Certified Agile Leadership Programs

FIND TRAINING NEAR YOU

Transform Your Leadership Impact Through A Research-Backed Development Program

Certified Agile Leadership Overview

Agile Leadership Journey's Certified Agile Leadership (CAL) programs develop the capabilities leaders need to navigate complexity, drive organizational transformation, and achieve results through influence rather than authority. Our approach combines interactive workshops, immersive cohort learning, validated practice, coaching, and an engaged alumni community—creating sustainable leadership transformation that extends far beyond certification.


Founded by Pete Behrens and refined through work with over 15,000 leaders worldwide, our curriculum integrates three decades of leadership research with practical application. Leaders who complete our programs consistently report enhanced leadership presence, improved communication effectiveness, career advancement, and the ability to serve as catalysts for positive organizational change—regardless of their formal position.

Group of six colorful stick figures, one in a wheelchair, another seated, others standing.

Best For

Leaders at any level seeking to improve their leadership effectiveness

Green figure pointing to a whiteboard with overlapping circles and lines.

Format

Multi-session live-facilitated experiences,

in-person or virtual

Yellow stopwatch showing approximately 5 minutes elapsed.

Duration

Certified Agile Leadership workshops start with 8-10 hours of learning and application experiences involve 3-month program commitments

Beakers with orange and blue liquid.

Method

Progressive education and application experiences including workshops, cohort-based application practice, and coaching

Our Certified Agile Leadership Programs

Pete Behrens, the founder of Agile Leadership Journey and a pioneer in the field of agile leadership training and development developed our leadership training curriculum based on three decades of research and models. This certified agile leadership curriculum has been vetted with over 15,000 leaders in organizations around the globe. These foundational leadership development and culture-shaping programs became some of the first certified agile leadership courses available and became a model for others.


Today, our Agility in Leadership™ and Agility in Organizations™ workshops are delivered worldwide by our Licensed Guides—professional trainers and leadership coaches who are aligned in both the material and the way we teach it. All of our certified agile leadership training workshops are visually facilitated and they are conducted in live, interactive formats, whether online or in person.


While not all leaders seek certified agile leadership credentialing, all leaders need to develop themselves, their teams, and their organizations to adapt and excel in today's complex, rapidly changing world. Developing leadership agility is critical to developing business agility, since organizations reflect their leadership. Our programs are designed for all leaders, at every stage of their leadership journey, regardless of role or title.

Get Started

For Individual Leaders

Explore upcoming workshops and cohort programs on our training calendar or contact us to discuss which program best fits your development goals.

FIND A TRAINING >>

For Organizations

Schedule a consultation to discuss your leadership development needs, business challenges, and how we can design programs that deliver measurable impact for your organization.

REQUEST A CONSULTATION >>

For Training & Coaching Professionals

Learn about becoming a Licensed ALJ Guide and joining our global community of leadership development professionals.

BECOME A GUIDE >>

What You'll Gain

Through our comprehensive approach, you'll develop practical capabilities that immediately enhance your effectiveness:

Enhanced Leadership Presence & Influence

  • Lead effectively without relying on positional authority
  • Build alignment and inspire action across organizational boundaries
  • Navigate organizational tensions and complexity with greater confidence
  • Communicate with clarity and impact in challenging situations

Practical Tools &

Techniques

  • Proven approaches to facilitate collaboration and drive results
  • Skills for managing conflict constructively and integrating diverse perspectives
  • Methods for creating psychological safety and co-creative team cultures
  • Assessment tools for understanding organizational dynamics and culture

Career Impact &

Personal Growth

  • Alumni consistently report promotions and expanded career opportunities
  • Recognition as catalysts for positive change within your organization 
  • Continuous learning opportunities and ongoing skill refinement


Ongoing Support & Community

  • Immersive cohort programs with peer learning
  • Access to coaching and mentorship
  • Opportunities to experiment, reflect, and refine your approach
  • Expanded professional network through our global alumni community
Man giving presentation at workshop with diagrams on whiteboards. Audience seated, attentive.

What Certified Agile Leadership Entails

Our certified agile leadership programs emphasize practical skills that leaders need to navigate complexity and drive organizational success:

Leadership Agility

The certification develops leadership skills including collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement to help organizations thrive.


You'll learn catalyst mindsets and practices that go beyond traditional leadership approaches to create more responsive, innovative, future-ready teams.

Organizational Impact

You'll learn how to support organizational transformation, foster innovation, and build high-performing, resilient teams by focusing on organizational culture and environment.


