Having noticed an increase in the number of Agile Coaches coming to our ICF Accredited Coach Training Programmes, we are curious to explore how these two professional paths make an interesting & complementary synergy. Agile coaches and Leaders are often in two minds about ICF Coaching, hence this expert blog aims to satiate that query. Read on…
Agile is a project management framework, based on using small, efficient, self-managed teams to deliver project results in a flexible & efficient manner. With the focus primarily on getting things done fast & getting things right, it may overlook the human element of the process. Over time, this approach risks becoming prescriptive & solution-oriented with the leader holding “Control” resulting in the team feeling less autonomous.
ICF Coaching framework complements agile coaching framework by taking care of the human element beyond the process. It helps the leader to embody a coaching mindset. With new awareness, the leaders feel safe to let go of the control & drive autonomous self-organizing behavior among team members. With a high level of trust, empathy & a sense of belonging, enabled by a Leader as coach approach, productivity is at an all-time high.
Now let’s hear it straight from the horse’s mouth – where 8 agile experts speak about the value they experienced adding ICF Coaching Credential to their kitty. We asked them the following question.
How can Agile/Scrum professionals benefit from ICF Certification? What shifts when an Agile/Scrum/Tech professional pursues ICF Coaching certification and training?
Here is what the eight Agile Coaches feel about ICF-Coach training for Agile Leaders.
Self-awareness & Self transformation
Until I underwent ICF-ACC, coaching and consulting were interchangeable terms for me. But the mentor coaches from Regal Unlimited helped me unlock my true potential through the ICF journey, where I experienced the power of coaching, myself.
And now even my family notices how empathetic and active listener I have become. The program has truly transformed me professionally and personally – now I am more successful and more happy.
Building Organizational Capacity beyond just getting things done fast
- It taught me that coaching enables teams to achieve desired growth & extraordinary results, learn from experiences, and maximize individual and team potential. In addition, it helped in practicing the GROW model and other coaching tools.
It facilitated my journey of self-discovery and exploration to the fullest. Through coaching, the learning growth and self-transformation have started within me naturally.
Impact:
- Planning & Goal setting for individuals and teams
- Designing growth/improvement/action items and get the commitment from the teams. Helped individuals and teams to create accountabilities
- Establishing the agreement, trust, and intimacy with the clients
- Through coaching, creating sustainable and resilient teams, organizations, and families
- Started Journaling which helped me to self-reflect, the opportunity for positive self-talk
The mentors from Regal Unlimited stretched us from ‘doing coaching’ to ‘being coach.’ Their feedback about my coaching was constructive and insightful on where I need to improve as a coach in my practice sessions. I started using coaching skills in my daily life and started seeing results.
Leader as a Partner & Enabler
2019 was a major point of inflection for me after 38 years of corporate life of which more than 25 were in leadership roles. After choosing to be a coach post corporate stint I trained with Regal Unlimited – have never looked back.
Changed me as a person – moving me towards more empathy, less judgmental, taking my purpose of supporting leaders & businesses as a coach to an altogether new level. The power of partnering with a client just by being there, gently asking questions that enabled them to go deep within themselves and arrive at what is the best they can do to transform and realize & unleash potential.
This extends very well into the discipline of Agile & Scrum leaders & professionals – learn how to be a coaching leader so that you lead your team in an inspiring way.
Meaningful & Sustainable Change by adopting a Coaching mindset
I believe we need to lead by example as an agile coach and ICF Journey laid a transformation with in me . This is one positive on the personal side.
Next, it helps with having a coaching mindset (listening, curiosity, powerful questioning) while having a conversation. It helps managers to have meaningful conversations for their team member growth.
A prerequisite to lead with Emotional Intelligence
I personally feel that this ICF Coaching Certification is a prerequisite for Agile/Scrum/Tech leaders. As leaders it is quite important for us to ask right questions at the right time, connect with our team members, empathize with them, listen to them (not just through ears but sense deep within), show unconditional positive regard and most importantly have a growth mindset.
I understood the meaning of all these attributes practically when I went through ICF Coaching program with Regal Unlimited. Practice sessions with cohorts is so beneficial that it is difficult to put a price tag on it. There is a lot to learn from Regal mentors and this program gives a great opportunity to learn from them. This is not just a training program but a journey and I personally felt this journey to be exiting, exhilarating, inspiring and life-changing.
Shifting from providing solutions to building self-managed high performing teams
ICF Journey helped me to know what real coaching is. ICF – ACC journey helped me to build coaching competencies which helped me to do agile coaching over Agile consulting which I was struck with for a long time. Most of the time I was providing solutions to the team and was becoming a bottleneck without my knowledge, now I do more coaching and less consulting which results in building high performing and self managed teams. team members gained more confidence in themselves accomplishing the team’s goal.
ICF Coaching journey helped me to be more aware of myself, my actions, behaviors and impacts of it. It’s greatly helping my personal and professional decisions too.
ICF Journey boosted my confidence as I learnt more about myself, being coached with my peers and my coaches on my blind spots and I acted on it, it’s greatly helping me to have meaningful conversations with leaders.
Listening to Influence & Enable people
Truly I feel that almost all Agile coaches or Agile practitioners need to at least attend the Coach training from the ICF. The GROW model does help them throw a different angle of thinking for problem solving. The Coach training also lays a lot of importance into the listening angle which I feel that the Agile training does not implement. Although people say that Agile coaches are prescriptive, it does not harm them if they could also act like a coach – I mean at times they can also be like a Saki and also as a Sakshi for their own teams.
ICF Competencies – A way of living & leading
Considering that the goal of the ICP-ACC is to simply introduce a few of the concepts of professional coaching while also covering many other aspects of Agile Coaching. It can only scratch the surface of professional coaching. What it means to be a professional coach, would be learned only going through the ICF coaching competencies-based program.
Professional Coaching program trains core competencies that are critical for any coach to succeed – be it Agile or otherwise. Honing core competencies skills such as creating a coaching agreement, active listening, powerful questioning, and using presence make you a master coach. And this is only possible when you go through rigorous practices under the guidance and supervision of master coaches who have had similar experiences.
ICF Coaching is a must add skill for Agile Leaders & Scrum Masters
Agile coach training ensures that you deliver projects in a flexible, efficient and timely manner. The focus is primarily on the deliverables. This can lead to burnout, stress and a breakdown in mental health of teams. All of these factors directly have an adverse impact on the productivity and overall well-being of the teams.
ICF Coaching supplements the Agile Coaching process by making the entire system human. The Leader Coach embeds coaching culture in the team with a high level of trust, empathy and a sense of belonging by integrating the ICF Coaching Competencies leading to an all-time high productivity.
As social beings, we seek trust, empathy and a sense of belonging as they make us feel valued and respected. This is no different for Agile Coaches and Teams. The future workplace will have coaches and not bosses! The Leader Coach has faith in the system in place with the ICF Coaching Competencies forming the bedrock of the entire team and its engagement.
The ICF Professional Coaching Program trains you in core competencies that are critical for any coach to succeed. This is an immense value addition for Agile professionals. Honing core competencies such as creating a coaching agreement, active listening, powerful questioning, and using coaching presence make you a master coach. This is only possible when you go through rigorous practises under the guidance and supervision of master coaches who have had similar experiences.
So, are you ready to integrate Agile Coaching and ICF Coaching to emerge as a powerful, impactful, and inspirational leader. Visit this page to learn more about our ICF Coach Training Programs.
