#53 – How to become an agile coach

Authors’ Comments:

There are numerous courses available for practitioners to learn more about the role and responsibilities of an agile coach, and since it is not a protected title, anyone can call themselves agile coaches if they want. Even Scrum Masters are also agile coaches. What is important is that the value-add of this role is fulfilled, no matter how you define an agile coach in your organization.

Since adopting agile practices or making an agile transformation differs from one company to another, so does the exact required skill set of an agile coach. However, some of the general competencies that are definitely needed no matter where an agile coach is doing their thing are having strong communication and interpersonal skills. Agile coaching is all about people, as the acts of teaching, motivating, leading, mentoring, facilitating all center around the human species.

Therefore, if you aspire taking this route, search out areas in your current job where you can train your skills within these areas. Taking an agile coaching course won’t give you the invaluable experiences you get as, e.g., a Scrum Master or change agent.