Our approach addresses both individual leadership capability and the systems that enable or constrain agility.

Interactive Learning

Our courses are highly interactive, involving activities, discussions, and real-world examples rather than traditional lectures. There are no boring PowerPoint slides or e-learning.


Visual facilitation brings concepts to life, and you'll engage with fellow leaders facing similar challenges.

Practical Application

The goal is to provide practical insights and tools that can be applied immediately to leadership challenges, such as empowering teams, goal-setting, improving communication, and navigating complexity.


Every session connects learning to your actual work context.

Leadership Agility

The certification develops leadership skills including collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement to help organizations thrive. You'll learn catalyst mindsets and practices that go beyond traditional leadership approaches to create more responsive, innovative, and future-ready teams.

Organizational Impact

You'll learn how to support organizational transformation, foster innovation, and build high-performing, resilient teams by focusing on organizational culture and environment. Our approach addresses both individual leadership capability and the systems that enable or constrain agility.

Interactive Learning

Our courses are highly interactive, involving activities, discussions, and real-world examples rather than traditional lectures. There are no boring PowerPoint slides or e-learning. Visual facilitation brings concepts to life, and you'll engage with fellow leaders facing similar challenges.

Practical Application

The goal is to provide practical insights and tools that can be applied immediately to leadership challenges, such as empowering teams, goal-setting, improving communication, and navigating complexity. Every session connects learning to your actual work context.

The Context for Agile Leadership Certification

There is no single framework or credentialing body for agile leadership. What makes Agile Leadership Journey unique is that we offer a foundational platform aligned to our Leadership Journey Compass™ that provides consistency in curriculum and quality of the learning experience. Our curriculum is trusted to improve agile leadership competence and maturity across diverse industries, in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.


Our agile leadership trainings, workshops, and programs are facilitated exclusively by licensed members of our global Guide Community of independent leadership trainers and coaches. Each of these facilitators has been vetted and invited to join our community based on their demonstrated education and personal experience in the following areas:

  • Organizational leadership
  • Professional training and/or coaching
  • Agile transformation, agile processes, and/or agile ways of working
  • Organizational change


Our licensed trainers and coaches are agile leaders themselves who have demonstrated the ability to inspire, teach, and coach others to become more effective in their leadership and organizations.

a compass with the words leader catalyst habits beliefs aligned values organization value delivery and behaviors

Who are Certified Agile Leadership Courses for?

Leaders who attend certified agile leadership courses vary in many ways including their professional backgrounds, work experience, and the organizational cultures they work within. What draws them together, however, is a shared interest in developing themselves as leaders, plus a desire to promote agile values and ways of working within their organizations.


The certified agile leadership courses offered by Agile Leadership Journey Guides focus on developing agility as a leadership competency. Our programs are not exclusive to those in organizations that define themselves as “Agile” or that are undergoing an agile transformation. Rather, these courses are targeted for leaders at any level, in any industry, and regardless of role or title, including:

  • Managers
  • Organizational leaders
  • Decision makers
  • Executives
  • Aspiring leaders
  • Emergent leaders
  • Project managers
  • Team leads
  • Influencers
  • Agile team members
  • Trainers, coaches, and consultants


Additionally, certified agile leadership courses are for organizations seeking to upskill and retool their leaders to be better prepared to lead now and into the future. Contact us for information about certified agile leadership for your team or organization as well as options for a more customized approach.

Two men are talking to each other in a room.

Is Certified Agile Leadership the right path for every leader and every organization?

We partner with individuals, leadership teams, and organizations to customize learning experiences that align teams, accelerate progress toward performance and change goals, and help you develop more adaptive leadership–regardless of whether you're seeking certification.

QUESTIONS? CONTACT US

Agile Leadership Journey Certifications

Upon successful completion of our programs, participants receive validated digital certificates from Agile Leadership Journey recognizing their work toward completion of that particular course of study and practice. However, we believe that completion of a course is the beginning of the next phase in a leader’s journey–our learning and practice as leaders are never done.


Agile Leadership Journey offers two types of certified agile leadership:

  • Foundational Workshops
  • Advanced Development Programs


To find a foundational workshop or advanced development program in your area or online, please refer to the schedule of upcoming programs offered to the public by our Licensed Guides or contact us for workshops for your team or organization.

Foundational Workshops: Where Your Journey Begins

The following foundational workshops may be taken individually or in combination, depending on your development goals and the specific offering. All workshops are visually facilitated and conducted in live, interactive formats.


