Metaphor in Agile Coaching

I am a Sleeping Tiger (metaphor) 

Like being as Busy as a Bee (simile)

I’ve been experimenting lately in my coaching with the power of metaphor and simile, leveraging them within my reflection and with my clients. I also use metaphors in my classes, and I create (or emerge) my own when reflecting on my personal life.

For me, it’s an exploration device to help clarify and better understand something. I’ve found that metaphors allow for deeper insights and discovery.

I’ve also discovered, and I’m in my infancy here, the power of Clean Language and Clean Questions when trying to invoke or emerge metaphor. Here are some examples of clean questions—

• Working at your Best, you are like what?

• Being at your Worst, you are like what?

• Making decisions is like what?

• A high-performing agile team, is like what?

• Working at your Best as an Agile Coach, you are like what?

• Being your Worst as an Agile Coach, you are like what?

• Switching coaching competencies/stances is like what?

• Learning and growing as an Agile Coach is like what?

All of these questions might inspire a metaphor in a coaching conversation. A picture, a model, a context for you and your client to explore. One where we are trying to gain…

• Deeper insights and understanding

• Increased empathy

• Better balanced relationship

• Clarity

With the other person using their Metaphor (not ours or our conversion of theirs).

When you seek to understand, use words and terms as close as possible to the other metaphor. We want the least amount of translation variability for the other person. In other words, we stay close or adjacent to what they’ve said.

As I said, I’m just now beginning to understand Clean Language and the power of metaphors in my coaching.

Here are a few more resources for you to explore--

• Erin Randall - https://www.admelioracoaching.com/musings/three-reasons-to-make-metaphors-a-coaching-habit

• http://www.crowe-associates.co.uk/coaching-and-mentoring-skills/using-metaphors-in-coaching/

• https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1596523&seqNum=2

• https://www.infoq.com/articles/coaching-clean-language-agile/

And two helpful videos

• This one by Olaf & Judy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w8MLGJFxC0

• And this one by Caitlan Walker - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVvcU5gG4KU

As my understanding increases, I’ll share more about my learnings in a future post. But until then, closing this article is like what?

A rainbow emerging from the clouds and touching the tip of my nose.

Stay agile, my friends,

Bob.

Stop Reacting

I find myself and so many others, when confronted with something, we immediately begin reacting. And it’s made me think there is an alternative reaction to immediate action. That we have the option to focus on creativity, thoughtfulness, and the power of slowing down. For example—

• Stop immediately going into problem-solving or solutioning mode;

• Stop immediately going into fixing mode; and

• Stop immediately going into directing mode.

And instead, take more time—

• For balanced consideration

• To ideate

• To noodle

• For creating and exploring options

• To consider consequences, pros/cons

• To view things from a wide variety of perspectives

This connects to Weinberg’s Rule of 3.

Wrapping Up

So, the next time there is an emergency, the shit is hitting the fan, or your boss is asking for immediate action or solution…

Stop, Pause, Breathe, and then Slow Down!

You just might find yourself reacting with better results…

Stay agile my friends,

Bob.

The Career Goals Curve

I saw this picture on LinkedIn and it relates to one of the metaphors or thinking models I’ve often shared with folks who I coach around their careers. It’s called Ikigai and I’ll ask you to explore more about it here.

It’s simple really.

Early on

Early in my career (in many careers) I’ve seen the focus lean into—

Ikigai – what you can get paid for and what you become good at. You’re growing your skills, gaining confidence and ability, and broadening your network and experience.

Sometimes folks feel bad about leaning so hard into the money. I actually think it’s a natural leanage, but everyone needs to find their own balance.

Later on

Then, later in my career, now, for instance, I find myself leaning less towards the money and growing or broadening my skills and more so leaning into—

Ikigai – what makes a difference in the world, what gives me joy, and focusing on my central purpose for being.

Another part of this is considering my legacy or what am I leaving behind?  And finally, who am I surrounding myself with?

Wrapping Up

When I saw this curve from Corporate Rebels, I thought I’d share it with you. Of course, there is nothing standard in this change or pivot. Some people make it quicker or earlier in their lives. Others, like me, take more time to do it. And still, others, don’t make it at all. And that’s all fine

Along with the related links in the hope that the curve might inspire you to reflect, consider, and perhaps (re) find your way…

Stay agile my friends,

Bob.

Practicing Gratitude

Do you have a gratitude ritual that you’ve developed in your professional and personal lives? 

If not, then I’d encourage you to consider one. And if you do, then please consider commenting on this post and sharing what you’re doing.

