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Scrum Alliance’s Certified Agile Leadership Program

Posted on Tuesday, June 28th, 2016 | 4 Responses

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As you have probably heard by now, the Scrum Alliance has officially launched their new Certified Agile Leadership Program. That means that similar to Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Product Owner, leaders in Agile environments can now become Scrum Alliance Certified Agile Leaders. This new emphasis on leadership did not come as a surprise to us at the Braintrust Consulting Group. In fact, we have been advocating for Agile leadership for several years. We believe that Agile leadership is a huge gap for organizations who are trying to maximize Agile/Scrum. That’s exactly why we founded The Center For Agile Leadership® in late 2014.

Now we’re proud to announce that The Center For Agile Leadership’s Certified Agile Leader® program has been officially approved by the Scrum Alliance as part of their new certification program. We are one of only two Certified Scrum Trainers in the world who are authorized under the Scrum Alliance Certified Agile Leadership program to teach this new certification program.

To make the program most effective for everyone, the Scrum Alliance has divided up their Certified Agile Leadership Program into two levels (level 1 and level 2). The Center for Agile Leadership’s Certified Agile Leader program meets the learning objectives of Level One and all class graduates will will receive the Credential 1 of the Certified Agile Leadership (CAL) Program. The Scrum Alliance defines level one as an introductory, education-based program that consists of learning objectives across five categories. The goal of the CAL Credential Level 1 program is to bring awareness of Agile leadership thinking, focus, and behaviors and to start the Agile leader on their learning journey. The Level 1 credential is achieved upon successful completion of the education learning objectives.

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This is an exciting time for us and for the industry as a whole. At Braintrust, we truly believe that Agile Leadership is leadership for the next generation of business. In our opinion, this is the missing piece that the entire Agile movement has been looking for. Agile Leadership is where corporate cultures will evolve. Agile Leadership is the key to top down implementation and complete buy-in. Using the principles of Agile, we can teach leaders how to successfully inspire others and become agents for change within their organization and within their own lives.

Click here to learn more about Certified Agile Leader®

Upcoming CAL Classes:

August 23-24, Nashville, TN

September 26-27, Salt Lake City, UT

September 29-30, New York City, NY

October 20-21, Los Angeles, CA

October 26-27, Atlanta, GA

November 9-10, Orlando, FL

November 14-15, Columbus, OH

December 12-13, Chicago, IL

Global Scrum Gathering 2016 – A Synopsis

Posted on Thursday, April 21st, 2016 | Leave a Comment

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From The Desk of Brian Rabon:

As you probably know, this week was the Global Scrum Gathering in Orlando Florida. Both Braintrust and the new Center For Agile Leadership played large roles in the event this year, culminating with me giving the opening keynote speech in front of 1,100 of my closest friends.

If there were one word to describe the Orlando Scrum Gathering, it would be “ELECTRIC”. From co-chairs Anu Smalley and our own Kate Megaw’s grand entrance in their astronaut costumes, to the overwhelming response to my opening keynote, to the hundreds of conversations that followed. It was amazing.

After speaking with hundreds of the conference attendees a few patterns emerged:

First, if you were at the Global Gathering (or following along on Twitter) you probably heard that I took a little jab at Agile scaling during my keynote. I want to take a minute to clarify that I don’t hate SAFe or any form of Agile scaling for that matter, I was simply using them as a tangible example of a larger problem that is facing Agile as a movement. Our biggest problem is that there is way too much focus lately on the “process” and not enough focus on the “individuals and interactions”. The major theme of the conference was on the need to put humanity back into Agility. To me, this is a far more important conversation than which scaling method is best or most effective. As an industry and as a movement, we have got to re-humanize agile implementation and that begins with top-down cultural shifts.

Second, we all want our employers to be Agile to focus on the “results” rather than the “face-time” we put in the office. We are all adults, we don’t want to ask permission to go the doctor or pick up our kids. We want flexible schedules and the trust from our bosses that we will “do the right thing”. We are Agile and can prove our worth through the results that we produce.

And finally, Agile Leadership is here and needed in a big way. Agile leaders are inclusive, democratic, and exhibit a greater openness to ideas and innovations. With a passion for learning, a focus on developing people, and a strong ability to define and communicate a desired vision, they possess all of the tools necessary to successfully inspire others and become an agent for change within any organization. As leaders we want to be Agile and we want those who lead us to be Agile too.

Thank you to everyone who came by to share their thoughts on the keynote. I am honored that I was able touch your lives and inspire you. Every story that you shared with me touched my heart.

