Agile coaches frequently confront a dilemma. Clients ostensibly hire coaches to guide them on their Agile journey. But sometimes clients apply subtle, and occasionally overt, pressure on the coaches to validate the clients’ predispositions rather than steer them gently toward Agility.
The question that coaches must ask themselves is this: are they enablers or coaches?
An enabler acts like an accomplice. An enabler’s job is to assuage clients, telling them what they want to hear. Namely, the clients’ decisions are smart, their strategies wise, and their success ensured given their approach. The enabler aims to confirm client biases and cater to their egos.
Coaches, in contrast, have a very different job. Their goal is to bring out the best in clients by encouraging diligence, thoughtfulness, and self-reflection. Sometimes, coaches must expose clients to uncomfortable truths about themselves. There are things clients can’t see on their own or may not want to hear about. Coaches must help clients recognize when they’re wrong, their decisions misguided, their thinking inadequate, or their efforts insufficient. At times, coaches must be unflinchingly honest, helping clients realize their shortcomings so they can address them and evolve into better versions of themselves.
The crucial decision for Agile coaches is whether they choose to be enablers or coaches. Strong incentives often push coaches towards the former role, away from the latter. Clients, being human, naturally prefer to be praised for their wisdom rather than having their mistakes pointed out. Coaches must decide between delivering mere flattery or discomfiting advice to their clients.