CAL1 - Certified Agile Leadership 1
True agility cannot simply be mandated—it must be architected. This course provides a platform to evolve your leadership capabilities, helping you escape the "doing" trap. You will gain practical tools to dismantle structural blockages and build a resilient, empowering, and innovative culture.
Description
Online Certified Agile Leader® (CAL 1) Course — Executive Agile Leadership Training
Your last transformation didn’t fail because of the teams. The CAL 1 course gives leaders the models to fix what actually blocks organisational change - structure, culture, and leadership behaviour.
|
Format: Live online via Zoom, fully interactive Duration: 2 days (9:00–17:00 GMT) |
Class size: Maximum 12 participants Who attends: VPs, Heads of, Directors, C-suite, Agile Coaches, Scrum Masters |
Highly successful organisations have leaders who operate with radically different mindsets. This course provides a platform to evolve your leadership capabilities — moving beyond “command and control” to help you dismantle structural blockages and build a resilient, adaptable, and empowering culture. The Certified Agile Leader® (CAL 1) credential is the Scrum Alliance’s gold standard in leadership education, and this is the most expert-led, high-touch way to earn it in the UK.
Most leadership courses teach you to manage better. CAL 1 teaches something harder and more valuable: how to think differently. You’ll leave with a concrete toolkit for shifting your organisation from compliance-driven execution to contribution-driven ownership — and a private strategy session with your trainer to apply it immediately to your own context.
Providers like QA charge £1,345+ for this certification. We deliver the same Scrum Alliance credential in a smaller, more intensive class — led by practitioners who coach enterprise leaders every week — at a significantly more accessible introductory price.
Escaping the “Doing” Trap: Your Competitive Edge
 |
Legacy leadership courses focus on “Red Work” (Execution). CAL 1 focuses on “Blue Work” (Thinking and Improving). We help you bridge the “Great Divorce” between the leaders who think and the teams who do. By shifting from compliance to contribution, you unlock the discretionary effort of your workforce — reducing lead times and building genuine organisational resilience. |
What Will You Receive?
 |
The CAL 1 CredentialThe Certified Agile Leader® 1 (CAL 1) from the Scrum Alliance is the globally recognised gold standard in agile leadership education. |
 |
The Agile Leader’s ToolkitActionable models for team launches, psychological safety diagnostics, and the Integral Model for organisational design — tools you can use the week after the course ends. |
 |
Outputs to Outcomes FrameworkAdvanced strategies for shifting from Outputs (Project Thinking) to Outcomes (Product Lifecycle Thinking) — the single biggest lever for organisational value delivery. |
 |
Psychological Safety BlueprintA proven blueprint for building Psychological Safety and driving out fear — the number one impediment to team flow and discretionary effort. |
 |
Free Udemy Course (Worth £34.99)Free access to our ‘Coaching Conversations for Agile Professionals’ Udemy course, included with every booking to deepen your leadership coaching skills. |
Rated 4.9 out of 5 from 48+ verified Google Reviews
|
★★★★★ 
“The shift from Permission to Intent language has empowered my teams to own their outcomes. The impact was immediate.” — Colin, VP Operations, Financial Services |
★★★★★ 
“Applying the Integral Model was a lightbulb moment. We finally understood why our past transformations failed to stick.” — Guillaume, Head of Technology, Media |
Included: A Private Strategy Session with Your Trainer
 |
After the course, you’ll sit down one-on-one with your trainer to apply what you’ve learned directly to your organisation’s specific challenges — no generic advice. This free 30-minute leadership consultation is included with every booking. Analyse your current structure — where hierarchy helps and where it blocks. Tailor the Integral Model to your specific culture and context. Craft your first practical culture shift — using a proven diagnostic, your trainer will walk you through. |
How Does the Online CAL 1 Course Work?
2-Day Interactive Leadership WorkshopDelivered via Zoom, the workshop balances instructor-led sessions with group exercises, case studies, and real-world applications. Classes are capped at 12 participants — small enough for genuine dialogue among leaders, large enough to include diverse perspectives. Regular breaks and an hour-long lunch keep you energised throughout both days. |
Applied Directly to Your Real ChallengesYou’ll be asked to bring a real leadership challenge from your own organisation. Every model and framework we teach gets applied to your actual context during the course — not to hypothetical case studies. Your included one-on-one strategy session afterwards ensures you leave with a concrete action plan, not just a certificate. |
Breaking the Scientific Management BarrierThe course tackles four systemic barriers that cause most transformation initiatives to stall: Volatility Requires Agility — Traditional management thrives on predictability but fails in the real world. You’ll learn to lead effectively through uncertainty. Pivot to Growth Mindset — Move beyond “Success through Compliance” and build a culture of “Growth through Development.” Why Structures Resist Change — Understand deep-seated organisational habits and why you must fix the structure before you can change the culture. The Cost of Standing Still — Use market disruption data to build an evidence-based case for change and overcome organisational inertia. |
Who Is This Course For?
CAL 1 is designed for leaders at every level who are responsible for change — or frustrated by its absence. No prior agile experience is required.
C-suite executives and Managing Directors looking to embed organisational agility at the strategic level and unlock the full discretionary effort of their workforce.
VPs, Directors, and Heads of Department are responsible for driving transformation programmes that have previously struggled to deliver lasting change.
HR leaders and People Directors shaping culture, talent development, and the conditions for high performance across their organisations.
Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters who need to influence at the leadership level and help executives understand their role in enabling team agility.