No Prerequisites Required – Our foundational certified agile leadership workshops are open to anyone seeking to improve their leadership effectiveness.


FIND A WORKSHOP IN YOUR AREA OR ONLINE >>

Agility in Leadership™ Certified

A badge that says agile leadership journey agility in leadership certified

Our Agility in Leadership™ workshop develops insight and awareness for leaders to discover new ways to think, focus, and behave. Leaders learn the fundamentals of agile leadership and improve their own leadership agility. 


The Agility in Leadership™ workshop is a first step in the Agile Leadership Journey™ curriculum. Over this eight to ten-hour interactive learning experience, participants are introduced to the Leadership Agility framework and catalyst practices to improve self-awareness, situational adaptiveness, and effective behaviors.


Upon successful completion, participants will receive the designation “Agility in Leadership™ Certified”.

Agility in Organizations™ Certified

A badge that says agile leadership journey agility in organizations certified

Our Agility in Organizations™ workshop helps leaders align, focus, and accelerate change throughout their organizations. Leaders learn to identify and shape culture toward more iterative, adaptive, and sustainable practices.


The Agility in Organizations™ workshop is a first step in the Agile Leadership Journey™ curriculum and focuses on developing cultural awareness and adaptiveness in the workplace. This workshop introduces participants to organizational culture, the context of business agility, and the Competing Values Framework model. During the interactive eight to ten-hour workshop, leaders learn to identify culture and key levers to shape it to improve alignment and accelerate change toward increased business agility.


Upon successful completion, participants will receive the designation “Agility in Organizations™ Certified”.

Certified Agile Leadership–Advanced Development Programs

Our approach to leadership development is progressive and experiential and these advanced courses are the next step of the journey. For those seeking to further develop their leadership agility the Applied Agility in Leadership™ courses allow for deeper practice and sustainable shifts in leadership mindsets and behaviors. Individuals are welcome in these programs as are groups of leaders sponsored by their organizations for advanced development as they build momentum internally scaling the Agile Leadership Journey™.


12-Week Immersive Cohort Programs

Building on foundational concepts, our cohort-based programs deepen your capabilities through real-time application. You'll work on actual leadership challenges while receiving feedback, coaching, and peer support.


Practice & Application: Validated Learning

True transformation requires deliberate practice. Our programs include opportunities to experiment with new approaches, validate learning through application, and refine your leadership style based on real results.


Participants engage in these programs through weekly 90-minute learning, exploration, and reflection sessions coupled with one-on-one leadership coaching. Monthly masterclasses provide opportunities to explore a wide variety of leadership topics with Agile Leadership Guides and leaders from around the globe.

Developing a Growth Mindset™ Course

A green badge that says applied agility in leadership growth mindset

Developing a Growth Mindset™ vertically develops leaders for increased awareness, balance, adaptivity, and empowerment.


This course expands an individual’s leadership competencies by improving self-awareness, situational adaptiveness, social connectedness, and strategic orientation. Participants will set a personal growth goal and meet weekly with their cohort of peers. They explore the stages of leadership agility introduced in the Agility in Leadership™ workshop - expert, achiever, and catalyst - and how each stage and mindset shapes their impact as a leader. They discover how to shape relationships, learn the value of alignment, and the vital importance of strategic thinking. Finally, they learn to embrace a true catalyst mindset, one that requires courage, choice, and reflection.

 

The prerequisite for this course is the Agility in Leadership™ workshop and participants will receive a certificate upon successful course completion.

Developing Catalyst Behaviors™ Course

Agile leadership journey applied agility in leadership catalyst behaviors

Developing Catalyst Behaviors™ develops capabilities to operate across leadership levels and the organization through improved presence, power, and communication.


This course invites leaders to explore their leadership power and presence, learning to situationally adjust both to improve their effectiveness at work. They learn to communicate, collaborate, and make decisions better through the Catalyst Conversations™ technique, including how to foster alignment and improve their influence, especially when dealing with differences, conflict, and feedback. Finally, participants learn how to inventory and rebalance their focus to improve their leadership effectiveness and grow others in the organization.


The prerequisite for this course is Developing a Growth Mindset™ and participants will receive a certificate upon successful course completion.

Applied Agility in Leadership™ Certified

A badge that says agile leadership journey applied agility in leadership certified

The Applied Agility in Leadership™ program certification is the culmination of a period of at least nine months committed to personal leadership development. 


To be eligible, the two courses, Developing a Growth Mindset™ and Developing Catalyst Behaviors™, must be successfully completed coupled with their validated practice and work toward the participant’s personal leadership growth goal. 


