I got into a debate with a coaching colleague the other day. Well, debate, disagreement, argument, and other terms could apply. We kept it respectful and, in the end, I believed we agreed to disagree.
I’ll call my colleague, Ken.
We used an analogy as part of our discussion that I’d like to share. Here’s the analogy—
Meniscus vs. TKR?
I’ve got a problem with my knee. I’ve done the web research and self-diagnosed that I have a partially torn meniscus and I want some simple surgery to clean-up my knee and fix the meniscus.
So, I start looking for the best surgeon I could find. The best “knee-person” out there. And I found her. She’s expert at all sorts of knee surgeries from the meniscus to total knee replacements. Having performed thousands of successful surgeries.
I scheduled a visit to explore the surgery. And she runs some tests (X-rays, MRI, etc.) on my knee in advance of our discussion.
I enter the discussion telling the doctor what I need. I even go so far as telling her when to schedule it. As, clearly, I’ve determined what wrong and what to do about it.
She listens patiently but tells me clearly and firmly that I need a total knee replacement. That my knee is irreparable with anything other than that sort of corrective procedure.
I argue with her. And I insist that I simply want the meniscus repaired. I’ve made up my mind AND I want her to do it…
Ask vs. Need
Clearly, in this example, the doctor has a decision to make. And I don’t think it’s that hard. The options are:
Try to convince me of the value of the TKN. But if I don’t agree, then give me what I asked for, the meniscus surgery, even though the outcome won’t be good.
Give me what I need for the best outcome, the TKR. And, if I won’t go for the TKR, then recommend another doctor, i.e. walk away from me as a patient.
Simple really. The hard part is choosing which way to go.
My Colleague
Ken felt that the right response, in this case, was #1. His logic fell to—even though this wasn’t the “right thing”, it would make them a little better. That it would provide a little relief. And maybe, just maybe, they would want a TKR in a year or two. He thought of this as advancing the ball. Or taking a baby step. Or incremental change.
I thought of it as—giving them what they asked for, but not what they needed.
Ken insisted that this thinking was presumptuous on my part. That I was judging them. Making my own judgment and extending it onto them. Which was a terrible thing to do. He said that I should allow them flexibility in their own judgment. To allow them to ask for something unencumbered with my views or judgment.
My View
My view is from the perspective that I’m the expert on knees. That someone came to me looking for an expert opinion and a diagnosis intended to give them the best result. The best outcome. That’s what I’ve been trained to do and done my entire career.
That I had/have a professional responsibility to tell them what would give them that. And, if they wanted something different, drastically different than I would recommend, something that would only give them a partial and sub-optimal outcome, that I should not agree to a baby step. That it would be irresponsible and unprofessional on my part. Bordering on malpractice.
That is, in this case, the TKR is the only “right” answer. Not because I’m judging them personally. But because I’m judging their situation based on my experience and giving them the best advice.
What the hell does this have to do with agile?
I’m glad you asked because I’ll try to explain. And fingers crossed, I hope I can connect the dots…
As an agile coach, I encounter similar situations all the time.
A client asks me to provide team-level training and coaching. That’s the ask. However, the better approach for an agile transformation is for the leaders to go first. That is, in order for a better, more successful outcome, what they need is leadership training & coaching before engaging their teams. I’ve discovered this truth over the past 20 years of coaching. And my coaching peers understand it to be optimal as well.
But they (the clients) usually don’t see it that way.
Typical reasons (excuses) I hear include:
I already know agile; I don’t need to go first.
I don’t have the time to go first.
I don’t have the budget, for me to go first.
The teams are broken and you need to fix them. They’re the problem, I’m not the problem.
So now, as a coach, I have a choice to make.
Am I going to give them what they ask for? Or do I give them what they need? Knowing that if I push too hard, I may lose the opportunity ($$$).
Many coaches rationalize this situation by convincing themselves that incremental improvement, as defined by the client, will do something positive or get them moving in the right direction. That it’s “good enough”. And that maybe, just maybe, they’ll opt for the “right thing” in the future.
But it’s a conundrum, isn’t it?
Wrapping Up
Gerry Weinberg made the following quote in response to technical consultants always looking for technical solutions—
No matter how it looks at first, it's always a people problem.
I want to extend just a tad…
It’s always a people problem
And leadership people are always the root cause.
The point I’m making is that I feel leaders are the singular challenge, impediment, speed bump, or problem in agile transformations. Period!
That’s why—leaders go first is such a powerful strategy. If we can shift leadership forward, then they’ll understand how to successfully empower their teams and engage/inspire their organizations to leverage all of the goodness that agility promises.
Bringing it back to my own consulting practice, I’m starting to be really firm with EVERY engagement that the leaders need to go first.
Going first—in spending the time and funding to invest in themselves;
Going first—in their training and learning;
Going first—in developing their transformation strategy;
Going first—in receiving leadership and organizational coaching;
Going first—in becoming more self-aware and a true servant-leader;
Going first—in changing how they show up towards shaping the culture;
And Going first—in inspiring, inviting, and guiding their teams forward.
My CAL class is one of the best ways for leaders to start this journey. It’s not an end to itself. Instead, it’s the beginning of a leader’s journey into agility.
And circling back to Ken. With all due respect to my colleague, Ken, he can decide to do whatever he likes. And he must then live with that decision and the consequences to him and his clients.
But for me, if you want me and my coaching partners to work with you, the leaders must prepare to Go First…
Stay agile my friends,
Bob.