All that Agile… jazz

You find yourself at a jazz concert and in the most unexpected way you are provoked to think about what it is that you do, how to define it, and what’s the relevance, anyway.

On a late Sunday evening a few weeks ago, I was sitting alone waiting for Michal Martyniuk Trio to enter the stage at Meow Bar when a group of friendly people asked to join my table. Three jazz enthusiasts, whose names I did not catch, and Andrew, a jazz connoisseur, who also came alone. They were in their 60s. Among them a business owner, let’s call her Sue*, who was very kind to take interest in what I do for a living. It wasn’t the first time I’d try to explain what an Agile (what?) coach does, and that it actually had little to do with stretches and splits. As we were talking, getting a bit deeper in the detail, Sue made a comment, which assured me that she was making sense of what I was trying to say. It also reminded me of the most important thing that Agile is, and what I realised I must have started losing connection to lately. She said something along the lines of: “It makes sense to use this different approach, when there is a people factor involved.” Yes, Sue, thank you Sue. Agile is about people. Now, what a revelation from an Agile coach.

The evening was not over, yet. I was about to make a far more insightful agile connection that night.

They started playing. First, second piece. People, it’s all about people. The rediscovered, obvious thought wouldn’t let go. And then it hit me. Maybe because I had been trying to explain to Sue what this agile mindset was all about, maybe because we started connecting the concepts to her reality. It hit me, what I was seeing on stage was a high performing (agile) team. They were focused on the same goal. They were there for us. They were an epitome of responding to change over following a plan, valuing people and interactions more, caring about the music, not the notes. They were agile.

Trust, focus, technical excellence, flow, adaptability. It was all there on the stage. They knew roughly where they were going, the direction was there, the outcome was clear, but how they were getting there was only revealed as the music hit our ears. With every note that was played with every blow into the trumpet, every touch of the piano keys they were embracing the journey and taking us with them. That was the goal — to give us the experience, feed with what we needed in that moment. Gently checking how we were taking it, sensitive to the reactions, present in the moment, caring about the audience and about each other.

There was no one leader. They took turns leading each other, picking up that improvisation stick and carrying it until someone took over and they could step back to support the team. There was no burden, no work, but pure joy. Accountability and control were within the team. Together, not a trio, not four or five artists on stage, but one team.

Some pieces did not have a name, they were works in the making and we were witnessing the discovery, privy to both what was created and how it was being created. In front of our eyes and ears a high performing, self-organising team in the state of flow. Caring for each other, respecting each other, open and vulnerable. They were free, they were brave and they were aligned. They were o so much more than the sum of their individual parts.

Innovation and discovery. Art. Probably not repeatable like for like but the process was repeatable, and probably better each time they got to play together. There was an understanding of the structure with the built-in flexibility. Striving for excellence. But the excellence or the genius did not define them. They knew where they were heading. They knew they were going to get there one way or another and they knew it was going to be good. Well, they were able to validate whether what they were delivering was right. They had immediate feedback; from each other and from the audience. Applause and silence. Was it the best they could do? Who cared, it was perfect in that moment. There was no plan, but there was an outcome in mind and the next step, and the next and one more. There was a social contract, unspoken. They were ideal team players: humble, hungry and so smart.

I shared the experience with my colleagues thinking what an interesting connection I had made there. An then I thought chances were someone had already made that connection before me. I checked and … I was right. They wrote a whole book on it*. Life has a funny way…

*https://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Process-Collaboration-Innovation-Agility/dp/0321636457