Those who are eligible for certification will have demonstrated expansion of their leadership competencies through vertical development - including improved awareness, balance, adaptivity, performance, and engagement in highly complex, rapidly changing environments. Additionally, they will have completed their personal leadership change story and a final closing session.


Upon completion of the program, participants will receive the designation “Applied Agility in Leadership™ Certified”.

Certified Agile Leadership Essentials (CAL-E)

Our Agility in Leadership workshop aligns with the Scrum Alliance® Certified Agile Leadership Essentials (CAL-E) learning objectives. This course develops insight and awareness for leaders to discover new ways to think, focus, and behave. Leaders learn the fundamentals of agile leadership and improve their own leadership agility.

LEARN MORE

Certified Agile Leadership - Organizations (CAL-O)

Our Agility in Organizations workshop aligns with the Scrum Alliance® Certified Agile Leadership for Organizations (CAL-O) learning objectives. This course helps leaders align, focus, and accelerate change throughout their organizations. Leaders learn to identify and shape culture toward more iterative, adaptive, and sustainable practices.

LEARN MORE

Certified Agile Leadership II (CAL-II)

Our Applied Agility in Leadership program aligns with the Scrum Alliance® Certified Agile Leadership II (CAL-II) learning objectives. This advanced leadership development and practice program improves leadership awareness, creativity, agility, and effectiveness. The program includes professional 1:1 coaching, validated practice, and peer-driven cohorts.

LEARN MORE

The Origin of Certified Agile Leadership

Pete Behrens developed a foundational Certified Agile Leadership curriculum that has transformed leaders globally. His approach, focused on developing adaptive leadership capabilities through education, practice, and coaching, was already successfully deployed worldwide when, in 2016, Pete led the original development of the Scrum Alliance® Certified Agile Leader® program.


The original Scrum Alliance® Certified Agile Leader® program reflected Pete's philosophy that real leadership transformation requires more than workshop attendance—it demands deliberate practice, peer learning, and ongoing application. The program was designed with two core components: foundational education (initially CAL-I, later refactored into CAL-E, CAL-O, and CAL-T) and advanced practice-focused development (CAL-II).

How the Agile Certification for Leaders Landscape Has Evolved

In 2024, Scrum Alliance® announced a significantly refactored program consisting of CAL 1™ and CAL 2™. According to their communications, the new CAL 1™ condenses learning objectives from the three foundational courses and adds content on leadership models. The new CAL 2™ has been repositioned as a 16-hour advanced workshop, eliminating the validated practice, one-on-one coaching, and peer cohort components that were central to the original design.



Agile Leadership Journey has maintained alignment with the original vision for developing leaders. While we welcomed the additional leadership models and research that Scrum Alliance added to CAL 1™—content that was already part of our curriculum—we continue to believe that meaningful leadership transformation requires the depth, practice, and support that characterized the original approach.


Our Commitment: Workshops introduce concepts and build awareness. Real shifts in leadership mindset and behavior emerge through deliberate practice, coaching, peer learning, and ongoing application. These components remain central to how Agile Leadership Journey develops leaders today.

How might the Scrum Alliance® Certified Agile Leader® program changes impact me?

For most of the leaders and organizations whose leaders go through our leadership development programs around the globe, there is no impact since they are not necessarily seeking credentialing specifically through Scrum Alliance®. However, if you are seeking Scrum Alliance® credentialing, several of our trainers are approved to use Agile Leadership Journey’s foundational Agility in Leadership™ and Agility in Organizations™ workshop curriculum to satisfy their learning objectives.


To earn both Scrum Alliance® credentials and Agile Leadership Journey certification for program completion, the individual CAL course facilitator must be an approved trainer through both organizations. If Scrum Alliance® credentialing and badging is a priority, participants need to verify this detail in advance through the trainer’s registration pages for individual course listings for public workshops or by consulting with the trainer. 


Important Certification Details: In order to also receive certification of workshop completion through Agile Leadership Journey, a full 8-10 hours of live interactive learning must be successfully completed for each of our foundational workshops - Agility in Leadership™ and Agility in Organizations™. Our core curriculum is not being condensed or diluted to align with the changes at Scrum Alliance® as we believe this is the minimum amount of time required to bring initial awareness and inspiration to leaders in a workshop format.


If you have any questions about the Scrum Alliance® Certified Agile Leader® track or the programs we offer here at Agile Leadership Journey, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We know it can be confusing and we're happy to help answer your questions.

