Practical Agile Leadership

This is exactly what I needed right now.

- Mike G.Engineering Manager, company name withheld

Moving from startup to scaleup is a hard transition, and there is a lot in this report to help leaders through.

- VP of R&D Operations

Solid recommendations to help tech executives avoid common scaling pitfalls.

- Patrick Myles, CTO, Lendable

Starting with the right agility values and keeping laser-focus on accelerated learning — critical to a startup’s success — are even more necessary for a growth stage. Companies shouldn’t forget these lessons in this tremendously changing world.

- Senior Leader of multiple Agile Transformations for startups and top Fortune-listed companies

With Gil's approach to coaching, mentoring, and observing, we've been creating and operating effective cross-functional agile teams in IT, finance, marketing, and risk management. Team members and leaders have the right tools to keep moving forward with our agile transformation.

- Ryan EdwardsProgram and project director, Pethealth

It's clear that Gil has mastered the art of coaching/teaching with online tools, and his years of experience working with Agile methods show through. Gil’s sound advice and guidance have armed me with the skills needed to continue my Agile journey.

- Matt S.IT Director (participated in three different courses)

Gil masterfully presented this course online using some of the best tools and practices that enabled all the participants to actively engage in the learning process. The training and the takeaway tools continue to provide amazing value to my leadership growth both at work and my personal life.

- Jeff GortonDirector of Client Experience, Pethealth

I never paid so much attention in a university class as I did in your training. Your delivery was very compelling.

- G. S.Developer

I thoroughly enjoyed Gil's online Agile training. It was engaging and educational, and I've taken many of the practices I learned and applied them in my daily job to maximise both my own and my team's productivity.

- Mat FisherSenior Developer, BGIS

The course was very interactive and included many real life examples. I initially thought it would be difficult to sit through this training online, but the exercises were a good way to engage everyone and allow the introverts to speak/share their thoughts and ideas.

- Christine MohabirSenior Project Manager (on the Business side)

Highly recommended for people leaders at all levels, Gil's course broadens the definition of Agile, giving leaders a true sense of its value. With a keen focus on purpose, people and values, he showed us how to adopt Agile as a mindset and improve our ability to deliver value to our customers.

- Rachel Di SalleSenior Manager, Rogers Media

I was immediately able to apply principles I learned in this course -- identifying cost of change beyond dollars, asking for permission to help, chartering initiatives for understanding expectations and identifying gaps. The course was packed with information, and I use the printed checklists in meetings.

- Corina StoddardProduct Platform Manager, Canada Post

Gil helped get our Agile journey back on track by refocusing our attention on mindset first, then on the principles and practices that follow. Gil is committed to helping companies practice Agile leadership for the right reasons and, more importantly, achieve better business outcomes as a result.

- Kenn HusseyDirector, Product Management, Puppet Labs

With infrequent visits for coaching and training, Gil's focus on showing how Agile values and principles provide the "why" behind Agile ways of working has provided the foundation for how our Department continues to grow its Agile culture.

- Philip WhitcombeDirector, Digital Products, CBC (the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

It has become very clear why our team failed at our first agile attempt, but now the way forward looks very bright.

- I. M.Development Manager

Your content is often helpful and educational, opening new angles and perspectives worth considering, resonating and confirming personal feelings.

- Radu SecosanManaging Partner at IT Perspectives

An eye-opening experience for technical and non-technical leaders alike. Gil does a fantastic job of articulating the motivation behind the process and how Agile tactics alone fall short of enabling agility. Two days of instruction and guided self-reflection triggered a paradigm shift of how I approach and advocate for Agile.

- Warren GrayTechnical Lead, Arctic Wolf Networks

The content focused purely on the Agile Mindset and making Agile choices. So much of the training we are offered mixes behaviors and frameworks, when in fact the Mindset is the hardest to master. The course certainly lives up to its name, imparting a lot of practical knowledge on applying agile behaviors in the workplace.

- Dan ParsonsLead Agile Coach, Fidelity Investments

This course will perfectly complement what you have already learned either through your own experiences or in other agile leadership courses.

- Alexandra UrseaAgile Leader

It's a fantastic training and an opportunity to get outside of the process of Agile. I'm walking away with a very different mindset, a much more open, human, people-centric kind of view.

- Craig DialLead ScrumMaster, cPanel

As a ScrumMaster, I've taken many Agile training and workshops; Gil's Agile Leadership training was very different and enlightening. Instead of focusing on implementation, practices and techniques, he focuses on values and beliefs as drivers of behaviors. Highly recommended especially for people at leadership levels.

- Efrat WareSr. ScrumMaster, Fidelity Charitable

A lot deeper than all the agile training I've had before. Gil has challenged the "by the agile book" mentality and made the training dynamic and interesting. A lot for me to take back and apply to myself and the team.

- Name withheld

Amazing amalgam of practical take-aways and deep underlying principles.

- Alex MorozovLead Member of Technical Staff, Arctic Wolf Networks

I strongly recommend Gil to any group looking to transition from trying to "act" Agile to actually embracing and becoming Agile in mindset. We are so glad we flew in people from all over the world to attend the training — definitely worth it 10x over.

