Our Impact
Here’s what agile coaches say about the impact of ACI’s training and coaching.
- Transformation Coaching School
- Coach Development
- Organization Breakthroughs
Quick Links
We Are Thought Leaders
Eight videolessons byLyssa Adkinsfrom her book,Coaching Agile Teams. Order Now!
Lyssa Adkins' book is one of the top ten Agile books.
Buy Now!We Believe In Sustainable Pace for the Planet
Kiva Microlending helps alieviate poverty in developing nations by helping people start new businesses. ACI matches your micro-loan with our team on Kiva, Agile Coaches Transform the World.
A global campaign to ignite a generation of young people to bring forth a thriving, just, sustainable world.
ACI supports TeamWikiSpeed
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Taking the Agile Coaching course was one of the best investments I could have made. Talk about an amazing ROI! Not only did I feel like I learned some invaluable tools and techniques to immediate put into action in my career, but I also felt like this two day course was a personal coaching session FOR ME! The things taught in this class should not be limited to just Agile teams, but in any environment where you have to lead in any capacity. The class is interactive, fun, and not your typical sage on a stage type environment.
I would highly recommend this course and should you want more information from an unbiased account, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
It’s been just under a month since I took the Coaching Agile Teams course and I wanted to share some thoughts about this great course. I must admit, when I took the course, I had a hard time aligning the Coaching techniques to my very technical software development team and was uncertain as to how the Coaching and Facilitating slice of the Agile Coaching Stance would fit in. However, since attending the course, several opportunities for powerful questions, level 2 (I hope I am at level 2) listening, and even constellations have surfaced. I am appreciative for the perspective the course offered in how to handle these situations and also for the new found ability to recognize circumstances where the previously mentioned techniques are useful.
It has been almost 6 weeks and I continue to leverage many of the concepts from the course. I have enjoyed sharing some of the learning experiences with my colleagues and have seen a fundamental shift for many in our organization. I continue to learn as I utilize many of the techniques of coaching and have even had people say things like “this is the first time in my career that someone has taken me through such an exploration”. Kudos to Lyssa and Michael for putting together a great course and engaging the audience like no other instructors I have experienced. I truly enjoyed the training and am enjoying using it in my coaching within the team. Many thanks once again to Lyssa and Michael! This is the first course that I actually felt like emailing the instructors several weeks after the course had completed. It has truly impacted me in a way an email can probably only begin to express!
It has been almost two months since I participated in The Coaching Stance. Since then my approach as scrum master and agile coach has shifted subtly, though changes have been substantial. Prior to the course, I often got caught in solving problems for the teams and individuals I work with. By focusing on the people instead, not only are the solutions driven by those closest to them and thus a better fit, my internal pace is far more sustainable. To get chemical: rather than being a reactive agent that is changed, I have become simply the catalyst. As a result difficult conversations become more approachable and collectively we are able to gain positive traction in areas that have historically blocked us and I am able to accomplish more with the same effort.
I cannot speak highly enough of the instruction, fellow students, format, and perhaps most importantly, the presence Michael and Cynthia embodied. For this work is not something outside of ourselves; to fully benefit we must engage with our entire being, which is well-modeled by the instructors. It is here that the work quickly spills out of the professional sphere to change us deeply and positively impact every relationship and interaction. It is not an overstatement to suggest this is a life-changing experience if we allow it to be.
Coaching Agile Teams
Lyssa and Michael really opened up a new world to me in this class. They gave me the tools that I didn’t know I was lacking, and most of all the tools that I really needed.
Lyssa and Michael’s course “Leading from the Next Level” is outstanding! This course is a natural progression in the series they offer. Coaching is not about training louder (thank you Michael for that quote) nor is it about using Command-and-Control to stamp out Command-and-Control. This course teaches Agile leadership through the lens of the system. I highly recommend it. Also, it was a joy being in the company of the level of Coaches that Lyssa and Michael’s classes attract.
In a world where everything seems to be a rush to the finish line, Michael and David stood out in their mantra to slow down. The value of learning (being reminded) that the true help occurs not in getting to the destination but in how one gets there was invaluable.
Thank you for the help to find the path under my feet and not to worry about the path on the other side of the mountain ahead.