Final thoughts… Remember that sometimes your high expectations won’t be met and at times you may feel like a loser. Being a loser is just one step on your path to winning. With Agile Leadership you can put the individuals and interactions back into Agility and win.

Sincerely,

BrianRabonSignature-01

Brian Rabon, CST, PMP
President, The Braintrust Consulting Group
Founder, The Center For Agile Leadership

We’re Excited For Global Scrum Gathering 2016

Posted on Wednesday, April 13th, 2016 | Leave a Comment

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For those of you who don’t know, Global Scrum Gathering 2016 is next week (Monday April 18- Wednesday April 20). This year, the gathering is being held in Orlando, Florida and it’s already sold out! The theme for this year is Infinity and Beyond: Transforming the World of Work.

At Braintrust, we love the annual Global Scrum Gatherings because every year we learn something new that we can bring back to our clients. Plus, it’s a great opportunity for us to reconnect with our Agile friends and colleagues from around the world. But this year in particular, we are especially excited because Braintrust is involved with Global Gathering in lots of different ways. Our entire team will be on-site for the three days of the conference, so if you are attending the conference, be sure to come by and see us.

Our own COO, Kate Megaw is Co-Chairing the event. So, that’s a huge deal in it’s own right. Kate and the committee have put a ton of work into planning and prepping, so we know this year is going to be a big success. If you see Kate at the conference, be sure to give her a hug- she’s earned it.

Braintrust President, Brian Rabon was selected to deliver the opening keynote speech on Monday morning. As the founder of The Center For Agile Leadership, Brian will be delivering his speech: Agile Leadership, The Key to Scaling Scrum. If you’ve ever seen Brian speak, you know that you don’t want to miss this one. There are already several crazy rumors about what stunts Brian might pull during his speech.

Our Director of Developer Training, Erick Fleming will be leading one of the breakout sessions on Monday afternoon. His session Fuel Your Product With High Octane Continuous Delivery will teach attendees the fundamentals of Continuous Delivery and how to provide the ultimate level of feedback to project stakeholders.

Both Braintrust and The Center For Agile Leadership (CAL) are going to have booths set up in the expo area. In the Braintrust booth, we will be unveiling our new prize wheel and in the CAL booth we are giving away an iPad to one lucky key holder. So make sure you stop by both booths for your chance to win great prizes.

Our customer support team is also donating their time to help stuff attendee bags, helping out in the presentation rooms and helping get everything ready for the sold out crowd.

By now, you can see why we are so excited for Global Scrum Gathering 2016! It’s going to be a great week and we are looking forward to seeing everyone in Florida. If you can’t make it to the event, be sure to follow @braintrustgroup on Twitter. We’ll be live tweeting from the event all week.

Brian Rabon Selected To Deliver Opening Keynote at Global Gathering 2016

Posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016 | Leave a Comment

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The Braintrust Consulting Group is pleased to announce that our president and founder, Brian Rabon, has been selected to deliver the opening keynote speech at the Global Scrum Gathering-Orlando 2016. The event is being presented by the Scrum Alliance in Orlando, Florida on April 18, 2016.

In late 2015, Brian, a pioneer in the field of Agile Leadership, founded the Center for Agile Leadership to educate individuals on how to use Agile leadership skills to grow, scale, and thrive as a true Agile organization. Now in this brand new keynote speech, Brian will address Scrum and Agile practitioners from across the world on “Agile Leadership, The Key To Scaling Scrum”. This topic is increasingly a prevalent challenge in larger organizations.

“I am sincerely honored to address the first Global Scrum Gathering of 2016 with so many practitioners who share my same passion about Scrum and Agile practices. I have attended in the past and look forward to reuniting with people from around the world to share our experiences and knowledge.”

The Global Scrum Gatherings offer the Scrum Alliance community an opportunity to hear presentations from experts in the field who inspire attendees with stories of success, current implementation best practices, and creative applications of the Scrum framework. Learn more about Brian’s presentation in the Keynote Speakers tab on the Global Scrum Gathering® Orlando 2016 webpage.

If you’re planning to attend Global Scrum Gathering-Orlano 2016, be sure to come by the Braintrust booth and say hi. We will have some extra special Braintrust swag for our friends and clients.

And if you are not already registered for Global Scrum Gathering-Orlando 2016, click here to save your spot.

For more information about The Center For Agile Leadership, visit the website, connect on LinkedIn, or email us for complete details.