Abstract/Description
What happens when you take an agile coach and force them to “eat their own dog food”? This is my personal story about transitioning from an enterprise agile coach to a programmer on a team, and what I learned about agile, coaching, and myself in the process.
After two years of coaching teams and executives around the world, I found myself disillusioned by the concept of “coaching” and back as a developer on a team — for the first time in 15 years. The experience of returning as a programmer was enlightening; it substantially changed my perspective on coaching and agile. Having worn the shoes of a team member, I acquired a new empathy for their world and perspective.