The Coaching Stance class
I’ve been in the Agile space and coaching for the past 11 years and like many coaches out there my training has been on-the-job. I’ve taken several “Lean-Agile” practitioner classes, read many books and blogs, participated in and spoken at Agile conferences over the years, but I HAVE NOT taken any professional coach training courses until The Coaching Stance class. Lyssa, Michael, and Cynthia have put together an excellent class that all coaches should attend. The class is fun, thought provoking, and full of hands on coaching. They incorporate fundamentals from the co-active coaching model and systems coaching into the Agile space that provide attendees real world experience and tools they can take back to their companies and apply immediately. Whether you’re an experienced Agile coach or just getting started, you will walk away from this class with new tools, new ideas, and most importantly new friends and colleagues you can collaborate with on your journey.
The Coaching Stance has had an unimaginable impact on my life. I view people in a different way. This experience has changed how I coach, communicate, and collaborate with every person I come in contact with. I absolutely recommend this course. I have taken both the Coaching Agile Teams and the Coaching Stances courses. The Coaching Stance is a deeper dive into coaching and you gain a lot of actual coaching experience. I encourage anyone considering taking the course to go for it!!!
The Coaching Stance was a very eye opening experience. The co-active coaching model has changed my approach to coaching. Thank you to Michael and Cynthia for such a great experience.
Coaching Agile Teams
Michael Spayd helped me to develop and confirm a vision towards excellence in my role as Product Owner.
Coaching Agile Teams
This course is … A natural progression to becoming Agile.
Coaching Agile Teams
I highly recommend the agile coach training course. If you are a leader, or looking to take any leadership position on an agile team this course is a must-have followup to any base agile training.
Coaching Agile Teams
The Agile Coaching course facilitated by Lyssa and Michael opened my eyes to the huge scope of what it means to be an Agile coach. I will be processing the material for a while, but I hope to launch into implementation of these concepts ASAP.
Coaching Agile Teams
Lyssa and Michael exposed us to a great toolset and provided a roadmap to develop further.
Coaching Agile Teams
I had previously read the Coaching Agile Teams book cover-to-cover and jumped at the chance to attend the course in Boulder. It was everything I hoped for and more; incredibly fun and intense. Lyssa and Michael’s pair-teaching style was great to experience, they compliment each other exceptionally as they keep the learning experiences coming one after another. I returned to work with and arsenal of actionable advice, invaluable real-world hands-on experience and a set of tools to start applying straight away. The icing on the cake for me were the other attendees. Everyone was fully engaged and looking to learn as much as possible, they helped make it a light-hearted, fun and rewarding experience.
If you have the slightest desire to help grow capacity in your colleagues this course is the best start you can get.
Lyra Mentor Group
One of this year’s biggest challenges for me was an agile team-startup with 20+ people including managers, product owners and development team members. The coaching skills I have acquired during two meeting cycles in the Lyra Mentor Group and the great direct support on all levels from my group where key for me to master the startup workshop and finally made it a full success. The meeting agenda and activities where based on the group needs model which I have learned about practically and theoretically in my group. This conceptional framework proved to be an essential cornerstone to navigate thru this startup-phase.
Coaching Agile Teams
After the first day I did not want to come back to class for the second day… I wanted to go apply what I had learned with my coaching clients!
The Coaching Stance
This was THE most powerful learning experience, giving me the tools I need to achieve my goal of transforming my work. I now have the tools that will make me a better coach and and more effective employee.
The Coaching Stance
Coaching Stance training has deeply impacted my ability to listen, get related to my client through alliance, and ask powerful questions, while keeping only the client’s interest/agenda in mind. This is a powerful skill that can be applied to every area of my life. Thank you for making us “agents of transformation.”
The Coaching Stance
I received the power of not being myself through self-management.
I was inspired by the other coaches’ caring, dedication, honesty, and intelligence.
Got great tools for handling complaints and resistance, which will empower me to transform.
Great opportunity to practice real coaching in a safe but frank space.
The Coaching Stance
The coaching stance is an indispensable piece of knowledge for an Agile Coach.
A profound shift in who I am as an agile coach.
A new world of agile coaching come into view.
