Showing "your" value?!

I read this post by Peter Fischbach while I was on vacation and could not get this out of my mind ever since. To give you some background of my post, I encourage you to first read this one:

https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/peterfischbach_a-world-without-scrum-masters-and-agile-coaches-activity-7143640862340628480-I2U_

2023 has been the hardest year yet for the "Agile" world. I see innumerable posts about how hard this has hit several folks I know and look up to. I see innumerable respected Agile coaches trying to offer help and assistance to our community in whichever way they possibly can. And I see just as many posts (and meetups) discussing how "we" can prove our value! So, I thought I'd share my 2 cents as well.

Little about me first though - I was laid off around May 2023 and I skimmed through what was available for about a couple of weeks soon after. Around the same time, my family made plans to visit me in the summer. This trip was our first extended time together after a personal tragedy had hit us about 3 years back and hence, I decided that 2023 would be our best summer yet - which it WAS! Fast forward to August, when I started skimming through how was the job market at that time and what were my options. I picked up the job-hunting pace in October at which time it was a little too late for me, I thought, because of Q4 hovering over us after a disastrous year for agilists.

However, I have had a lot of time to think about myself, my career, and the Agile world in general, started a couple of "side" ventures (that I am so proud of!) and after much research and introspection, I wanted to share what I found/realized. I sincerely hope may provide some insight to others sailing in a similar boat and for the hiring managers/organizations:

?? If a person or a role has to prove their worth, to begin with, there is an apparent problem here. Now as I see it, there are ways to handle it depending on the audience. What I mean is, that for people who do not understand our values and do not want to, no use trying. For people who do not understand our values and are curious to know more, I'd bend over backward to help them understand. For people who have worked with agilists over the years and could not see our value, it is partly our fault. Did we miss something there in our journey to show our value? Are we selling Agile? Are we focusing much on Agile and overseeing the value of agility? There may be a myriad of reasons here.

My 2 cents - For all the agilists struggling out there, I urge you to rethink your audience. For all hiring managers/organizations out there, I request you to rethink which of the 3 buckets your hiring and/or layoff decisions may fall under.

?? I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do and where am I headed. I usually talk and coach around agility (as opposed to Agile). My passion is agility, because I know that bringing in agility works in organizations, departments, teams, and individuals (for instance, am I adaptable or agile?) Once we can get to that point, the Agile world has a boatload of assisting frameworks, and materials that help. Additionally, I have over a couple of decades worth of experience in IT. And have worked with IT leaders most of my career. Maybe I can be a part of the system to change the system! Hmm, this is worth exploring.

My 2 cents: Introspect your value, start from within, and navigate or adapt or sail towards a journey that YOU would enjoy the most - no matter how bumpy it may feel/seem!

?? So what IS our value? We are fantastic change agents because agility, at its very core, is about dealing with change and being adaptable. We are process experts because agility requires looking into and creating malleable and sturdy processes. We are (project? process? change?) management experts because the Agile methodologies and frameworks were created to deliver faster. We have insightful and creative ways to serve customers because bringing in agility at the grassroots level helps deliver faster, quality products.

My 2 cents: For all my fellow agilists, do not hesitate to share/show your value and toot your horn (this is the place where I have struggled the most!). For all hiring managers/organizations, be a little more open-minded while hiring for expertise vs hiring for titles. If you hire for titles, you might miss out on a great candidate!

?? Do NOT let your worth be determined by your layoff. I successfully stayed away from falling into this hole, for the most part (yes, I've had my days :-)). I've been told, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly, that I might not have enough experience (specifically in terms of a number) or enough certifications, or enough <choose your pick>, or "in transition".

My 2 cents: No one knows you as well as you do. You do YOU! You think you deserve that job? Apply anyways. You think you want to transition in your career? Transition away.

NOTE: I am fully aware and immensely grateful that I am at a place in my personal and professional life where I can pick and choose, and afford to go slow. For those who feel the same way, more power to you! For those who do not have this liberty, I see you and I feel you. Either way, I know great things are in store for you, for all of us in 2024... I truly believe that!