The Secret to Agile Coaching Success: The Power of Meaning, Shadow Work, and Positive Deviance”
Agile coaching is a powerful tool for driving business success, but it’s not just about technical skills and frameworks. At its core, agile coaching is about helping teams and organizations achieve their full potential by focusing on what really matters: purpose, values, and impact.
One key element of successful agile coaching is the power of meaning. When teams have a clear sense of purpose and direction, they are more motivated and engaged, and they are more likely to achieve lasting results.
This is where the work of Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning, can be particularly useful. Frankl’s concept of “logotherapy” helps individuals and teams find meaning and purpose in their work, which can lead to increased productivity, creativity, and overall satisfaction.
Another key element of agile coaching is the use of shadow work. This is the process of exploring and integrating the unconscious, “shadow” aspects of ourselves that may be holding us back. By bringing awareness to these unconscious patterns, we can gain insight into our own motivations and behaviors, and make more conscious choices that align with our values and goals.
One way to incorporate shadow work into agile coaching is through the use of clean language, as described by David Grove. In "Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds," Grove explains that by asking open-ended questions and using non-leading language, we can help individuals access their own unconscious thought patterns and insights. For example, rather than saying "Why do you think you're struggling with this task?" a clean language question might be "What's happening for you with this task?" or "Can you say more about your experience with this task?" By using clean language, we can help individuals tap into their own internal wisdom and uncover the underlying beliefs and motivations that may be influencing their behavior. As Grove writes, "Clean language helps people to access and clarify their own thoughts and feelings, and to find their own solutions to their problems." By incorporating shadow work and clean language into agile coaching, we can create a deeper level of understanding and self-awareness that can facilitate transformation and growth.
Another way to incorporate shadow work into your agile coaching practice is through the use of invitation-based leadership. As Harrison Owen explains in his TED Talk "Dancing with
Shiva," open space technology can be a powerful tool for facilitating collaboration and communication. By inviting team members to come
together in an open, supportive space and explore their own motivations and behaviors, you can create an environment that allows for deep personal growth and transformation. This can lead to greater self-awareness, authenticity, and creativity, all of which are crucial for effective agile coaching. So, if you want to take your agile coaching practice to the next level, consider incorporating invitation-based leadership and shadow work into your approach. By doing so, you can unlock the full potential of your team and organization, and create a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Finally, some other examples of how to incorporate shadow work into your agile coaching practice include:
Encouraging team members to reflect on their own motivations and behaviors, and how these might be impacting their work
Providing space for team members to explore their unconscious patterns and beliefs, and how these might be holding them back
Facilitating group discussions and activities that encourage self-exploration and growth
Using techniques such as journaling, meditation, or visualization to help team members connect with their unconscious mind
Helping team members identify and address any limiting beliefs or self-sabotaging behaviors that may be holding them back
Providing support and guidance as team members work through any challenges or issues that arise during the shadow work process
Overall, the key is to create an open, supportive environment that allows team members to explore their unconscious patterns and behaviors in a safe and non-judgmental way. By doing so, you can help them tap into their full potential and achieve greater success in their work.
Agile coaching can also benefit from the use of positive deviance. This is the practice of seeking out and amplifying the exceptional behavior and practices of a few individuals or teams that are producing better results than their peers. By studying and sharing these “positive deviants,” we can learn how to replicate their success and drive better outcomes across the organization.
One way to incorporate positive deviance into your agile coaching practice is by using invitation-based leadership to facilitate open, honest communication and collaboration. By inviting team members to share their successes, challenges, and insights, you can create a culture of learning and continuous improvement. This can help identify positive deviants and their exceptional behaviors, as well as provide an opportunity for others to learn from and replicate their success.
For example, if you have a team that consistently delivers high quality work on time, you might invite them to share their processes and practices with the rest of the organization. This could include things like their approach to project planning, collaboration, and problem-solving. By sharing these best practices with others, you can help spread and scale success across the organization.
Another way to incorporate positive deviance into your agile coaching practice is by using
open space technology to facilitate peer-to-peer learning. This can be done through open space meetings or workshops, where team members are invited to share their experiences and learn from each other. By creating a space for this kind of sharing and learning, you can tap into the collective wisdom and experience of your team and identify positive deviants who are producing exceptional results.
In conclusion, the use of invitation-based leadership, shadow work, and positive deviance can be powerful tools for agile coaching. By incorporating these approaches into your practice, you can create a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and improvement, and drive better outcomes for your team and organization.
Agile coaching is a powerful tool for driving business success, but it’s not just about technical skills and frameworks. At its core, agile coaching is about helping teams and organizations achieve their full potential by focusing on what really matters: purpose, values, and impact. In order to do this, agile coaches can incorporate several key elements into their practice, including the power of meaning, shadow work, and positive deviance. The power of meaning refers to the importance of helping teams and individuals find purpose and direction in their work. By using techniques like logotherapy, as outlined by Viktor Frankl, coaches can help teams tap into their own internal motivation and drive. Shadow work is the process of exploring and integrating the unconscious patterns and beliefs that may be holding individuals and teams back. This can be done through techniques like clean language, as described by David Grove, or through the use of open space technology and invitation-based leadership. By encouraging self-exploration and growth, coaches can help teams uncover and address any limiting beliefs or self-sabotaging behaviors that may be holding them back. Finally, positive deviance involves seeking out and amplifying the exceptional behaviors and practices of a few individuals or teams that are producing better results than their peers. By studying and sharing these “positive deviants,” coaches can help teams learn how to replicate their success and drive better outcomes across the organization. By incorporating these elements into their practice, agile coaches can help teams and organizations achieve their full potential and create a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
So, if you’re looking to drive business success through agile coaching, don’t just focus on the technical aspects. Remember the power of meaning, shadow work, and positive deviance in driving lasting results and impact. As Daniel Pink writes in Drive, “When we focus on the why of what we do, our work becomes more than a job — it becomes a calling.”
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