I have noticed a trend for a while now and it bothers me. When I mention Agile bashing, I am not talking about people who are against Agile for whatever reason (fear, resistance to change, misunderstandings, etc). I am referring to Agilists who bash other Agilists. It comes from Developers, Scrum Masters, Instructors, Agile Coaches, etc. They are bashing other people or organizations that are on their Agile journey. I have seen this phenomenon in internet articles, blogs, FB groups, LinkedIn, and more. Bashers put people down and it's sad to see.
Let me bring us back to the first sentence of the Manifesto for Agile Softare Development: "We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it." I would love for someone to explain to me how it is helpful to put other people down who are trying to change their company culture, work in a different way, improve their working environment, etc. It is incredibly easy to forget the mistakes we made ourselves when we were learning and changing in the beginning of our own journeys.
When I see this happening, it reminds me of some born again Christians (BACs). When someone is "born again," they experience a spiritual rebirth where the teachings of Jesus become real. Unfortunately, many BACs use this new experience to point the finger at others who they believe are sinners. The behavior manifests itself in the form of judgment of political views and lifestyle choices, groups who protest the funerals of fallen soldiers, groups who protest the LGBTQ community, those who oppose gay marriage on the basis of religious beliefs, and so on.
The major issue I see with these BACs are that they are cherry-picking the teachings of Jesus. A true Christian is called upon to be like Jesus. He spread love, not judgment. In the Bible, Paul delivers a prayer for the Colossian Christians that "the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better" (Colossians 1:10, NLT). In actions and words, Christians must keep in mind the fruits of their labor. Are their actions and words causing harm or pushing people further away from Jesus or are they spreading a message of love and drawing people closer to Him? And what are those same words doing for you as a person?
As Agilists, I believe we should be thinking in a similar way. Although we do not necessarily have a huge book with all of our teachings, we do have a list of values and principles. The Bible is basically the same thing but with the values and principles expressed in very long stories.
If I spend my time condemning other people who are trying Agility, what is the result? Telling someone they are wrong or stupid does not help them move in the right direction. If I help them discover a better way, that is helpful. The time I spend pointing out the flaws of others takes time away from the time I need for myself to improve and learn more.
Every organization and individual lives in a current state that is a direct result of what has happened during their lifetime. The beginning of the journey looks difference for everyone. As a consequence, sometimes the Agile journey is quite slow or painful or it backslides. As a coach, I do not need to know the full history to be helpful. I need to understand the current status and where we want to go. I need to use empathy and encouragement, not shame and judgment. I want to draw people closer to working in a better way, not push them away. I will not push people toward Agility by force or by shaming their past or current way of working.
As Agilists, I encourage you to look at the fruits of your labor and be mindful of the impact of your words and actions.
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