- Albert TsaiSVP, Product, Catapult Sports

Gil did a fantastic job teaching "Pragmatic Scrum". Many participants commented on how much better it was than training which they had received previously, both in substance and in the way Gil delivered it. They came away energized and enthusiastic about applying their learning.

- Eli JuniDirector of Software Engineering, Thoughtwire

You have a way of bringing to the fore those unspoken subtleties that can make or break an agile endeavor … and you do so in a way that hits home.

- D. C.Gil's article editor at a well-known publication

You touched almost every part, from framework to engineering to team dynamics to managers and leadership.

- M. B.Enterprise Transformation Consultant

Now I have a vocabulary to apply and some strategies to use that will help me become more effective in my communication with my peers, my management, and my teams so that we can all grow and learn together.

- Jennifer BleenProgram Manager, Huntington National Bank

Now I have some specific steps, techniques, and tools that I can go back and apply, while growing myself into my next role.

- Kamran KhanScrumMaster/Agile Coach, Cisco

Absolutely worth the time -- I would have used PTO for this if required.

- Dave S.Software development project manager (attended an in-house session)

Each company and environment that aims to be Agile will have its own unique conditions and challenges. Gil ties your particular challenges back to each topic wonderfully. He also allows time to self-reflect on each topic, so you can generate ideas (both internally and through discussion) that you wish to take back and implement into your environment.

- Moez NayaniDevelopment Team Lead, Economical Insurance

A fast-paced workshop where you evaluate your current Agile process and pinpoint strengths and weaknesses. Gil uses personal experience and anecdotes to highlight each segment, and audience participation gives you a chance to see how other teams operate.

- Alexandra ZwickerUX Designer, IBM Risk Analytics (formerly Algorithmics)

Provided valuable insights into building a true Agile team.

- Justin WarnerManager, Market Reference Data, CPPIB

A workshop like this, with someone as experienced as Gil, is a rare and valuable opportunity. Take advantage of it.

- Bruce RennieScrum Master, Carbonite

Agile isn't a checklist that works the same way for all teams. This workshop opened my eyes to how different teams have different values, and Agile can help them in different ways.

- Mark BalabanFront end developer, IBM

Gave me a lot of food for thought. I liked the group discussions a lot; they gave me real examples of what is done at other companies. There are ideas we can definitely implement at my company.

- Aliza Sinyor

The workshop addresses the fundamental struggles with implementing Agile in the real world, ruled by constraints and limitations. It was energizing, initiating many discussions between participants that brought to light lots of new ideas and insights, and allowed the participants to learn from each other’s experiences. Gil's facilitation was outstanding with many good questions that make one think beyond the status quo.

- Cristina PierceRelease Solution Manager, IBM Risk Analytics

The workshop provided tremendous value in an engaging format. This unique combination of instruction, exercises, collaboration, and contextual discovery offered what few courses do -- reflection on specific aspects of one's agile implementation. Gil’s thoughtful questions reliably guide one to view matters from varying perspectives, which revealed insights that may otherwise have remained hidden.

- Kevin ThackorieDirector of Technology, Yes Lifecycle Marketing

Gil’s workshops were engaging and thought-provoking, and the follow-on coaching sessions provided teams with thoughtful, pragmatic advice that they could begin acting on immediately. This feels like a turning point for us on our journey to being Agile.

- Sarah Brody WebbSr. manager, program & project management, Puppet Labs

Gil is able to get people to try new things, even if they are a little uneasy about moving in the new direction... As well, Gil helped me develop a roadmap for our Agile deployment, which eventually extended to over 400 people.

- Bob FischerVP, Fidelity Investments

I hired Gil to help with planning an implementation strategy to adopt Agile into our organization. I would highly recommend him to any organization wishing to adopt and further evolve their adoption of Agile.

- Mark VekslerDirector of Engineering, VFA

In our short consulting session, Gil demonstrated a real talent in understanding people, their motivation and needs, giving valuable feedback and recommendations.

- Shirit Shachak SibonyQA manager, Oracle Israel

Gil consistently demonstrated creative, expert and empathetic advice, observation and leadership consistent with an approach of high integrity. He brought an appropriate mix of IT expertise, behaviour observations, lean process thinking and ability to start tough conversations to our team.

- Jason KoulourasDirector, Data Services

I engaged Gil to assess and coach three of my Agile development teams, ranging from novice to experienced. His recommendations were pragmatic yet fresh, and resulted in meaningful team performance improvements in each case, particularly around collaboration.

- Darryl MinardSenior manager, Portfolio Analytics Systems

I left the workshop with both a much better defined framework of what soft skills are needed to grow my team, and techniques to improve those skills.

- Byron JungSoftware development project manager

Sometimes, reading good advice 147 times on blogs is not as effective as having one person ask you to actually do it. I paid for the course, not an employer; I consider that fee a sound investment.

- Duncan McRaeSoftware developer

Our teams responded enthusiastically to the ideas that Gil presented in "Being Agile." With an Agile mind-set, many immediately began re-examining how they were working, with a new sense of freedom and empowerment.

