7 Questions for Lyssa Adkins

Lyssa Adkins is the author of Coaching Agile Teams, a wonderful book for Agile coaches, which is selling very well on Amazon. Lyssa has been “coaching teams in the financial services industry and coaching coaches who represent the gamut of agile implementations, from small consulting firms to the giants of industry”.

I had 7 questions for Lyssa…

1. What is the purpose in your work?

The purpose in my work is to catalyze excellent agile coaches because the use of agile can yield SO MUCH MORE than most are getting now.

2. What energizes you to do great work?

I get re-energized every time I get a note from an agile coach who says, "you helped me see that I can be great" or "thanks for that technique/tool/mind-set, it worked really well with my team."  I also get re-energized in the moments of deep introspection with agile coaches, when they have big changes brewing inside themselves that will (eventually) come out to positively impact those they coach in a big way.

3. How do you see your own self-organization?

A chaotic mess that tends toward the most self-gratifying actions (like answering these questions), rather than the biggest business value actions (like getting the logistics for next coaching circle figured out).  Yes, I'm practicing being agile at a personal level and it is hard.  The Pomodoro Technique helps a lot.

4. How do you work on your competence?

I get clues about skills I need to develop by noticing where I'm "not enough" to truly meet and serve the people I coach.  Right now, I know I need to pick up skills in professional whole-group (systems) coaching so that's what my professional  development in 2011 is about.

5. How do you measure growth as a person?

By how often people tell me I'm kind and a joy to be around.  By how often I feel like I am "in the flow" of doing the right thing at the right time.

6. How do you improve the Agile community?

The agile community improves itself, and I help by offering many things — everything that I can possibly create — and seeing which ones resonate with the community.  And, then, following just those.

7. What other question could I have asked?

How happy are you as a person in your whole life?  (not just your work, not just your home, but the whole – one – life).  Me: ecstatic!

Thank you Lyssa, for answering my questions, and for being part of the Agile community!