When the Experts Became Everyone

In 2018, I joined Telstra Corporation during the peak of their ambitious agile transformation. Within two years, I found myself leading the Agile Coaching Academy for the entire 90,000-person organisation, responsible for training 50 internal coaches while managing another 50 coaches across the enterprise. We were helping mobilise thousands of people into new ways of working—a massive undertaking during what I now recognise was the height of the "Agile Coaching Boom."

This was a time of genuine expertise and transformation. My passion for meaningful coaching conversations even led me to write "Responsive Agile Coaching," which has sold nearly 1,000 copies. I was collaborating with tier-one global consultancies, working alongside their most senior consultants to support large-scale change programmes.

But something troubling was happening simultaneously.

As I worked with these global players, I witnessed the shift from small, expert-led adoptions to mass commoditisation. The market demand for agile coaches exploded, and with it came the certification gold rush. Suddenly, everyone was publishing their credentials—this certification and that certification—mostly around agile coaching and facilitation.

The fatal flaw? These certifications were entirely knowledge-based. They taught terminology and frameworks but provided no real experience. This spawned what I call the "impostor coaches"—people fluent in theory but novices in practice.

"When everybody became a coach, no one was."

The Industrialisation of Improvement

As confidence in agile coaching eroded due to failed transformation efforts, organisations became disillusioned. The difficult parts of agile were often left unimplemented while the ceremonies were superficially adopted. The dysfunction remained because, despite everyone's hopes, agile wasn't the magic fix for deep organisational issues.

Into this void stepped the framework industry. Playbooks, one-size-fits-all methodologies, and rigid processes became the products sold by consulting firms. Entire businesses were built around frameworks like LeSS, SAFe, and even the simpler Scrum implementations.

I found myself caught in this current, becoming passionate about scaled frameworks, believing they could provide the structure that coaching alone seemed to lack.

But I watched as organisations rejected these transplanted methodologies. They would begin unravelling these adoptions, modifying and creating bespoke versions until they became unrecognisable Frankenstein monsters—no longer the framework yet not quite fit for purpose either.

"When practices became products."

This era saw agile become a dirty word in many boardrooms—a promise unfulfilled, an investment without returns.

Meeting Clients Where They Are

Today, I've evolved beyond both the pure coach and the framework zealot. The pendulum has swung from one extreme to another, and I've found myself in a more balanced position: that of the pragmatist.

My journey taught me that the most valuable approach isn't coaching purity or framework rigidity—it's appreciative co-design. When I work with clients now, I draw from my coaching background as a skill, pulling certain elements from various frameworks to fit their unique context.

The critical difference is that I meet clients where they are. We co-create and co-implement at a pace and scale of change that's commensurate with their ability to absorb that change in today's frenetic business environment.

"Beyond dogma, the rise of the delivery pragmatist."

This is the essence of the pragmatic revolution. I still use agile coaching. I still reference frameworks. But I've learned that sustainable transformation isn't about imposing ideals—it's about walking alongside clients on a shared journey of change.

The New Toolkit for Delivery Leaders

For those of us who have weathered these shifts, our value now lies in our ability to blend approaches. The delivery leaders who will thrive in 2025 and beyond aren't the methodology purists or the certified coaches—they're the pragmatic problem-solvers who can:

• Apply what works, regardless of which methodology it came from

• Select tools and techniques appropriate to specific contexts

• Focus relentlessly on outcomes rather than process purity

• Draw from a balanced toolkit spanning multiple disciplines

• Facilitate genuine co-creation rather than imposing solutions

As organisations grow increasingly weary of the "next big thing," they're turning to those of us who can help them navigate the complexity without the dogma.

Where Do We Go From Here?

If you recognise yourself somewhere on this journey—perhaps as a coach questioning the certification treadmill, or as a delivery leader tired of framework rigidity—I invite you to consider where the true value lies.

The future belongs to those who can integrate the human element back into delivery while maintaining the pragmatic focus on results. It requires us to be both technically competent and emotionally intelligent, both structured and adaptable.

Perhaps it's time to assess your toolkit. What elements from each era are you carrying forward? What are you leaving behind? And most importantly, are you meeting your clients where they are, or expecting them to meet you where you think they should be?

The true art of delivery leadership isn't in knowing all the answers—it's in knowing which questions to ask in each unique context. And that's something no certification or framework can teach.

What's your experience with these shifts in delivery leadership? Have you found yourself moving through similar phases? Share your thoughts in the comments below.