A Masterclass
When I first conceived the Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching book, I was reacting to my perceived lack of professionalism and craft with many agile coaches in our community. Among other things, I felt that—
There were many coaches in name only with a few certifications under their belts but not enough experience or skill. Chasing the money, if you will.
There was an imbalance towards Professional Coaching over more powerful stances such as Mentoring, Advising, Leading, and Transformation (see ACGW reference below).
As a community, we had failed to do an excellent job of communicating what agile coaching was, was not, and the value or impact it could have on the individual, team, and organization we are coaching.
So, initially, I envisioned creating a masterclass for agile coaching. It is not necessarily aligned with existing certifications but a place where agile coaches could immerse in all aspects of coaching skill and practice—significantly raising their skill bar to benefit themselves and their clients.
But then my work on the book and contributing to the Comparative Agility—Agile Coaching PI assessment and Agile Coaching Growth Wheel got in the way. So, a few years passed.
Masterclass
But now, my attention, focus, and hope for our profession fall back toward a class. But not just any class, a Masterclass rooted in—
Developing your inner coach (self) first.
Becoming more well-wounded in your skills & competencies.
Understand the place for a professional coaching stance, yet do not let it dominate your agile coaching.
More than teaching. A place where a group of like-minded coaches can collaborate—learning together, practicing together, and growing together.
Nurturing collaborative learning in small groups.
Becoming, dare I say it, a Badass Agile Coach.
And, of course, grounding the class in—
The class will be an immersive experience. We’ll meet for 2-hours each week to dive deeply into a specific topic or area. That will go on for ~12 sessions or ~3 months. Beyond the 2-hours per week, there will be an additional 2-3 hours of study and small-group learning. So, overall, a ~5-hour commitment per week of your time.
The class will also be constructed so that you get personalized coaching to help you in your learning journey and professional development. We’ll use the Comparative Agility PI as our base platform and include 2, 1-hour, 1:1 coaching sessions.
What It Is not?
It is not for beginners or novice agilists.
It is not for someone who is only seeking a certification.
It is not for someone who struggles to prioritize their learning.
It is not for someone who thinks Agile Coaching is a destination rather than a journey.
Who’s interested?
This post aims to test community interest in joining my first masterclass cohort.
Without giving additional detail, my questions are—
How do you feel about the idea?
Would you be interested in participating in a cohort? Why?
What would you be willing to pay for the experience?
What would be the Top 5 areas you’d like to work on to improve your Agile Coaching skillset?
Here’s a link to a short survey to answer those questions.
I hope to begin the first one in early March 2024, but we’ll see how the market (Y'all) responds. And please share this with interested colleagues across your networks.
Stay agile, my friends,
Bob.