Programme leads and Transformation Managers accountable for enterprise change who need models that operate at the structural and cultural level, not just the team level.
Your Trainer: John Barratt
.jpg) |
CST · Enterprise Agile Coach · Military Background John combines a military background with extensive enterprise coaching experience to help senior leaders simplify complex organisations and build genuine resilience. He understands what it takes to lead under pressure, and what it means to ask people to change how they work — because he’s done it himself at scale. His client results speak directly to the CAL 1 outcomes: helping IAG Loyalty meet ambitious targets during COVID while reducing staff turnover; creating an internal coaching capability for Maersk, saving £50,000 annually; and helping Vodafone’s Secure Net product pass 20 million paid subscribers. When John teaches leadership, it’s grounded in outcomes like these. |
Some classes may be delivered by Rickard Jones (CST, CTC, LeSS Trainer, ICAgile Trainer — 20+ years, co-author of the AgileHR Manifesto). All trainers at Agile Affinity are practising coaches with real-world credentials.
Benefits of Training with Agile Affinity
 Get CertifiedEarn your Certified Agile Leader® 1 (CAL 1) credential — the Scrum Alliance’s gold standard in agile leadership education. |
 Save on Future CoursesReceive 20% off all future Scrum Alliance certifications we offer when you sign up for our newsletter. |
 Join the CommunityAccess the Agile Affinity Discord and Scrum Event — the largest Scrum Alliance meetup in Europe — for ongoing peer support and discussion. |
 Free Strategy SessionEvery booking includes a 30-minute one-on-one session with your trainer to apply the course directly to your organisation’s challenges. |
Agile Affinity is a UK-based boutique agile coaching and training consultancy, established in 2019. We certify over 750 practitioners per year across Scrum Alliance programmes and run some of the UK’s most active agile communities — including Scrum Event (the largest Scrum Alliance meetup in Europe), the Kanban Coaching Exchange, the Agile Coaching Exchange, and Agile Coach Camp UK. When you train with us, you’re joining a community of practitioners — not just attending a course.
Your Investment
£500 + VAT | €595 | $675 USD
Introductory price — may increase without notice. Providers like Learning Tree charge £1,345+ for the same Scrum Alliance certification. We keep class sizes deliberately small and our focus exclusively on agile — so you get higher-touch, specialist training at a fraction of the cost.
Your investment includes the full 2-day live online workshop, the Agile Leader’s Toolkit, a free Udemy course worth £34.99, your CAL 1 certification, and a private 30-minute one-on-one strategy session with your trainer.
Scroll up to choose your date and register.
Money-back guarantee: If you’re not fully satisfied with the workshop outcomes, contact us within 7 days for a full refund.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this course only for people in technical or agile roles?
Not at all. CAL 1 is designed for anyone in a leadership position — from HR and Marketing to Executive VPs and C-suite. Agility is an organisational necessity, not a technical discipline. No prior agile experience is required.
Is there an exam?
No. There is no written exam. Your CAL 1 certification is awarded based on active participation and engagement on both days. The focus is on applying the tools to real challenges — not memorising theory for a test.
How should I prepare?
No pre-certification is required. We ask only that you come with a real leadership challenge you are currently facing, one that exists within your organisation. Every model we teach will be applied directly to your situation during the course.
How many people will be in the class?
Classes are capped at 12 participants. This is deliberate — CAL 1 requires genuine peer dialogue between leaders, and that only works in small groups. You won’t be a passive attendee in a large webinar.
Are the sessions recorded?
No. The course is fully live and interactive. Genuine dialogue between leaders — including challenges shared in confidence — requires a safe, unrecorded environment. Full attendance across both days is required for certification.
What software do I need?
You’ll need the latest Zoom desktop application (not the web or mobile version), a stable internet connection, and a working webcam and microphone. Cameras must stay on during the course. Full joining instructions will be sent ahead of your start date.
What if I need to cancel or reschedule?
We offer a full refund within 7 days of purchase. If your schedule changes, you can transfer your booking to a future class at no additional cost — just let us know at least 5 working days before the course starts.
How does this differ from standard management training?
Standard training teaches you to “manage the system” for zero variance. CAL 1 teaches you to “lead through the variance” — embracing complexity to find discoverable solutions. The difference is not incremental. It’s a fundamentally different model of leadership for a fundamentally different kind of environment.
I’ve done agile training before, and nothing changed. Why is this different?
Most agile training focuses on team-level practices — standups, sprints, retrospectives. That only works if the organisational structure supports it. CAL 1 operates at the leadership level: it gives you the tools to redesign how your organisation makes decisions, allocates authority, and responds to change. That’s why previous initiatives stalled — they changed the teams without changing the system around them.
Will I actually use this, or is it just theory?
Every model we teach is one our trainers use with real clients, in real organisations, every week. You’ll bring a live challenge from your own context and apply the tools to it during the course. The included one-on-one session afterwards ensures you leave with a concrete action plan, not just a certificate.
Can my employer pay, or can I get an invoice?
Yes. Select “Pay by Bank Transfer” at checkout, and an invoice will be generated automatically. Payment must be received before joining instructions are sent. For larger corporate bookings or bespoke requirements, please get in touch with us at talk@agileaffinity.com.
What if I have another question?
We’re happy to help. Email us at talk@agileaffinity.com, and we’ll get back to you quickly.
Certified Agile Leader®, CAL 1®, Certified ScrumMaster®, CSM®, and CST® are registered trademarks of Scrum Alliance, Inc. Any unauthorised use is strictly prohibited.