bettercompany

​​​Agile in simple words is an approach to work or business where the number one priority is continuously uncovering better ways of increasing trust among ourselves and then customers. ​If an organization shares a high level of trust both internally and externally, then most likely it is already there. There is no need for more Agile with Agile Coaching and Agile Coach(es).

​

However, trust like many other human traits can be stated and real. Stated is what people think, say. Real is what they do and how they actually behave. For example, saying 'I trust you' and then asking every day how you are doing is not trusting, it's a form of control also known as micromanagement. Or if a customer says that she likes the product or service, but then leaves one star rating which means that there is a mistrust somewhere. And the same is true in teams - if team members think they trust each other, but when the problem appears, no one really cares - well, there is a problem with trust. So, in a way, there is always room for improvement of Agility.

​

The reason to move to Agile is to decrease the difference of stated vs real by working with everyone - management, employees, customers. And by working with everyone means paying attention to the trust thing at all levels in all directions at all times. In a way, do it continuously, in an Agile way. 

The simplest way to do it that is in the hands of everyone, is free and does not require special knowledge is an act of inclusion. What does it mean? Inclusion means actually doing things together from the very start. For example, when a team needs to create a new feature, it would be wise to include the customer or user into the work as early as possible. This way, the trust has a higher chance to be real than just stay stated.

​

When trust starts increasing, many things become easier to do and achieve. The first thing that becomes easier is how we feel. We feel safer and it starts opening   up a space for learning and learning is the key in Agile - it is at its core - uncovering better ways of doing what we are doing. So the chain is: inclusion → increases trust → makes us feel safer → makes learning more possible → a higher chance for Agile to thrive.

​

Agile is not primarily about practices, it is about thinking differently about how we do things. This Agile thinking like any other thinking is rooted into values. Learning these values and reflecting on them is a foundation.

As said, above is in simple words, there's more behind and therefore Agile Coach's first job is to make sure Agile world (context) is understood by people in charge thinking about Agile.