Here is a conversation that I claim I was once in. I will let you determine whether this is a real thing or just made up.
| Apprentice coach | We keep telling the teams that they should measure and learn from their work so they keep learning. Should we also measure the impact of our coaching? |
| James | It is surprising how rarely people ask that question, Grasshopper. |
| Apprentice Coach | When you call me grasshopper it makes me feel as though you are getting old and quoting ancient tv shows that don’t even exist anymore. Or are you just evading my question? How should we measure agile coaches? Is it even possible? |
James | Measuring agile coaches is actually quite simple if you just use the energy coefficient |
| Apprentice Coach | When you speak in riddles and use jargon, I feel more confused than when you started talking. I would prefer you talk in simple english. |
| James | Wow, you are getting good at feedback. Anyway, if you want to measure whether what the coach is doing is working, the quickest and most accurate test is whether the team is gaining or losing energy when they deal with the coach. Regardless of whether they are having a good day or a really challenging day, seeing the coach coming will have an impact on them. If, when they encounter the coach, they come away feeling as though they have more energy to tackle the challenges of their day, then the coach is doing well. If they feel as though encountering the coach drains their energy, leaving them less ready to tackle the challenges of their day, the coach is not doing well. |
| Apprentice coach | Really, is it really that simple? What about us, do you think the team gain energy every time they deal with us, or feel drained? |
James | Agile is a mindset. |
Apprentice coach | What? Wait a minute, that is what you say when you don’t want to answer a question. |
James | Oh, gosh. Looks like time for a meeting, I better get to the stand-up. <whoosh> |
Apprentice coach | Hey – where did he go? Those coaches are harder to keep sight of than ninjas. |
Whether or not you believe that conversation is a real one, it leads me to wonder.
How do you measure whether your coaching is effective?
How, if at all, do you assess agile coaches as they do their work?
James King 
Love it. I bet that conversation didn’t happen. Still this is great metaphor. Yes, I do measure me agile coaching efforts. With different results 😉
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