Speaker Bio
Brad Hughes is an Enterprise Kanban and Business Agility Coach, now serving organizations as a Fractional COO, and founder of True North Agile LLC d.b.a. True Business Agility. With more than 30 years of experience spanning software development, Information Technology, business operations, and enterprise transformation, Brad brings both breadth and depth to his work. For over a decade, he served as an enterprise Kanban coach to Fortune 20 organizations, guiding large-scale transformations, helping leaders make work visible, manage flow, and build resilience through systems thinking. A Kanban University–accredited trainer, he blends technical expertise with a humane approach to change and leadership development. Today, Brad's mission is to extend that same flow-based agility to mid- and small-sized businesses, equipping leaders at every level to unlock clarity, adaptability, and purpose-driven success with fit-for-purpose systems that make work visible, manageable, and meaningful. When you make delays visible, your people stop working around them and start removing them.
Brad Hughes is an Enterprise Kanban and Business Agility Coach, now serving organizations as a Fractional COO, and founder of True North Agile LLC d.b.a. True Business Agility. With more than 30 years of experience spanning software development, Information Technology, business operations, and enterprise transformation, Brad brings both breadth and depth to his work.
For over a decade, he served as an enterprise Kanban coach to Fortune 20 organizations, guiding large-scale transformations, helping leaders make work visible, manage flow, and build resilience through systems thinking. A Kanban University–accredited trainer, he blends technical expertise with a humane approach to change and leadership development.
Today, Brad's mission is to extend that same flow-based agility to mid- and small-sized businesses, equipping leaders at every level to unlock clarity, adaptability, and purpose-driven success with fit-for-purpose systems that make work visible, manageable, and meaningful. When you make delays visible, your people stop working around them and start removing them.
Session Description:
In today’s fast-changing work environment, leadership can no longer remain the domain of executives alone. The Kanban Method provides a practical, visual way to unlock leadership at every level of an organization.
By making work visible and offering practices for balancing demand, managing flow, and guiding evolutionary improvement, Kanban enables people to manage and improve work collectively and effectively. The method creates mechanisms for clearer communication, stronger collaboration, shared ownership, and better decision-making.
This session explores how managers, team members, and executives alike can lead by using Kanban to build trust, align decisions, and shape a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Attendees will leave with:
A clear understanding of the Kanban Method as a modern management approach Practical tools for enabling leadership behaviors such as shared ownership, effective collaboration, and informed decision-making Concrete practices for cultivating a culture where leadership emerges naturally wherever and whenever it is needed
This program aligns with the following capabilities of the ATD Capability Model: Career & Leadership Development, Organizational Capability, Professional Capability, & Personal Capability
Join us each month, in-person for the Greater Richmond ATD Leadership Special Interest Group (SIG). This is a free event for current and prospective organizational development, talent management, and learning leaders to network, learn, and share best practices.
Discussion is open and informal; engage with the monthly theme, or share a personal leadership hurdle for valuable insight from fellow thought leaders. You won't want to miss it!
May 2026 Location: Wegmans (Short Pump) 12200 Wegmans Blvd, Henrico, VA 23233 (meet in the café, across from kids' play area)
Topic for May: Psychological Safety in Practice
Psychological safety is a core leadership capability — the foundation that allows teams to speak up, take reasonable risks, and challenge ideas without fear of negative consequences. It directly influences trust, innovation, and performance.
In this session, we’ll explore what psychological safety looks like in practice — and where we may unintentionally shut it down. We hope you’ll join us for a thoughtful conversation that strengthens how we lead and support our teams.
Alan Krieger
Alan Krieger is a highly skilled leadership trainer and executive coach with over 30 years’ experience strengthening communication, collaboration, and performance within teams and organizations. He has worked with businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits, equipping leaders with essential people skills that drive success. Alan developed a model that helps individuals recognize how their natural communication style may clash with others—and how to adjust for best results. He has trained thousands of leaders and team members, empowering them with practical, actionable strategies for workplace success. He has a Master’s in Management and is looking forward to sharing this experience with colleagues.
Alan Krieger is a highly skilled leadership trainer and executive coach with over 30 years’ experience strengthening communication, collaboration, and performance within teams and organizations. He has worked with businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits, equipping leaders with essential people skills that drive success.
Alan developed a model that helps individuals recognize how their natural communication style may clash with others—and how to adjust for best results.
He has trained thousands of leaders and team members, empowering them with practical, actionable strategies for workplace success. He has a Master’s in Management and is looking forward to sharing this experience with colleagues.
Active listening is a core skill for any leader, team member, facilitator, trainer or coach. We’ve all been to workshops on how to be the best listener and there’s generally one set of strategies presented: being quietly attentive, paraphrasing and asking questions. All good techniques, but one size doesn’t fit all! Some people really value being listened to in a deep attentive way. Others want the conversation over quickly… but active listening is still important. Some feel that if you don’t ask enough questions, you weren’t really listening. This can feel pretty confusing! In this program we’ll present a model of communication styles that clarify how to adapt your listening to match the speaker. This can ensure accurate information is exchanged and relationships are strengthened. We call this strategic active listening. Participants will leave with:
Active listening is a core skill for any leader, team member, facilitator, trainer or coach. We’ve all been to workshops on how to be the best listener and there’s generally one set of strategies presented: being quietly attentive, paraphrasing and asking questions. All good techniques, but one size doesn’t fit all!
Some people really value being listened to in a deep attentive way. Others want the conversation over quickly… but active listening is still important. Some feel that if you don’t ask enough questions, you weren’t really listening. This can feel pretty confusing!
In this program we’ll present a model of communication styles that clarify how to adapt your listening to match the speaker. This can ensure accurate information is exchanged and relationships are strengthened. We call this strategic active listening.
Participants will leave with:
This program aligns with the following capabilities of the ATD Capability Model: Career & Leadership Development, Professional Capacity, & Personal Capability
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