A profound understanding of the heart of being an Agile Coach.
The Coaching Stance
The Coaching Stance made a profound impact on my power to make the difference in many, many realms. As a strategist, I am now empowered to cause partnership with management teams and boards. With what I got from this, as a leader, I will be able to create spaces for agile approaches to work in corporations where the agile approach is currently being resisted by the corporate anti-bodies.
The Coaching Stance
Opening to possibilities of how Agile Stance can be taken to all aspects of life and work. How beingness can be created by seeing the connection between coaching stance and coaching practices.
The Coaching Stance
I found it very useful and relevant for transformation of our Scrum teams. I have the necessary tools and awareness to really be an effective program manager.
The Coaching Stance
Now I am ready to move into practice on coaching. Coming into the class I was hoping to practice some co-active style coaching. Leaving the class, I am prepared, equipped and ready to actually coach — to move into practice without training wheels! Of course, I will be letting people know I am still a beginner!
Coaching Agile Teams
I want to thank you again for such a wonderful experience in your Coaching Agile Teams workshop – I found you and Michael to be very inspirational and I not only walked away with SO much information, but I truly believe I have a new attitude and approach that will hopefully allow me and my team to be much more successful with our Scrum implementation!
Coaching Agile Teams
I just completed the Coaching Agile Teams Course in San Francisco. I can’t express enough how much I appreciated all the information that was shared. Not only did Lyssa honor her book in the course she also added great examples that brought home the message and techniques even more. I greatly appreciated her ability to correlate her techniques to real world scenarios that provided insight on how to scale across organizations at enterprise level.
The next day after class I participated in my Team’s Retrospective and Planning sessions. Unfortuantely, due to the prior Sprint not going as well the Team would have liked, we addressed a number of challenging subjects. I received feedback that it was one of the best we’ve ever had. The Team attributed our collective success to the energy I brought back from the course and I couldn’t agree more. Great class.
Coaching Circles
The agile coaches circle has really been helpful to me. Working with Lyssa and other agile coaches has been an encouragement when going through difficult situations in coaching. Having a group of peers to work with has proven helpful in getting another perspective on the issues that are faced in adopting Agile in a large enterprise.
Lyssa does a great job of coaching the team so we can improve our coaching skills. She leads by example which is a very effective way to coach.
Coaching Circles
I joined one of Lyssa’s coaching circles earlier this year, and we’ve kept it going because the learnings have been so rich.
Agile coaching is hard, and often it is difficult to find peers with the same level of dedication to improvement in your own organisation. Lyssa’s circle has exposed me to a group of peers to share my learnings with and to learn from them. I think that a large amount of the growth I have experienced as a coach this year, has been sparked by this circle.
I am also constantly amazed by Lyssa’s expert facilitation skills, and the safe space she manages to create telephonically. Observing her in action, helps me understand the kind of behaviour I need to model as a coach. I highly recommend her coaching circles to anyone looking to grow as a coach and a person. Another great thing is that you can join from anywhere in the world. I am thrilled to have access to such an awesome coach, all the way down here in South Africa!
Coaching Circles
I just completed a coaching circle with Lyssa and 5 others. We started in May and had six (I think!) hour and a half telephone discussions regarding agile coaching. It was very helpful to me as a newbie SM and coach; there were rich insights, observations, and suggestions. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience!
Coaching Agile Teams
I recently completed the Coaching Agile Teams class in Boston. Lyssa did an excellent job presenting the material, facilitating the exercises, and creating a supportive and fun environment to learn and grow. Lyssa helped us tackle real-world problems and build our personal backlogs for continued learning after the class. I found the two-days very rewarding and have already applied techniques learned in the class with my team. I plan on taking the second part of this training. I highly recommend this class to Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches!
Coaching Circles
I had the privilege of participating in a 1.5 hour coaching circle that Lyssa led, followed by her book signing and presentation to a large group. Lyssa models a much needed synthesis of practical, nuts and bolts experience with Agile teams, bolstered by her wisdom and huge heart. Her contributions to the fields of Agile and Scrum are much needed, given the importance of the human aspects of technology teams. I heartily recommend Lyssa’s work and her books to all Agile coaches and teams.
{ 1 trackback }