a difference as coaches, managers and Scrum Masters.

A testament to this is the mindset alignment Lyssa Adkins and her team at the Agile Coaching Institute (ACI) have taken.

The ACI fosters coaching at a human level rather than a technical one. Why? Because they are fully aware that Agile transformations occur when we, as coaches and Scrum Masters, prioritize individuals and interactions over processes and tools. We at Epicoaching stand by that mindset.

Considering individuals as an important part of transformation is by no means a revolutionary principle. Marshall McLuhan coined “The medium is the message” in 1967, demonstrating that the individual is an essential part of the message. It still stands true to this day.

That being said, coaches and Scrum Masters are not only vehicles, but instruments of successful Agile transformations. Hence, the posture they adopt as messengers and evangelists of Agile values and principles are of the utmost importance.

To make my point, take a reputed stand-up comic and a government official and have them tell the same joke, word for word, to the same audience. Which one do you think will get the most laughs? The stand-up comic clearly comes out as the winner on this one. The message, in this case the joke, fulfils its purpose, but only because the medium was fully aligned with the message and shared the same purpose.

Some people believe that being a stand-up comic is something that comes naturally. Many make the assumption that most stand-ups succeed on their first try on the stage. As any stand-up comic will testify, that cannot be any further from the truth. Stand-up comics work very hard to create material that will have the desired impact. However, that is only a fraction of the work they do. Being able to deliver the skit is as much work if not more than the writing itself.

The point here is not to compare stand-up comics to coaches. The purpose is to expose the reality that roles involving interaction, communication, and presentation require one to develop their ability to be fully present, in the moment.

A speech, a conversation, and even a song can feel awry when the person communicating or delivering it is not fully present. For example, if you’ve ever watched a rewards ceremony like the Oscars, you may have witnessed some memorable speech deliveries that just simply didn’t seem right. This is mostly resulting from people succumbing to their instincts, and from there ego takes control of the show.

Coaches and Scrum Masters may not fall prey to their egos to the extent that it makes them behave irrationally. However, it does play an important role as to how receptive, open-minded, and intentional they are when communicating with teams and individuals.

The appropriate questions may be the following ones: As a coach or Scrum Master, what role does the ego play in your ability to be at the complete service of your teams? How does it affect your capacity to truly listen and act without any biases or hidden agendas? Are you fully aware of the shadows that limit and constrain your perspectives, possibilities, and actions?

Invest in yourself. It may just be the best investment of the year… or of your life!

marc-andré langlais

Marc-André is an Agile coach at Epicoaching, member of Pyxis network. He helps build self-organizing teams who evolve in a stimulating and relational environment. Contact him to find out how he can contribute to the success of your teams.

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