Do Agile Coaches really understand why they get hired?

Well it depends.

From my point of view, Agile coach/ Scrum master are the creative problem solvers. they need to search for the problems a company, a team or a team memeber has, prioritise them and solve them with a tool that they design based on their context.

Some say that they are the change drivers in the organisation and they are responsible for breaking silos and bringing the organisation to the next level of performance, that's nice but it has no sense without having a problem or a challenge to solve for your comapny , your team and its members.

Companies hire you as an Agile coach/ scrum master not because they need to use a framework like scrum or kanban or any other practice or also to moderate meetings, they approach you because they need problems to be solved.

And from that coming one of the most important skills for an Agile coach and a scrum master which is asking good questions.

Asking the right questions will guides you to the answer, and gives your interlocutor the chance to share their problems, goals and expectations.

This is the starting point to identify the problems and challenges. To do that you need to learn how to ask good questions and use tools that you design to disover your interlocutor / company challenges and problems.

Asking good questions and helping your interlocutor discover his problems will turn you into an unparalleled strategic leader and valued partner to your team members and companies leaders.

Go and try that and let us know what your experience.