AGILE | CAREER TRANSITION & TRANSFORMATION | CONTINUOUS GROWTH
The Agile Odyssey
Transitioning into an Agile practitioner three years ago was an experimental journey that began with my dear friend and mentor, Francis Laleman. As I participated in his online sessions on Resourceful eXformation, Kishontenketsu, Thirty-Six dialogues at Mt. Fuji, Liberating Structures, and KATA, I discovered the power of Agile not just for software development but beyond.
During this journey, I met many Agile practitioners, initially feeling lost, nervous, and overwhelmed by the diverse knowledge and application of this powerful offering- “Agile”. Then, in early 2022, I met Greg Franklin, who introduced me to The Agile Growth Wheel. What began as finding a needle in a haystack- solved the most excruciating part of my journey and became my North Star.
Along the way, I felt blessed to meet more mentors and coaches- Tobias Mayer, Kubair Shirazee (one of the early contributors to developing the Agile Growth Wheel in 2018), Haroon Khalil, and Akemi Micallef- who not only supported me in building my strengths but also inspired me with their transition stories.
My curiosity led me to research more about the Agile Growth Wheel, and the history is quite interesting.
In 2011, Lyssa Adkins and Michael Spayd created the “X-Wing” model around the mastery of four skills — coaching, mentoring, facilitating, and teaching. It became a guiding star for Agile coaches/Scrum masters.
In 2018, a group of Agile practitioners built upon this foundation to create the Agile Growth Wheel, deepening the definition and application of competencies beyond the four skills of the “X-Wing” model.
Reflecting on my transition & transformation journey, here are my learnings:
Initial Transition:
1. Self-Assessment: The Agile Growth Wheel helped me assess my strengths across different competencies. This initial assessment was crucial in understanding where I stood and where I needed to put my efforts.
2. Structured Learning Path: With the help of a dedicated mentor, I broke down the competencies into specific, manageable goals. This structured approach allowed me to concentrate on skills like active listening and powerful questioning in coaching and creating an inclusive environment in facilitation.
3. Outcome-led Goals: The Agile Growth Wheel helped me set measurable goals with leading indicators. I could progress and celebrate small victories by defining a roadmap and identifying specific objectives within each competency. Importantly, you do not need a formal Agile practitioner role in a tech organization to do this; voluntary roles in social impact organizations can also help you in your transition and contribute to the community.
Agile Growth Wheel as my North Star:
1. Holistic Development: The Agile Growth Wheel has helped me design a comprehensive multi-dimensional development path in adapting to different teams and organizational contexts.
2. Continuous Improvement: Agile is all about continuous improvement, and the Agile Growth Wheel has encouraged ongoing self-reflection and peer feedback. It has helped me identify the blind spots and work on them with my mentor
3. Adaptive Framework: The Agile Growth wheel is not a one-size-fits-all. It continues to help me prioritize different focus areas based on unique situations and challenges, making it an adaptable growth journey.
Is it limited to early practitioners?
In my experience, it is such a powerful framework that it never lets you reach “I know it all”. Even experienced agile practitioners use it to challenge their knowledge and continue learning. With the ever-evolving technology and working models, the Agile Growth Wheel offers lifelong learning opportunities to advance your competencies.
The Agile Growth Wheel has been my guiding star throughout my transition and transformation as an Agile practitioner. If you have your transition and /or transformation stories, please leave them in the comments for us to read.
Remember to stay humble, stay curious, and keep cutting through the noise to learn and grow.
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