I am a Certified Team Coach (CTC), one of the Certified Agile Coach designations within the Scrum Alliance. I am a guide for organizations using Scrum to improve their work.

This is the opening of my LinkedIn summary. I crafted it shortly after becoming a CTC in March of this year (2019). This was an awesome achievement for me on my journey as an agile coach. Like most of my fellow agile coaches, I am a voracious learner, constant developing new skills and learning new techniques so that I am better poised to help my clients be more successful with agile.

I was extremely proud to put that line on my public profile because it indicates that I have achieved a level of competency with agile coaching, validated by my peers in the agile coaching community. I am currently hard at work on my candidacy for certified enterprise coach (CEC) to show that my enterprise coaching skills are of the same caliber.

Along my journey to become a CTC, I found inspiration and mentorship in many places, but it was a lot of trial and error and stumbling in the dark a bit for some time.  This was in the end very beneficial for me to grow through. I learned a lot along the way about coaching and feel that my clients and I are better for it.  Yet I longed for a program or pathway that would point me in the right direction and show me where to focus my efforts.

The Scrum Alliance has also been on a journey.  There was a major change in leadership and direction in the past year. They have recommitted to their mission to transform the world of work, and they are placing a special focus on creating qualified, certified, and community-minded agile coaches to aid in this endeavor.

As part of their goal to create 10,000 certified coaches, the Scrum Alliance is investing a tremendous amount of time and energy into their certified agile coach (CAC) program (CTC and CEC).  One incredible beneficial offering is the Path to Coaching program, a comprehensive program to light the way for what agile coaching should be. The program was designed to help agile coaches identify the competencies need to achieve not only the certified agile coach designations but more importantly to be a successful coach for their clients. (For a comprehensive list of all the modules and competencies in the path to coaching program, see the list below my salutation.)

To be a truly effective agile coach, you need to not only understand these competencies, but be able to practice them to gain the skill and then get coaching feedback on the outcome so that you can achieve mastery.

I would like to offer my support for you in this endeavor. This will come in the form of 1 hour coaching sessions, focused on your current challenges with a particular competency. We will tackle these challenges in the form of a group coaching conversation, which I will facilitate and mentor. We will start the call by identifying the competencies attendees are working on, build a backlog of 3-4 challenges, and then work through them one by one. We will likely target weekdays from 12-1pm EST, but I am open to other time windows based on your preferences and interest from others. For now, I am offering this service free of charge.

Contact me using the contact form on the homepage of this site to get started today!

Until the Next Iteration . . .

Jason

PATH TO COACHING MODULES

Module 1

Chapter 1 — Transformational Questions

• 1.1.1 Coach asks clear, direct, primarily open-ended questions, one at a time, at a pace that allows for thinking and reflection by the client.
• 1.1.2 Coach’s questions are not leading, i.e. do not contain a conclusion or direction.
• 1.1.3 Coach’s questions are primarily transformational rather than transactional focused

Chapter 2 — Direct Communication

• 1.2.1 Coach’s language is generally clear and concise.
• 1.2.2 The coach allows the client to do most of the talking.
• 1.2.3 Coach allows the client to complete speaking without interrupting unless there is a stated coaching purpose to do so.
• 1.2.4 Coach shares observations, intuitions, comments, thoughts, and feelings to serve the client’s learning or forward movement.
• 1.2.5 Coach shares observations, intuitions, comments, thoughts and feelings without any attachment to them being right.
• 1.2.6 Coach uses the client’s language or language that reflects the client’s way of speaking.

Chapter 3 — Coaching Agreement

• 1.3.1 Coach helps the client identify, or reconfirm, what s/he wants to accomplish
• 1.3.2 Coach helps the client to define or reconfirm measures of success
• 1.3.3 Coach explores what is important or meaningful to the client about what s/he wants to accomplish
• 1.3.4 Coach helps the client define what the client believes they need to address or resolve in order to achieve what s/he wants to accomplish
• 1.3.5 Coach continues towards the client’s stated outcomes unless the client expresses otherwise
• 1.3.6 Coach develops a coaching relationship agreement as well as a coaching session agreement with the client

Chapter 4 — Developing Trust

• 1.4.1 Coach acknowledges the client’s work in the coaching process.
• 1.4.2 Coach respects the client’s work in the coaching process.
• 1.4.3 Coach expresses support for the client.
• 1.4.4 Coach challenges the client.
• 1.4.5 Coach notices and reflects on client’s progress.
• 1.4.6 Coach holds the client as fully competent, undamaged, resourceful, and not in need of fixing

Chapter 5 — Coaching Presence

• 1.5.1 Coach is observant, empathetic and responsive.
• 1.5.2 Coach exhibits curiosity with the intent to learn more.
• 1.5.3 Coach partners with the client by supporting the client to choose what happens
• 1.5.4 Coach partners with the client by inviting the client to respond in any way to the coach’s contributions and accepts the client’s response.
• 1.5.5 Coach partners with the client by playing back the client’s expressed possibilities for the client to choose from.
• 1.5.6 Coach partners with the client by encouraging the client to formulate his or her own learning.

