By Rob Shaul, Founder
February 16-18, 2018, MTI will bring a select group of mountain and tactical athletes, tactical instructors, outdoor educators, and industry professionals to Wyoming for an intimate two and a half days of disruptive thinking, question storming, problem identification, and turbo-powered networking.
MTI’s “Scrum” is our disruptive vision of an industry gathering. This is our second Scrum.
The typical model involves speakers, courses, trade shows, and artificial “mingling” times.
While industry conferences suck you in with glitzy marketing materials touting great speakers and interesting topics, the real take-aways are all too often disappointing. We’ve found that a shallowness and superficiality blankets the entire experience:
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- Speakers hold back
- Presentations lack practical applicability
- Conference attendees posture and preen
MTI’s SCRUM is different.
Here’s how we build an engaging, thought-provoking, and enriching experience in which attendees walk away with authentic, mission-direct learning experiences and, lifelong connections, friends, and resources:
First, we keep it small. Attendance will be limited to 8-12 people.
Second, not everyone can attend. We have an application and selection process and will bring together a small group of quiet professions from across the mountain, military, law enforcement and fire rescue fields.
This “Noah’s Arc” of individuals will be diverse not only in terms of their specific occupations but in their time on the job. We know from experience that senior mountain guides can learn something from young military officers that they can take back to their team, and vice versa. We’ll create an engaging environment to share insights, tools, and new perspectives with other professionals who have similarly intense careers.
Third, the Scrum will be a “get your hands dirty,” working, weekend. Attendees won’t just move from lecture hall to lecture hall, chit-chatting with their fellow participants during breaks and escaping to their motel rooms at night. Rather, attendees will be fully immersed in the group – living, cooking, training and working together from the zero-dark-thirty cold winter run, until the late night, intense, deep discussion about personal and professional resilience around the wood stove.
All of the attendees will contribute and collaborate to the effort. We’ll demand courageous honestly and forthrightness out of the gate, not only on the strength and weaknesses of parent units and services, but also individual participants. We’ll conduct intense interviews, tackle hard problems, discuss deep topics and hold penetrating Q&As to rapidly accelerate the “getting to know each other process,” and quickly dive beneath small talk to the deeper levels where people can truly connect, share and learn from each other.
Attendees themselves will be the speakers and presenters. We’ll push them to share insights, experiences, mistakes made and lessons learned over the course of the weekend.
Our goal is for the Scrum attendees is to leave Wyoming mentally and physically exhausted. But also intellectually and professional invigorated and leave armed with deep relationships built with the other attendees during the experience. We aim to create a brotherhood and sisterhood of quiet professionals across the mountain and tactical spectrum who can call on each other for advice, mentorship and tough love in their careers ahead.
When and Where?
Friday – Sunday, February 16-19, 2018, Jackson, Wyoming
– This is President’s Day Weekend. Scrum will begin at 1600 Friday, Feb 16 and end at 0600 Monday, Feb 19 (3 Nights). Fly in Friday, depart Monday.
Costs?
$200. This includes spartan lodging and group cooked meals – Fee will cover food costs and supplies.
Who should apply?
- Innovative and open minded Front Line Mountain and Tactical Athletes (Military, LE, Fire Rescue)
- Both Men and Women are encouraged to apply
- All levels of rank and experience
- Mountain Professionals (Guides, etc.)
- Tactical & Outdoor Instructors
- Industry Professionals (Gear/Equipment Engineers, Designers, etc.)
Click HERE for a list of attendees at our first Scrum.
SCRUM Topics
- Quiet Professionalism
- Leadership
- Risk Management
- Professional Skills Training Methodology & Effectiveness
- Gear and Kit Deficits
- Mental Fitness
- Mission-Direct Research
- Best Practices and Lessons Learned
Your takeaways:
- Relationships with like-minded cutting edge mountain and tactical professionals
- Research Study Design skills
- MTI’s Advanced Programming Course (condensed)
- Insight into the latest projects and theories at MTI
Our takeaways:
- Deeper relationships with mission-focused mountain and tactical professionals
- Direct criticism of our approach
- Mission-direct research questions from high-level practitioners and operators
How do I apply?
(1) Email the following to rob@mtntactical.com by 1800 Mountain Time, Friday, January 5, 2018
(a) Current CV or Resume
(b) Cover Letter Outlining Your Interest in Attending MTI’s Scrum
(c) Simple word document or .pdf with direct, honest answers to the following questions:
– Best part of your job?
– Worst part of your Job?
– Biggest professional deficiency?
– Greatest professional strength?
– If you were made the Boss/CEO/Commanding General, etc. of your service tomorrow, what are the first 3 things you’d change?
– What has been the greatest challenge in your personal life as it’s been affected by your profession? How have you dealt with it?
Questions? Email rob@mtntactical.com
********** Deadline to apply is 1800 MST, Friday January 5, 2018 ****************