Photo by Bethany Legg on Unsplash
Currently working a lot on improving the skills of internal coaches with my clients, I am happy to support future coaches within the Agile community. Without claiming to have the absolute truth, I simply share with them what I have learned, whether in terms of posture, tools or techniques.
So I thought to myself that as in “the concern for the framework to maximize the results” – where I described my journey to structure a client workshop – I could do the same to describe my reasoning in terms of coaching strategy!
Who says coaching, says questioning, that's why I propose to you above all a sharing of the questions that I can ask myself or those that I can be led to ask! 😛
First case study: a team start in Speed Boat format! Happy reading 🙂
Why the Speedboat?
The Speed Boat is a workshop format that I particularly like. Indeed, its metaphorical nature generally allows participants to express themselves more freely: the distancing provided by the story-telling has a lot to do with it and the fact of seeing the image build up as it goes along gives a reassuring framework for s engage in it.
As a coach, I often use this format when starting a team because I need to obtain different types of information:
- Information related to the context of the team: forces (carrying winds), speed bumps (anchors), risks (iceberg) and objectives (island)
- Information related to the team itself: interactions, roles, feelings...
The first part is more natural because at the heart of the course of the workshop, the second requires digging a little deeper under the surface: this is where the metaphor takes on its full extent!
This is why I also invite participants to represent themselves on the boat by explaining:
- what makes them represent themselves in this way,
- in this location,
- what role they have in the crew,
- and what they consider to bring him.
So the process I usually use is:
- Goals
- Crew
- Carrying winds
- anchors
- Risks
Let's start the analysis...
Goals
Growing competence
- How to make visible the skills available within the team?
- How to measure the rise in competence of team members?
- How can team members choose which skill(s) to improve on?
Customer satisfaction, reliability, usefulness
- How to measure customer satisfaction?
- What are the criteria?
- How to ensure the usefulness of the actions implemented?
- How to ensure the reliability of the data?
- How do you involve customers in your mode of operation?
Appreciation of team work
- How to celebrate the results achieved by the team?
- How can the work carried out by the team be valued internally?
- How can the work carried out by the team be externally valued?
- How can the team be made to feel valued?
The crew
The following analysis includes 2 elements:
- a factual description of what I observed on the drawing
- my assumptions and questions for an accompanying strategy
1 – In the middle near the mast: it is the project manager
- It is interesting to see that his character clings to the mast of the boat:
- Is he leading the boat or does he let himself be carried by the boat?
- Is his posture adequate with respect to the team?
- Has the transition to an Agile mode changed things for him?
- If nothing has changed, what is part of the problem?
2 – At the top of the mast on the sail: this is the N+1
- the character is installed on the sail and not on a stable structure:
- Does he realize the importance of his role? (in the sense of bearer of the vision and guarantor of the framework)
- Is its role clear to everyone?
- Is he an actor to mobilize his team towards this horizon or does he remain an observer of the progress of the boat?
- Has a working framework been defined so that everyone can find their place and contribute to achieving the objectives?
- the character looks into the distance without using a telescope:
- Is the long-term vision clear or has it been clearly expressed?
- Is there a short and medium term vision?
3 – At the end of the boat, in front.
- 2 characters distant from the rest of the group, interesting point because these 2 people were indeed at a distance. They expressed their impression of making efforts without having any impact on the orientation of the boat – which explains their positioning well:
- How is distance managed within the team?
- What tools are used?
- Do these remote people have a specific role?
- Is the place of this role in the value chain clear to everyone?
- Is communication fluid between non-co-located team members?
4 – Boarding on the boat of another boat
- an idea of movement, of dynamics – I learn moreover that this person will take the role of technical lead:
- How is this person perceived by team members?
- How to give the possibility to this person to share his dynamism within the team?
- How to help him take his place in a relevant way?
5 – Another boat, under observation of the crew
- the boat is distant from the boat but close to the boat of the previous character:
- Is there a particular bond between these people (perhaps because of their difference?) rather than with the rest of the team?
- How to move this person from the position of observer to that of actor?
