Do the web search and you will find a dozen of coaching definitions. Most important for me was

“Coach is helping other to achieve what they desire without doing it for them or telling what to do”

No teaching, no instructing, no replacing – so what is he doing?
The coach is a partner. He is inspiring the coachee to use his powers, showing ways to use creative thinking and pushing out of his comfort zone. And most important – the coach has no control or formal power over the coachee. This is most controversial for new Scrum Masters.

In my work experience, I have had plenty of situations when I was sure to know the solution to the problem but the team that I’ve been working with had different ideas. Many Scrum Masters that I’ve met were asking the same question. “What should I do? Tell them to stop. Force them to change their mind? Wait and then tell them that I knew it would be a failure?” There is a fear that something will go wrong and it will be my fault that as a “coach” I haven’t prevented it, I haven’t fulfilled my role. Searching for the answer I found Milton Erickson’s guidelines. They gave me a deeper understanding of the coach role that I would like to share.

Milton Erickson’s assumptions:

People are always responding, always communicating.

People have all resources and strengths to solve problems.

People make the best choice for themselves at any given moment.

Teach choice; never attempt to take choice away.

Change is constant and inevitable.

If I look at my team and realize that they have all the required competencies, and goodwill and have just taken the best possible decision from their perspective I know what to do. The coaching stand that I have taken is “Let them proceed and change is inevitable”. I can assure you that each of those cases brought a massive learning. In most cases, I’ve learnt that others can have better ideas than me. When I feel fear of failure growing inside me I’m asking myself and my team “What we will learn today?”

So what is the coach doing?

• Listening to what is said and unsaid
• Observing from different perspectives and talking about observations
• Asking questions without judging
• Teaching how to awaken creativity

Is Scrum Master a coach all the time? Of course not. He is also a teacher, trainer, mentor and facilitator. It’s important to distinguish those roles and select the proper one in meaningful moments.