Got Agile Joy?

LYSSA ADKINSOCTOBER 17, 2010

I think it is one of the solemn (and not often talked about) duties of the agile coach to notice, amplify and spread joy.  Yep, you heard it right.  Joy.   The good news?  Working agile gives us so many reasons to be joyful.  When I asked some random agilists walking the halls at the Agile2010 conference, “How does it feel to work agile?” their answers reminded me of the joy inherent in this way of working.  Joy when a team member “crosses over” from lonely hero to solid mentor.  Joy when the team delivers and does it again, and again, and again.  Joy when top managers say, “Wow!  That is a game changing idea.  We could have never come up with that one on our own.”  Joy when people crawl out of their shells and we get to hear them and learn how brilliant they have always been.

Sure, the agile coach job is hard, sometimes so hard that despair can set in.  The antidote?  Look for joy.