Chapter 6 — Active Listening

• 1.6.1 Coach’s questions and observations are customized by using what the coach has learned about who the client is and the client’s situation.
• 1.6.2 Coach inquires about or explores the client’s use of language, tone of voice, pace of speech or inflection as appropriate
• 1.6.3 Coach inquires about or explores the client’s behaviors.
• 1.6.4 Coach inquires about or explores how the client perceives his/her world.
• 1.6.5 — When appropriate, coach is quiet and gives client time to think.

Chapter 7 — Creating Awareness

• 1.7.1 Coach invites client to state and/or explore his/her learning in the session about her/his situation
• 1.7.2 Coach shares what s/he is noticing about the client and /or the client’s situation, and seeks the client’s input or exploration.
• 1.7.3 Coach invites client to consider how s/he will use new learning from the coaching.

Chapter 8 — Designing Actions, Planning & Goal Setting, Managing Progress and Accountability

• 1.8.1 Coach invites or allows client to explore progress towards what s/he wants to accomplish in the session
• 1.8.2 Coach invites or allows client to explore progress towards the overall goals s/he wants to accomplish
• 1.8.3 Coach assists the client to design what actions/thinking client will do after the session in order for the client to continue moving toward the client’s desired outcomes.
• 1.8.4 Coach invites or allows client to consider her/his path forward, including, as appropriate, support mechanisms, resources and potential barriers.
• 1.8.5 Coach assists the client to design the best methods of accountability for her/himself.

Module 2

LEARNING COMPETENCY OBJECTIVES

Chapter 1 — Entering the System

• 2.1.1 Coach effectively creates a system agreement (Working Agreement, Designed Alliance, etc.) that enables the system to clarify how it will work together and have healthy conflict
• 2.1.2 Coach effectively creates a coaching agreement with the system that clarifies how the coach will work in partnership with the system
• 2.1.3 Coach exhibits effective methods of creating a relationship and trust with the system that enables trusted partnership

Chapter 2 — Observing the System

• 2.2.1 Coach helps the system to identify and understand the system roles present and how they will effectively work with them (inner, outer, hidden)
• 2.2.2 Coach exercises deep democracy in order to ensure that all voices of the system have representation and that marginalized voices are brought forward
• 2.2.3 Coach helps the system to identify and understand the impacts of rank and privilege and assists them in determining how they will best work with them

Chapter 3 — Assessing the System

• 2.3.1 Coach has a method of conducting a System Survey that helps to understand the current state of the system
• 2.3.2 Coach effectively observes the system to gain an understanding of team dynamics, roles, rank and privilege, conflicts, etc.
• 2.3.3 Coach has a strategy for when and how they will utilize Assessment tools to assist the system with continuous improvement planning

Chapter 4 — Empowering the System

• 2.4.1 Coach reflects to the client the clients stated areas of strength and desired improvement areas
• 2.4.2 Coach supports the client to incorporate change at a pace that is sustainable and consumable for the system
• 2.4.3 Coach maintains a systems perspective
• 2.4.4 Coach allows the client to determine and prioritize desired improvements and changes with input from the coach as appropriate
• 2.4.5 Coach holds the client system to be fully competent, undamaged, resourceful, and not in need of being fixed by the coach

Chapter 5 — Conflict in the System

• 2.5.1 Coach recognizes and encourages healthy engagement in constructive conflict within the system
• 2.5.2 Coach recognizes that healthy conflict in the system brings out the best ideas and solutions
• 2.5.3 Coach encourages every voice of the system to be heard and holds a neutral stance regarding their input.
• 2.5.4 Coach recognizes that each voice of the system is neither positive nor negative, rather they all contain information that is important to the system

