I’ve been teaching a Scrum Alliance, Certified Agile Leadership (CAL-I) class since 2017. In that time, I’ve evolved quite a bit in my goals, intentions, and approaches within the class.
Initially, it was all in-person and largely a training event. Sure, I tried to share my experiences and the feedback was great. But I don’t believe folks left with much more than knowledge. And often I’m guessing, 6-months later, much of that knowledge had faded into the chaos of real-world agile execution.
Over time I’ve transitioned from wanting the class to be a learning event to more of a holistic experience. An immersed learning experience that I hoped would have—
More lasting impact on attendees;
Not easily be forgotten;
Causing ongoing reflection, experimentation, and discovery;
Improved ideas for new ways of leading.
Then, when Covid-19 hit and I pivoted the class to virtual delivery, I was even more intent on creating an experience for attendees. As much to retain their level of engagement as for the learning and retention.
So, what have I learned or focused on?
What makes my Certified Agile Leadership training valuable and different?
I’ve been delivering my version of the CAL-I class for approximately 3-years. I deliver it mostly as a private class, nearly 80% of the time, to client leadership teams. I’ve heard feedback from many attendees that my CAL class is a game-changing experience and quite different from other leadership classes they’ve taken. I’ve even heard this feedback from attendees who’ve attended other CAL classes and been disappointed with those experiences.
I’m not saying I’ve got all the answers or that this will be the best class that you’ll ever attend. But what I am saying is that, within the scope of becoming a better agile leader, I think this class “nails it”. Let me share some of the key differentiators.
I’m originally from central Pennsylvania, having grown up on a farm in Lancaster County. We were about an hour and a half from Philadelphia. And you couldn’t help but connect to the local Philly teams.
The Eagles are one of those teams that always seemed to struggle, yet the local fan base is incredibly loyal to them. Disgruntled, complaining, obnoxious, whiney, but still loyal. And I am one of those diehard Eagles fans.
Now I moved away from Pennsylvania in the 1980’s. But my heart is still with those sports teams. So, you can imagine how I felt when the Eagles won the 2017 Super Bowl.
Elated, surprised, justified, humbled, fulfilled are some of the feelings that came to me.
