This document discusses coaching anti-patterns and techniques for effective coaching. It identifies "colluding" and "scrum policing" as anti-patterns where the coach remains silent about problems or enforces rules without empowering the team. The document advocates for direct, challenge-based coaching where the coach addresses issues directly, challenges limiting beliefs and status quo thinking, and empowers teams to solve their own problems through experimentation and learning from failures. Coaches are encouraged to reflect on when they have fallen into anti-patterns and use "repair bids" like questions or gestures to de-escalate negativity and get coaching back on track.

1. DIRECT COMMUNICATION
PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES TO BUILD BETTER TEAMS

2. CHERIE SILAS, ENTERPRISE AGILE COACH
My Mission: To leave
you better than I found
you with each encounter

3. ALLISON POLLARD, ENTERPRISE AGILE
COACH
My passion is helping
people discover their agile
instincts and develop their
coaching abilities.

4. OBJECTIVES
• Identify two coaching anti-patterns
• Embrace the power of challenging teams
• Repair techniques to get coaching back on track
Why this topic?
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5. OUT OF BALANCE
I’m supposed to empower the team to make all the
decisions – I don’t tell them what to do
I can only ask questions…
What would powerful coaching look like?
Lets talk about anti-patterns…
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6. THE SCENARIO
You are coaching a scrum team who is doing sprint
planning.
You notice that they are pulling in way more work than they
are likely to complete.
Lets talk about anti-patterns…
5 min table conversation –
How do you respond?
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7. COACHING ANTI-PATTERNS
Colluding
To come to a secret understanding that has a harmful purpose; conspire
How does the colluder respond?
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5 min timebox – Discuss
possible reactions by a colluding
scrum master or coach

8. COLLUDING
• Recognize dysfunctional behaviors and say nothing
• Enable weak commitments and actions
• Remain silent when you should speak up
• Act as the go between in conflict situations
• Enable anti-patterns to thrive
• Ignore the elephant in the room
Break out of the anti-pattern…

9. ANOTHER LEVEL … DIRECT COMMUNICATION
• Be willing to give direct feedback
• Use impact feedback
• Address problems and concerns directly
• Call out the elephant in the room
• Say what you see, hear, feel, observe (AWGO)
• Be a mirror for the team to see itself
• Reflect when actions and words don’t line up
Break out of the anti-pattern…

10. ANOTHER LEVEL … CHALLENGE TEAMS
• Notice going around a problem
• Challenge limiting beliefs
• Play devil’s advocate
• Challenge “the way we’ve always done it”
• Address the elephant in the room
• Challenge weak or status quo improvement items
• Confront ”victim” behaviors and perspectives
Another anti-pattern…
4:15

11. COACHING ANTI-PATTERNS
Scrum Police
How does the Scrum Police respond?
5 min table conversation:
How does the Scrum Police manifest?
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12. POLICING
• Use agile as a whipping stick
• Enforcing the rule-book
• Focusing on outputs
• Managing – not serving the team
• Dictating actions
• Always the expert
• “That’s not agile”
Break out of the anti-pattern…

13. A BETTER WAY … EMPOWER TEAMS
• The team knows best
• Allow the team to solve its own problems.
• Let them learn through success and failure
• Talk about outcomes not outputs
• Help them understand the why
• Encourage experimentation
• Facilitate from the back of the room
Anti-Pattern Mingle…

14. ANTI-PATTERN MINGLE
When have I been the colluder?
When have I been the scrum police?
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5 minute time box

15. Low Challenge
Low Support
High Challenge
Low Support
Low Challenge
High Support
High Challenge
High Support
Support
Challenge
Scrum
Police
Colluding
Powerful Coaching
Not Coaching
Sometimes we mess up…
4:45

16. REPAIR BID
Be prepared with a strategy to get the coaching back on track
Statement or action that de-escalates negativity
Can be a gesture, look, joke, question, touch, expression, etc.
Repair Bids …
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17. REPAIR BIDS
• Which feel natural?
• Which wouldn’t work with me?
• What keeps me from making repair
bids?
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5 minute time box
See example repair checklist on
your table…
5 Minute Table Conversations

18. How will you use what you learned?
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19. CONTACT INFO
Allison Pollard
• @allison_pollard
• Allison.Pollard@improving.com
Cherie Silas
• @coachingtandem
• coachcherie@tandemcoachingacademy.com
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