My career story. A few things I've learned along the way. How I became an Agile Coach. Why attitude and experience matter much more than job titles.

1. Agile Coaching Applied: growing
people and getting stuff done
Carlo Beschi - April 2019

2. Let me start with a small story ...

3. Sharing is a BIG thing

4. Agenda
Bits of my career story
A few tips and suggestions
Q&A
Resources

5. 1999 2019
“webmaster” “Enterprise
Agile Coach”

6. 1999 2019
For fun ... … and for profit
2004

7. 1999 2019
Webmaster
Enterprise
Agile Coach
Agile Coach
Co-founder
Lead
Lean-Agile
Coach
2004 2011 20152006 2009
Sys admin
IT Manager
2014 2016
Agile Coach
Technology
Methodology
Strategist
Full stack
developer
Community
Manager
Solution
Architect Program Manager
Offshore dev
ManagerScrum Master
QA Manager
Account Manager

8. 1999 2019
Webmaster
Enterprise
Agile Coach
Agile Coach
Co-founder
Lead
Lean-Agile
Coach
2004 2011 20152006 2009
Sys admin
IT Manager
2014 2016
Agile Coach
Technology
Methodology
Strategist
Full stack
developer
Community
Manager
Solution
Architect Program Manager
Offshore dev
ManagerScrum Master
QA Manager
Account Manager

9. 1999 2019
Webmaster
Enterprise
Agile Coach
Agile Coach
Co-founder
Lead
Lean-Agile
Coach
2004 2011 20152006 2009
Sys admin
IT Manager
2014 2016
Agile Coach
Technology
Methodology
Strategist
Full stack
developer
Community
Manager
Solution
Architect Program Manager
Offshore dev
ManagerScrum Master
QA Manager
Account Manager

10. hands-on management
gettingstuffdonegrowingothers

11. hands-on management
gettingstuffdonegrowingothers

12. hands-on management
gettingstuffdonegrowingothers
practitioner
coach

13. hands-on management
gettingstuffdonegrowingothers
Full stack coach

14. I quit because:
● I am not learning / being challenged enough (any
more)
● The “cultural fit” is lost - usually because:
○ My manager has left
○ The CIO has left
○ The CIO, who is my line manager, has left :-)
● It’s “too obvious” I can be better off somewhere
else

15. skills
challenge
anxiety
boredom
FLOW

16. Over time I’ve learnt to:
● Become more resilient (“accept it, change it,
leave it” mantra + find my detachment sweet
spot)
● Empathize more with “legacy management” and
organizations
● Move quicker from awareness to action

18. “We delight our customers via the fast and
frequent delivery of quality products and
services”

19. Modern approaches, when used well, work better
- for the people and for the delivery

20. We can “flex” - choose our primary drivers and optimize for:
time to market,
cost effectiveness,
quality,
customer experience,
developers experience, ...

21. PM? ADM? Coach?
Personally, I don’t really care … What matters is actual
experience and attitude, and not the job title …

22. Yet most companies (and lots of people) do care
about Job Titles. So?

23. Yet most companies (and lots of people) do care
about Job Titles. So?
1. Contextual awareness is critical to succeed
2. Respect and sincere curiosity are great assets (“What is the problem they
are trying to solve?”
3. Making sharp calls about what to accept and what to challenge boosts your
effectiveness as a change agent and leader

24. Facilitate.

25. Facilitate. Visualize.

26. The PM
as an enabler

27. Facilitate. Visualize. Host.

28. Facilitate. Visualize. Host. Inspire.

29. The PM
as a leader

30. Modern (agile) product development is not easy.

31. Modern (agile) product development is not easy.
When done well, it can be very, very effective.
And very rewarding.

32. Modern (agile) project management is not easy.

33. Modern (agile) project management is not easy.
When done well, it can be very, very effective.
And very rewarding.

34. Modern (agile) management and leadership are
not easy.

35. Modern (agile) management and leadership are
not easy.
...

37. Yet please, do get the basics right!

38. My stance ...
● I am “il montanaro gentile” (ie the kind man
from the mountains)
● I enjoy creativity
● I super value honesty and respect
● I am a “we” person
● I have … (my own) sense of humour
● I seek purpose, and impact
● I am a challenger
● You can lean on me

39. What is your stance?

40. What is your stance?
Uncover your stance.
Embrace it (stay true to yourself).
When “disconnected”, go back to it.

41. Questions, please!

42. @carloz
“(still) changing the
world, one company at a
time”
★ carlo.beschi at
gmail.com
★ linkedin.com/in/beschi

43. Cool stuff
● https://www.amazon.co.uk/Agile-Project-Management-Innovative-Development/dp/0321658396/
● https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Csikszentmihalyi-Jul-01-2008/dp/B016
1SWCVO/
● https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coaching-Agile-Teams-ScrumMasters-Addison-Wesley/dp/03216377
04/
● https://www.infoq.com/articles/continuously-improving-lean-agile-coaching
● http://agilecoachinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Agile-Coaching-Competencies-wh
itepaper-part-one.pdf
● http://agilecoachinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Developing-an-Internal-Agile-Coa
ching-Capability-2018-05.pdf
● https://www.slideshare.net/LucaMinudel/leanagile-coach-selfassessment
● https://vimeo.com/30419045
● https://agilesensei.com/

44. “No person is an island” - Jacopo Romei

45. “We are in this together, and the future is great” - Claudio Perrone