Chapter 6 — Managing System Change and Progress

• 2.6.1 Coach invites the system to reflect on the change it is incorporating and adapt direction or methods for incorporating change into the system
• 2.6.2 Coach partners with the system design short- and long-term goals
• 2.6.3 Coach partners with the system design a plan for accomplishing goals
• 2.6.4 Coach partners with the system identify impediments or potential blockers to the desired changes and to determine how the client will respond as these challenges arise
• 2.6.5 Coach invites the system to determine how it will manage change, communication, and gather feedback from within the system
• 2.6.6 Coach invites the system periodically to reflect on progress and adapt goals, plans, and methods as needed

Chapter 7 — Designing Accountability in the System

• 2.7.1 Coach invites the client system to design the methods of accountability it believes will be most beneficial and empowering to the system
• 2.7.2 Coach invites the client system to determine how it will be responsible for its own growth and change
• 2.7.3 Coach invites the client system to determine how it will empower every aspect of the system to own independent responsibility for its actions
• 2.7.4 Coach encourages the client to explore how actions in one part of the system impact reactions in other parts of the system
• 2.7.5 Coach works with the system in a way that encourages the creation of a healthy future beyond the coach’s engagement with the system

Module 3

LEARNING COMPETENCY OBJECTIVES

Chapter 1 — Scaling Appropriateness

• 3.1.1 Coach can identify when scaling is necessary and explain why or why not
• 3.1.2 Coach can identify and communicate Pre-requisites to scaling

Chapter 2 — Scaling Models and Frameworks

• 3.2.1 Coach can demonstrate a high-level understanding of at least two scaling frameworks that might be useful to help the client solve challenges related to scaling agile in the organization
• 3.2.2 Coach can identify general scaling practices and methods that can be helpful without adding the overhead of the entire scaling framework when necessary

Chapter 3 — Facilitation at Scale

• 3.3.1 Coach demonstrates competence using Large Group Facilitation Techniques
• 3.3.2 Coach demonstrates Facilitating from a Coaching Stance
• 3.3.3 Coach understands how to utilize various methods of Scaling themselves as Agile Coach to impact the client organization

Module 4

LEARNING COMPETENCY OBJECTIVES

Chapter 1 — Developing Competence in Others

• 4.1.1 Coach understands and demonstrates competence in Mentoring Individuals
• 4.1.2 Coach understands and demonstrates competence in Mentoring Groups
• 4.1.3 Coach has a method of working with individuals and systems to Develop an Improvement Plan
• 4.1.4 Coach has a strategy for Developing a continuous growth program in a client organization

Chapter 2 — Self Development

• 4.2.1 Coach understands the role of Formal Learning and embraces it for themselves and for clients
• 4.2.2 Coach understands the role of Informal Learning and embraces it for themselves and for clients
• 4.2.3 Coach understands the purpose of Community Engagement and embraces the concept for themselves and clients
• 4.2.4 Coach understands and demonstrates the importance of Working with a Mentor both for themselves and for their clients

Chapter 3 — Establishing Communities of Practice (CoP)

• 4.3.1 The coach assists the client to Identify the right focus for CoP or continuous development programs
• 4.3.2 The coach assists the client to effectively attract the right audience to an internal CoP or other continuous development programs
• 4.3.3 The coach assists the client by demonstrating what a healthy CoP, or other continuous development program, can be
• 4.3.4 The coach supports the client by building competence within the client organization to support their own growth independent from the coach
• 4.3.5 The coach supports the clients long term growth by Transferring Ownership of the CoP or continuous development programs to the client to maintain

Chapter 4 — Establishing a Continuous Learning and Growth Culture

• 4.4.1 Coach Identifies and creates momentum for establishing a continuous learning and growth culture
• 4.4.2 Coach empowers and encourages the client to take ownership of its own continuous learning and growth journey
• 4.4.3 Coach supports and mentors the client in ways to best develop a continuous learning and growth culture within the organization

Module 5

LEARNING COMPETENCY OBJECTIVES

Chapter 1 — Working With Resistance

• 5.1 Coach will describe the mindset needed when working with resistance.

Chapter 2 — Creating Ownership for Change

• 5.2 Coach can explain how to create ownership for change within the organization.

Chapter 3 — Creating a Coaching Strategy

• 5.3 Coach can explain how to create a coaching strategy.

Chapter 4 — Creating Alignment

• 5.4 Coach can identify key actions that create alignment between leaders.

Chapter 5 — Developing a Coaching Mindset

• 5.5 Coach can describe the coaching mindset that is needed when coaching leaders.

Chapter 6 — Empowerment, Neutrality, and Respect

• 5.6 Coach can identify the impact empowerment, neutrality, and respect have on a client.