Meet Lina de Meyer: Certified SAFe 5.1 Trainer, Agile Coach, and RTE

My desire to become a transformational leader comes from a really intrinsic motivation to help others grow into their roles and improve their skills, so that they can become better at what they do. I also followed this path because I wanted to help connect others and really have an impact on organizational change. Helping to grow the Agile maturity of teams is very important for me, as well as helping them change for the better by becoming more focused on their customers and more intent on moving towards innovation.

I think that this work is rewarding for me because of my personality. I am someone who always tries to reflect on how I can improve and grow myself further. I am not easily satisfied with myself and how things are, so I always want to get better and challenge myself to improve. That’s why I think that with my personality type, it’s easy for me to be motivated in my role, because I can apply this push towards positive transformation within the classroom. I find that the Agile methodology and SAFe transformations really align with my personal views on growth, as they emphasize values like alignment and transparency. Working Agile also in my own personal life made me more efficient and adaptable to change.

I would say that I have a very structured and detailed approach when it comes to my trainings. I think that I maintain a good balance between theory and practice, so the exercises we do in class are always relevant to the particular situations people are encountering in their lives. I really make sure to listen to people’s challenges and concerns, like their specific organizational problems, to show them just how they can best apply Agile to their own unique situation.

I would say for the near future: becoming a certified Co-Trainer for SPC and RTE trainer. And possibly in the long-term future: becoming a certified SPCT.

In 2016, I moved abroad. I always wanted to have that experience -- to work and live abroad. That’s when I decided to move to the UK from Belgium. There, I worked in London for a while. So, that’s an accomplishment I’m really proud of, because it was a step into the unknown. I was moving there all by myself, and I had to build up an entire new network of friends. It was a big step in my personal life, as well as in my professional life and it changed me to who I am today.I can adjust to changes and challenges more easily I believe because of this experience.

I’m running a music label and community focused on electronic music together with friends where we like to connect like-minded music lovers. It’s a niche music genre in the electronic music scene, and we host international artists on our label and podcasts series. It’s something completely different from what I do in my day-to-day job, and I enjoy this creativity in my personal life. It might be a surprise to those that don’t know me, as it is, of course, a very different world than the corporate training world.

We are beyond fortunate to have amazing trainers like Lina here with us at Gladwell Academy to show you all there is to know about the world of Agile and SAFe. If you’d like to follow a training with Lina, be sure to visit her training schedule. She offers trainings in English and in Dutch, both remotely and on-location.