6 – In the back, kite flying
- the character also looks backwards
- Is he autonomous / independent from the rest of the team?
- Is his contribution explicit and clear – for him and the others – with respect to the objectives of the team?
- Does he have an idea of the team's vision? Indeed, it can be difficult to know it if one is not interested in it.
- How to invite him to contribute for the collective?
7 – Character with a guitar
- it's a person who has just arrived and who does not yet know what to do, so she sets the mood!
- the character is well on deck with the crew
- How can we give meaning to this person's contribution?
- How does she not know how to contribute other than by setting the mood?
- What is in place to integrate new arrivals?
8 – In the hold of the boat
- these people are rowing but no vision of where they are going
- the choice of wedge: a strong signal
- how to give visibility on the efforts to be made?
- how to share the priorities in order to be able to adapt the effort?
- how to restore meaning to reduce frustrations and “get” your head above water?
9 – In the hold but slightly forward
- No real vision either
10 – Under sail
- positioning “where there is space”
- How to integrate the contribution of this person to the collective?
- Does she know her role in the team as well as in the value chain?
- What framework is in place to integrate this person into the team?
11 – The boat behind the boat
- the character is in a separate boat but in contact with the boat:
- Does it push the boat forward or prevent it from rolling backwards?
- Why a separate boat despite the strong contact?
- What is its role for the collective?
12 – At the back with an oar
- the person can have an impact on the orientation of the boat without having vision in the distance
13 – On the iceberg, waving to the crew.
- The character is on the iceberg so not on the boat
- What makes this person feel out of the team?
- What is its positioning?
- Is his role known and valued within the team?
Carrying winds
The Bearing Winds part will not be very long here. Indeed, even if it seems interesting to me to reflect on how to maintain or increase team strengths, I often use it for point out the positives of the current situation of the team.
An interesting thing nevertheless happened in my case study: names of people appeared, in thanks for what they brought to the team! 🙂
- What are the stories that generated these thanks?
- How to capitalize on these people considered by the team?
- How do they contribute to the current situation of the team?
- How to make them allies in order to have more impact?
anchors
After prioritizing the anchors, here are the 3 categories that emerged:
Communication problems, reactivity responses, many tools
- In what forms do these communication problems appear? (lack of information, misunderstanding, excess of information, etc.)
- How to make information requests visible in order to improve responsiveness?
- How to measure the impact of the lack of responsiveness in the responses?
- Is there a list of all the tools in place and all their uses? Are they all essential? Are they shared among team members?
Technical dispersion, technical gaps
- Is there a list of all the technologies used within the team?
- Is it clear to the team members of the usefulness of each of them?
- Is it really relevant to address all these technologies?
- What technologies are essential to know for your job? Would it be possible to rank/prioritize them?
- What could be the common base of technical knowledge of each member of the team?
What organization?
- Is there a map of the actors / interlocutors intervening in the scope of the team?
- How to make sure to have the right interlocutor according to the problem of the team?
- Are interactions with other teams clear to all team members?
General remarks
Vision
The need for a clear vision was strongly expressed:
- how do you communicate it to the team to help them make better decisions?
- how to make sure that the subjects treated correspond well to the vision / mission of the team?
- how to make sure that an element is well finished?
Overall consistency
The positioning on the boat highlighted the fact that the members of the team do not all feel part of the same crew. The different "boats" indicate that there is therefore a lack of overall consistency (probably related to blurring of vision/lenses):
- vsHow do you get people to work together more often?
- how to make all the requests visible before accepting them?
Feeling of isolation
People at a distance expressed their feeling of being isolated facing their problems:
- how to strengthen the team spirit by including remote people?
- how to ensure that distance is as little a factor as possible to slow down productivity?
- what are the relevant interactions between onsite and remote team members?
Conclusion
So much for this first case study!
Obviously, the lists of questions are not exhaustive but should allow you to understand the state of mind. In any case, I hope that this has been able to shed some light, generate ideas or lines of thought, whether as a guide or as a team member!
Do not hesitate to tell me if this kind of exercise seems interesting to you and if you have other ideas – even if it means discussing with you about your Speed Boats 🙂