How Do I Find Workshops that Satisfy Both Agile Leadership Journey and Scrum Alliance Certified Agile Leadership Requirements?

Our training calendar indicates which upcoming trainings satisfy the requirements for both Certified Agile Leadership programs.


Remember, if dual certification is important to you, make sure to verify with the trainer that they are also approved through both organizations.

Upcoming Scrum Alliance® Certified Agile Leader® Courses by Licensed Agile Leadership Journey Guides

Frequently Asked Questions About Certified Agile Leadership

  • What is Certified Agile Leadership?

    Whether you are an executive, first-level manager, somewhere in the middle, or influence in other ways, agile leadership can benefit your effectiveness in several ways. Most notably, it can enable you to better connect, inspire, align, and influence. 


    Certified agile leadership courses aim to increase effectiveness by helping individuals learn how to be better leaders, regardless of their role or title. 


    While not all leaders are necessarily seeking certified agile leadership credentials, all leaders need to develop themselves, their teams, and their organizations to adapt and excel in the complex and rapidly changing world of work. 


    Developing leadership agility is critical to developing business agility since organizations reflect their leadership. Therefore, our programs are designed for all leaders, at every stage of their leadership journey.

  • Who should attend Certified Agile Leadership programs?

    Certified agile leadership courses are designed for leaders at any level, in any industry, and across all roles—from managers and executives to emerging leaders, team leads, and agile practitioners—who share a commitment to developing their leadership capabilities and promoting agile values within their organizations. 


    These programs focus on building agility as a leadership competency and are available both for individual leaders and organizations seeking to upskill their entire leadership teams, with customized options available.


    Our programs serve experienced executives to emerging leaders—across any industry. If you're responsible for guiding people, teams, or organizations through complexity and change, these programs will enhance your effectiveness.

  • What's the time commitment?

    This varies by program format. 

    • Foundational workshops typically span 2-3 days with 8-10 hours of learning experiences. 
    • Immersive cohort programs include span 8-12 weeks with sessions for education, experimentation, peer and individual coaching. 
    • Organizational programs are tailored to your needs and schedule. 

    All programs emphasize application in the flow of your actual work, not just classroom time.

  • Do I need prior agile experience?

    No, you do not need prior agile experience or education to participate in these programs. 


    While our programs incorporate agile principles, they focus on broader leadership capabilities applicable to any organizational context. Leaders from traditional, agile, and hybrid environments all benefit from our approach.

  • How does this differ from other leadership training?

    Unlike academic programs emphasizing theory or brief certification courses, our approach combines education with practice, coaching, and peer learning. We focus on building sustainable capability through real-world application, not just workshop attendance. 


    Our organizational programs also build internal capability rather than creating consultant dependency.

  • What credentials or certification do I receive?

    You receive Agile Leadership Journey certification upon program completion. Some workshops also offer Scrum Alliance CAL credentialing. 


    More importantly, you develop demonstrable capabilities that enhance your leadership effectiveness and career prospects.

  • Is Certified Agile Leadership available for my team or organization?

    Yes. We collaborate with you to design programs that address your specific challenges:

    • Leadership team alignment and strategic direction
    • Multi-level leadership development cohorts
    • Integration with organizational change initiatives
    • Custom workshops addressing your unique business context
    • Executive coaching and team facilitation
    • Assessment and cultural transformation support

    Every engagement begins with understanding your unique challenges, business objectives, and desired outcomes. We then co-create an approach that delivers measurable value while building the internal capability to sustain transformation.


    Schedule a Consultation to Discuss Your Needs

  • Can this integrate with our existing L&D programs?

    Yes. Our approach is designed to complement your existing leadership competency models, L&D frameworks, and talent development initiatives. We can integrate seamlessly or provide a comprehensive stand-alone solution based on your needs.


    All of our work with organizations starts with a conversation. Reach out to request a consultation to get started.

  • How do I find Certified Agile Leadership programs in my area?

    Our global network of 50+ Licensed Guides delivers programs worldwide in multiple languages both online and in-person. Visit our training calendar to find upcoming workshops, or contact us to discuss bringing programs to your organization.

Are You Looking for Certified Agile Leadership for Your Team or  Organization? Let's Talk.


The first step is a conversation. We'll learn about your specific challenges, goals, and context—then collaborate with you to design an approach that fits your organization's unique needs. Whether you're a 30-person startup or a global enterprise with tens of thousands of employees, developing your first leadership team, or aligning leaders across continents—we're here to help you build the leadership capability that drives sustainable results.

BEGIN THE CONVERSATION