Do you need to be an Influencer to become an Agile Coach?

I had an interesting conversation with one of senior-level executives yesterday. Surprisingly, it was not about agile, it was more about employee potential and how executives evaluate their people. A leader, she said, has to be an "Influencer", and if you are not, we do not see that you're able to lead.

It was an interesting topic for me. First, who is an Influencer? Is it a person who is vocal, highly visible, who knows how to showcase their contribution, who can demand and request, and enjoy being in the spotlight, or something else? Second, can you be successful as an Agile Coach if you are not an Influencer and what qualities do you need to develop to achieve success in this role?

To answer the first question, I checked the "Influencer" description in DISC Profile framework. There, an Influencer is described as convincing, enthusiastic, warm, trusting, and optimistic. Influencers prioritize taking action, collaboration, and expressing enthusiasm. This helped me answer my own question. Personalities differ, and obviously, personalities that similar to ours resonate with us. However, there are multiple ways to influence. People may follow you because they fear your strong negative reaction, because you are so vocal and visible that you become their first choice as a follower, but the moment they are out of your sight or you are out of theirs, they won't follow you, because it is not about values, it is about visual and audio stimuli. Luckily, people are more complex creatures than that. They will follow you if they respect you, if they share your goals, or if they believe in what you do.

And this is how I view my role as an Agile coach. I do not need to put myself in the spotlight to be followed or respected or listened to. Rather, I want to earn this privilege by sharing my values, by being genuinely enthusiastic about what I do, by providing value professionally, and feeling good about what we've jointly achieved. And this is my understanding of an Influencer or leader. If people follow you because they share your beliefs and you share theirs, because they respect you and you respect them, you do not have to be in the spotlight. All you need to do is do what you believe in, tirelessly and enthusiastically, and enjoy every step of this journey.

You won't be successful as an Agile Coach or an Agile transformation leader if you are not an Influencer, but you can influence in your own unique way that motivates people to follow you and respect you, influence by sharing your values and learning about theirs, by leading them and helping them achieve their purpose in the way that resonates with you and with them. And if you have to be visible to create a favorable environment to succeed, then do it. And if you do not, while achieving success and being respected in your role, then you do not have to. My advice is to be genuine and honest, and follow what you believe in, and then others will follow you.

I do not think I am idealistic here. I speak from my experience of an Agile Coach working with multiple outstanding teams and people I've had a privilege of working with throughout my professional life.

And as for that executive in the beginning of this blog posting, obviously, we do not share the same values. Leadership is not the same for everyone.