- Philip WhitcombeDirector, Digital Products, CBC (the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

With the perspective of time I am confident in recommending Gil's consulting service to anyone who wants to get a deeper understanding and richer benefits out of working in an Agile way.

- Guy NachimsonDirector of Israel R&D, Software AG

Gil helped my team learn and implement Agile engineering. Later, his assistance was vital in providing me with the confidence, knowledge, and skills for becoming an Agile Team Leader... He is an excellent down-to-earth coach and mentor.

- Matthew CampbellSenior software developer

Gil fundamentally changed the way that I think about software development. He consistently provided our team with thoughtful and pragmatic advice that helped us work together more effectively and provide better value for our clients.

- Scott MacLellanSenior software developer

We had an extended retrospective with Gil. It was inspiring and exciting to see the entire team participate; Gil got us listening, thinking and asking questions more than ever before. This workshop ignited a flame of improvement enthusiasm in us.

- Racheli NehemiaR&D manager, BMC

I found the information Gil provided invaluable and very well presented. The insights gained in that seminar will change my approach to software development forever.

- Alon SabiCTO, Functionpoint Software

Gil is an exceptional agile coach and amazing facilitator. His delivery of seminars was well thought out with great exercises that really captured the essence and complexity of real-life situations and yet were condensed and focused.

- Claudio GambettiEngineering director

We were undergoing explosive growth... Gil's ability to discuss the theoretical aspects of agile, combined with practical recommendations on making it all work in practice, and a very deep technical knowledge of software development, is what we needed.

- Claudio GambettiEngineering director, D2L

When I look at where our company was 8 months ago and where we are now, I am overwhelmed with how far our company has come in terms of building effective teams and improving the agile process.

- Anthony BieberSoftware developer

Gil helped us understand why we needed a change and what values, principles, and models aligned to our strategy. He's instilled an Agile mindset in our team, which functions a lot better now, is more engaged, and executes much more effectively.

- Kevin LuoSenior development manager, Scotiabank

Gil delivered an excellent interactive workshop for all our team members. It was an absolute pleasure to learn more about the Agile culture and what that means for us. Seeing the difference between "Being Agile" and "Doing Agile" was incredibly useful.

- Sean McKaigSenior manager, UI development, CBC

I've learned from Gil in a group setting with my company, offsite with groups from other companies and one on one. My working understanding of Agile was transformed into an eye opening new approach to my work and my everyday life.

- Greg WeirLead Agilist, PrismHR

Your articles are simple, straight to the point, and timely... When I face team issues, your ezines motivate me and I realize what might have gone wrong.

- Vijayalaxmi KudekarBA

In each short issue of the ezine, Gil highlights best practices or common pitfalls. His insights will motivate you to reflect on and improve your Agile capabilities.

- Mike HorganSoftware development manager, D2L

Getting back to work today after an amazing two day offsite workshop feeling very energized and invigorated! Gil Broza gave us some excellent ideas to amplify what we're doing now to continue our Agile journey. I have renewed confidence that my efforts to give people autonomy and safety will yield amazing things!

- Josh AssadDirector, R&D

Thank you for taking the time to write these excellent articles. I'm enjoying your series and passing them along to my fellow Project Managers for them to enjoy too.

- Jon CarlisleSenior project manager, Rotary International

I do love joining your webinars and other informative sessions. They are insightful, practical and present the right level of detail on addressing typical project concerns!

- Rajesh RamdasTechnical project manager

I actually look forward to the mini-program emails... It's like little nuggets of hidden treasure.

- Lilly AliosiusAgile Coach, CSM, PMP at Walgreens, Chicago

I enjoyed your Agile mini-program. You clearly have a ton of lessons to share and I appreciate each of the posts.

- Brenda McKennaPortfolio, program, and project manager

Gil brings an enormously helpful message that companies ignore at their peril if they want to deepen their investment in Agile. He’s experienced in many of the challenges to Agile teams, and resourceful in coaching teams through new challenges.

- Michael GoiteinPrincipal project manager at Mobiquity

Gil has been instrumental in raising the bar on the quality of our Agile team's deliverables. Planning and just-in-time decisions/changes are much better balanced, and the team's motivation and attitude have improved significantly.

- Horia BalogSenior software architect, Architech Solutions

The course content was excellent and tailored to our needs... Being primarily based on code samples and exercises it was a chance for in-context and practical learning that I have already seen being applied in our code.

- Simon PalmerCTO, Empathica

After only a few sessions, our team showed significant progress in self-organization and communication with product owners. This has led to an increase in productivity, higher owner/management satisfaction, and overall team morale.

- Michael PortnoyDeveloper, 411.ca

I've been impressed by Gil’s facilitation skills. His technical confidence earns him the developers' respect. I've observed him handle difficult engineer personalities without being dismissive or patronizing... I give Gil credit for setting us on the right trajectory.

- Ivan BaschSenior program manager, VFA

Gil facilitates learning, works with existing pressures and cultivates future internal coaches. He gradually replaces himself by building real, lasting change. His approach includes training, mentoring and advocacy right to the top of the organization.

- Cameron TurnerDirector of engineering, D2L