I’ve been trying to couple my gratitude focus to my morning journaling. Sometimes I’ll write down my thoughts in my journal. Other times, I’ll just let some of the prompts in my journal inspire my thinking and reflection. But my ritual surrounds my mindfulness, reflection, and daily journaling activities.

Journal Prompts

I thought I’d share some of my gratitude-centric journaling prompts—

What was the best part of your day yesterday?

What are you looking forward to today?

What is the one thing you can do to make tomorrow even better?

What are three things you are grateful for right now? How do they bring joy to your life?

Who are three people you are grateful for right now? How do they bring joy to your life?

What is one ritual you currently use to practice gratitude?

What is one ritual that you will add to your practice?

Wrapping Up

There’s nothing magical about being grateful. It won’t solve the climate crisis or improve D&I across corporate America. But I’ve found that centering on being grateful on a day-to-day basis has made me a better agile coach and an even better person.

PS: I want to thank Saralyn Hodgkin and her Practice Your Leadership newsletter for inspiring me to write this.

Stay agile my friends,

Bob.

Additional articles with more ideas for gratitude rituals…

• https://www.agile-moose.com/blog/2021/4/16/every-day-wake-up-and-ask-yourself

• https://www.mindful.org/an-introduction-to-mindful-gratitude/

• https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/40-simple-ways-practice-gratitude.html

Internal Agile Coach as an Employee

This idea came out of another Moose Herd discussion. 

The situation where (sometimes) an agile coach can get lost in their role and forget to be themselves. To move from being:

Coach Bob, who has to “show up” as an agile coach every minute of every encounter of every day;

To simply…

Bob, who coaches, but who also is an employee, colleague,equal partner, and human being. 

There’s potentially a huge difference between the two. For example, the latter allows me to:

• Vent if I need to, or complain to my boss;

• To get overly excited about an idea;

• Not have to say…Yes, and… all of the time;

• Not having to look for deeper meaning or revealing the system;

• To passionately disagree with someone;

• My emotions to surface, to get defensive, overreact;

• To have a bad day; to have a great day;

• To not want to coach now, today, this week;

• Be real, be genuine, be ME.

Wrapping Up

The key idea here is for agile coaches to not get too “wrapped up” in their role to the point where they are always the coach or always coaching. To allow ourselves to occasionally step out of that role and become us. To not be afraid to express ourselves, to ask for help or a break, to not always have to be “coaching clients”.

Let that run around your mind as a coach and see if it resonates. Reflect on times when you’ve been coaching when you actually shouldn’t be coaching. And think about giving yourself permission to stop doing that.

But there I go again, always coaching…

Stay agile my friends,

Bob.

ZERO Tolerance – What’s yours?

I saw this post in LinkedIn and it caused me to stop and think about zero tolerance and my relationship with it. It has an interesting comment trail that’s worth reading as well.

First of all, I’m using this post and the associated article as inspiration for my response. I am NOT making or taking a political position. Nor am I supporting Joe Biden’s statement. But what I do want to say or ask is…

What is your Zero Tolerance Zone?

I actually think it’s a question that we each need to privately come to grips with. In quiet, when we’re reflecting on our values, principles, and how we’re going to “show up” in life both professionally and personally.

Exploring our boundaries where we’ll say—

• Enough is enough?

• Or report harassment in any form?

• Or walk away from a consulting gig?

• Or part ways with a colleague, partner, or employee?

• Or walk away from a supposed friend?

• Or call someone out publicly for their behavior?

With all of the risk that’s associated with these actions.

What’s the point of having principles and ethics if we’re not willing to take the ultimate action in them when the situation warrants it?

If you know me, I hope you know that I’m not an extremist. And I don’t take positions like this lightly. But I was inspired by this article to reflect on my zero-tolerance zone and to clarify my tolerance boundaries. And I’ve done that.

I hope it inspires you to reflect on your own. 

Stay agile my friends,

Bob.

Remote Facilitation & Teaching Guidance

I’ve been working on pivoting my agile coaching and teaching activity to virtual formats and, in a word, it’s been challenging. 

But I’ve found the following four people to have incredibly deep and rich skills in this new arena. I’m particularly indebted to Dan Mezick for helping me rethink how to teach virtually.

If you’re trying to excel with virtual meetings, training, and facilitation, I highly recommend getting to know ALL of them…

• Judy Rees – Rees / McCann

  • https://reesmccann.com/

• Dana Pylayeva – Agile Play Consulting

  • https://www.agileplayconsulting.com/

• Dan Mezick – New Tech

  • https://newtechusa.net/

• Lisette Sutherland – Collaboration SuperPowers

  • https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/

Stay agile my friends,

Bob.