I recently attended the Agile Coach Camp CZ just outside Prague. This is a non-profit Open Space event where attendees bring their own topics, questions, and presentations. The agenda is agreed on-site. On Friday night, we reconnect with our existing friends as well as meet the new people we have never met. We chat, eat dinner together and play some games. PowerPoint Karaoke is a crowd favorite and never disappoints! At around 2am, I scurry back to my room for a few hours of sleep. On Saturday, we develop the agenda and start the sessions. I engaged two topics I proposed as well as other topics. I received numerous insightful suggestions to help me further improve in my role. In the evening, we have a short break and then dinner and more activities. This time, REAL karaoke! I have a terrible voice but it never stops me from singing. Another night of staying awake past 2am meant I was fairly exhausted by Sunday.
Would I dare try to suggest another topic? I was so tired. But as I thought about all the information and helpful tips I received on Saturday, I couldn't help but feel like I needed to give something back. What have I heard during my time at the camp where I could contribute something to help?
As an Agile Coach, I often conduct workshops or trainings about topics like Agile, Scrum, Kanban, User Stories, Product Ownership and so on. It seemed like so many of these kinds of topics were covered at the camp. I wanted something outside the box. Common themes that appeared during our time together included self-doubt, burnout, exhaustion, being overly critical of ourselves, etc. It just so happens that I have an area of my life where I excel and where I thought people could benefit if I shared.
Anyone who knows me well has heard me profess how much I love self-care, self-love, self-gentleness...whatever you want to call it. I love my bubble baths, going to the gym, solo traveling, pedicures, and reading. So I posted my suggested topic on the Open Space agenda wall and hoped someone would join me.
To my absolute delight, almost a dozen men and women joined me! Initially, I had everyone brainstorm about the ways that they take care of themselves. The variety was inspiring - hobbies, exercising, setting boundaries, nutrition, making a routine, yoga, meditation, etc. We talked about why it is important to care for ourselves. It is extremely common for Agile Coaches to get burnt out or "run out of steam." Why? Because we tend to be givers and helpers. We try to generate enthusiasm. We are change agents. This can be tiring! If we do not take the time to recharge our own batteries, the consequences can impact our physical health as well as our emotional health and professional lives.
In the second part of the session, I challenged people to think about how might their lives be different if they made a plan to start implementing self-care into their daily routine for the next year. How would your life be different in a year if you focused on taking care of yourself? Then we discussed. I shared that when I started practicing regular self-care, I became happier, healthier, decreased my chronic headaches, had more energy, and my family was appreciative as well.
We ended the session and ultimately ended the coach camp after our retrospective. I drove home with a smile on my face, pleased with all my fresh ideas I was taking with me. A few days later, I spoke with one of the organizers of the event. She let me know she had been speaking with one of the participants of the self-care session. This person made a comment along the lines of, "I am going to channel my inner Kelly and practice some self-care!" I cannot begin to describe how excited I was to hear that someone was able to make a positive change in their own life based on what our group discussed in 45 minutes.
As a Coach, I feel that it is imperative for me to constantly learn from other coaches so I can continuously improve in my role. In return, I should share my knowledge and experience with others so they may do the same. While it is important to share all of those Agile topics like Continuous Integration, TDD, planning poker, sprint goals, and so on, it is also important to share those other topics that have helped you along the way. When you are among a group of other Agile Coaches or aspiring Agile Coaches, don't be afraid to share outside the box! If you have not practiced self-care lately, please do yourself this favor. Go do it! Take that bubble bath. Go for a run outside. Stand outside with your bare feet in the grass. Take that trip. Take care of yourself.
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