There are many different ways to lead and coach within your organization. And often the type of approach you need to use can depend on your role in the organization, as well as if your role is catered towards delivery results vs the growth of individuals. Often times a consultant would need to operate more in the Partner / Modeller/ Hands-on Expert end of the spectrum. Whereas a traditional agile coach may live more in the Counsellor / Facilitator / Reflective observer end of the spectrum. This isn’t to say either should be limited to any specific end of the spectrum, however, if an agile coach were to primarily operate as a hands-on expert, they could create too much dependence on themselves and deprive others of being able to grow and improve.
- Counselor – “You do it. I will be your sounding board”
- Coach – “You did well, you can add this next time”
- Partner – “We will do it together and learn from each other”
- Facilitator – “You do it, I will attend to the process”
- Teacher – “Here are some principles you can use for problems like this”
- Modeler – “I will do it; you watch so you can learn from me”
- Reflective Observer – “You do it; I will watch and tell you what I see and hear”
- Technical Advisor – “I will answer your questions as you go along”
- Hands-on Expert – “I will do it for you. Or I will tell you what to do.”
Where do you feel you fall on the coaching spectrum?
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