Grief comes in many forms, often unexpected and occasionally inconspicuous. As Agile coaches, we navigate complex emotions within teams, guiding them through constant change. Today, I learned that my favourite perfume has been discontinued, and I am devastated. I’m looking for the positives by drawing lessons for my coaching journey.
Scents can become an extension of one’s identity, and this fragrance resonated deeply with my sense of self. For me, it was a scent that accompanied me through various life stages—a subtle yet defining element. Its sudden discontinuation has left a void similar to the one I’m sure we’ve all seen in newly formed Scrum Teams trying to understand who will do what for the first time.
Change is the only constant in life, as in the world of agile. The discontinuation has echoed this sentiment loudly. When coaching, we emphasise adaptability and the acceptance of evolving circumstances. Teams must adapt to change and learn to relinquish what no longer serves them. By embracing the impermanence of life, we can more easily move forward from the point of consciously making the change.
My emotional bond with this fragrance mirrors the connections I’ve seen within teams. Agile coaching involves understanding and acknowledging emotional attachments to processes or habits like people have emotional attachments to each other. Teams might resist change due to their emotional investment. Acknowledging and empathising with these emotions aids those involved by allowing them to process the feelings and consciously decide what to do with them.
Resisting change is natural — mourning a perfume or embracing a new methodology. Agile coaches need to guide teams through resistance by fostering an environment of acceptance. This should be true of all leaders, but the coaches often model the behaviour to leaders first. Navigate resistance by encouraging the exploration of new ideas, allowing teams to experience and embrace change organically.
Communication is pivotal when addressing changes. Although I’ve bought this perfume many times online, the company didn’t email me to say it would discontinue. If they had, I would have bought many bottles. Clear, transparent communication mitigates unexpected surprises and facilitates smoother transitions, fostering understanding and buy-in.
I now have the bittersweet joy of exploring new fragrances ahead of me. One perfumery in London describes each scent as anthropomorphised, with a story of how the person presents in the world. In the same way, teams can embrace change by creating narratives that describe how the past has served the present, and the present must serve the future. Encourage teams to view change not as a loss but as an opportunity for growth and innovation.
The resilience to accept change and move forward characterises Agile teams. Teams must bounce back from the inevitable failures that continual adaptation will cause. As coaches, we foster resilience within teams to fortify them so they can navigate uncertainties more confidently. We can help teams with this by giving them the space to talk about how well or not a change is going and what they would like to do with the knowledge they now have. The team needs to recognise the impact of loss.
The joy of my perfume didn’t lay only in the perfume itself but in the experiences and memories it evoked. Similarly, Agile emphasise valuing the journey over the destination. Encourage teams to appreciate the learning experiences amid change. Nobody likes learning, but everybody loves knowing.
The discontinuation of a beloved perfume may seem inconsequential, yet its lessons resonate deeply. Embracing impermanence, navigating emotions, fostering resilience, and communicating effectively are vital facets of both experiences. I reflect on my encounters with unexpected changes to find parallels that enrich my coaching style. As scents fade and evolve, so do our practices adapt and transform. Embracing these parallels helps me to have a deeper understanding of change.