Agile Coach meets Manager

A manager today has many parts to the job like being a coach, a leader, and sometimes creating the culture. These are all elements that agile coaches have been working with for a long time; of course, some more than others depending the type of agile coach.
If we take these experiences to the managers, we can help them become better managers as well as helping with creating better working environments and good engineering culture.
In this talk, Gitte will talk about some of the differences and similarities with the two roles, and about some of the barriers she sees for the industry to have really good leadership. She draws upon many years’ experience as an agile coach and a few years as a manager.

Transcript

1. Agile Coach meets Manager Gitte Klitgaard Native Wired Agile meets Architecture, October 2023
2. @nativewired Pronouns: She/her @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
3. Why do I talk about this?
4. Should: * Coach, support, and lead * Create culture * Help people grow * Provide safety * Set direction and frames * Be a role model * Etc. * Etm. A modern manager @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
5. * Companies do as they have done for millenia * Leaders are strong * Best at the craft * Leaders don’t always have the tools * Egos * Managers and leaders are not always the same 5 But there are barriers @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
6. What about agile coaches? @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
7. 7 Overloaded Term: Agile Coach Technical Process Framework Transformations Change People and interactions Teams Leadership Business Organisations Problem solving Solution providers @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
8. 8 Agile Coach in this talk Technical Process Framework Transformations Change People and interactions Teams Leadership Business Organisations Problem solving Solution providers @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
9. * Figuring out different solutions * Working in different contexts * Working with different people * Handling conflicts * Adapting to what is * Observing * Coaching people * Retrospectives – always inspect and adapt 9 Someone that is used to @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
10. Differences and Similarities 10 @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
11. * Coaching /helping people grow * Listening and caring * Communicating * Working with psychological safety * Conflict management * Difficult conversations * Working with accountability and responsibility 11 Similarities @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
12. * People have to have 1-1 talks/coaching from their manager * Managers set expectations, coaches advice on how to set them * There are different responsibilities * Managers do performance evaluation/feedback rounds * There is less focus for managers * The manager is “the boss” * Managers need to hire and fire 12 Differences from being a coach @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
13. My experiences with managers #notallmanagers 13 @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
14. * Many managers have not learned how to be leaders * People skills are underrated * Clear communication * Truly listening * Psychological safety * Being vulnerable * Hard skills are underrated * Setting clear expectations * Accountability and responsibility * Hard conversations * Conflict management * Firing people * There is a lack of selfleadership and development * More managers than I expected could use some help 14 Learnings about leadership @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
15. * Companies need to appoint managers with people and leader skills. * They need to train the leaders in tools * “Strong leader” needs to be redefined * The managers need support, coaching and mentoring to become leaders * The industry need to look at science J 15 What needs to change in the industry? @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
16. And we can help 16 @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
17. * Do part of the job * Or have others do it * Help managers learn leadership tools Meta * Help managers learn what we do by coaching, mentoring and advicing 17 Three ways to help @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
18. * It is hard to be a manager * And it won’t get easier * Managers don’t always get the tools * Managers need support as well * We can help and we do 18 Wrapup @nativewired.bsky.social #amaberlin
19. I love connecting gitte.klitgaard@yahoo.dk Want a workshop or a talk? Thinking about getting some leadership coaching and guidance? Want to be coached? Get in touch J http://www.nativewired.com/ dk.linkedin.com/in/gitteklitgaard/ @nativewired.bsky.social