In 2001, a number of leaders from the software industry came together to discuss the best ways they’d found for creating software. They came up with the Agile Manifesto. Though the four values are well known and loved, this part of it has long been my favourite:

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.

As an Agile coach, my job is not to deliver software, or even to uncover better ways of delivering software. Instead, I help individuals, teams and companies to make these discoveries themselves, by providing tools, creating a safe environment in which learning and innovation can flourish, and helping to identify resources to support improvement going forward.

My role as a coach is less about developing software than it is about developing people. As such, I value:

• playing to strengths over addressing weaknesses
• trying things out over following processes
• learning from experience over avoiding risk
• creating pleasant surprises over meeting expectations

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, I find more value in the items on the left.

When I coach, I use the aims of my client – usually delivering software, or having a team which can follow Agile practices successfully – as a driver to pass on these values to the people I’m coaching. It also outlines my own approach to coaching.