RBLP Coach Certification
Get Started – Apply for Certification
Our application is free and takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
RBLP Support will contact you about next steps for training and certification.
Average cost of exam prep training: $495 | Certification exam fee: $795
Candidates for the RBLP Coach certification must be currently serving (or have served) as a manager. RBLP Coach candidates typically have 5+ years of relevant experience working as part of a team in a particular occupation or industry.
Managers are responsible for cross-functional project teams or organizational units with multiple first-line supervisors. These leaders plan, organize, coordinate, and improve the performance of their teams by aligning people, resources, and operations to achieve organizational objectives. They analyze performance and implement strategies aligned with broader organizational goals.
The RBLP Coach certification recognizes managers who coach teams through the cycle of experiential learning to solve problems, implement change, and continuously improve and innovate. RBLP Coaches encourage reflective practices, promote feedback loops, and implement systems that allow teams to learn from their experience by assessing both successes and challenges.
Candidates for RBLP Coach certification must complete:
- 8 hours of personal reflection on leader/follower experience
- 4 hours of instructor-led, exam prep training (oral exam rehearsal)
- Pass the 2-hour oral exam
The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends three (3) semester hours of credit at the upper-division baccalaureate level in Managerial Leadership for the RBLP Coach certification exam.
People who earn and maintain the RBLP Coach certification may use the RBLP-C designation and describe themselves as RBLP Coach certified.
RBLP Coach Certification Competency Domains
Team Climate
Climate is the shared perceptions about attitudes and emotions that define a team. Climate can shift quickly based on the actions of leaders and team members. While culture reflects the deeper values and beliefs of an organization and changes only over time, climate is more immediate and directly felt. Positive climates are characterized by supportive attitudes and constructive emotions. Creating a positive climate improves morale, fosters creativity, and make people more open to new ideas. Creating a positive climate strengthens problem-solving, adaptability, and resilience, even when the broader organizational culture may not be ideal.
Leader Task 1: Analyze team climate.
- Know why creating a positive climate improves morale.
- Know why creating a positive climate builds resilience.
- Know what a positive team climate is.
Leader Task 2: Earn trust.
- Know why earning trust is important.
- Know how to earn trust.
- Know what authenticity is.
Leader Task 3: Treat people with respect.
- Know why treating people with respect is important.
- Know how to treat people with respect.
- Know what active listening is.
Leader Task 4: Enforce accountability.
- Know why enforcing accountability is important.
- Know how to enforce accountability.
Leader Task 5: Encourage people to have fun.
- Know why having fun at work is important.
- Know how to encourage people to have fun at work.
Leader Task 6: Manage expectations about adversity.
- Know why managing expectations about adversity is important.
- Know how to manage expectations about adversity.
- Know what proactive coping is.
Leader Task 7: Be there when the going gets tough.
- Know why being there when the going gets tough is important.
- Know how to be there when the going gets tough.
Team Cohesion
Cohesion is the bond that keeps a team united and committed, even in the face of adversity. It develops through collaboration, mutual support, and the trust that comes from depending on one another. Cohesion has two dimensions: social cohesion, which reflects the strength of relationships and sense of solidarity among team members, and task cohesion, which reflects how effectively a team works together to achieve shared goals. Both evolve over time, strengthening teamwork and resilience. When teams are cohesive, they are more flexible, creative, and capable of solving problems and overcoming challenges together.
Leader Task 1: Analyze team cohesion.
- Know why developing cohesion improves teamwork.
- Know why developing cohesion builds resilience.
- Know what social cohesion is.
- Know what task cohesion is.
Leader Task 2: Organize people to work in teams.
- Know why working in teams is important.
- Know how to organize people to work in teams.
- Know what shared leadership is.
Leader Task 3: Promote trust between team members.
- Know why promoting trust between team members is important.
- Know how to promote trust between team members.
Leader Task 4: Ensure mutual respect between team members.
- Know why mutual respect between team members is important.
- Know how to ensure mutual respect between team members.
Leader Task 5: Keep the team informed.
- Know why keeping the team informed is important.
- Know how to keep the team informed.
Leader Task 6: Keep people focused on the mission during adversity.
- Know why keeping people focused on the mission during adversity is important.
- Know how to keep people focused on the mission during adversity.
Leader Task 7: Talk about setbacks.
- Know why talking about setbacks is important.
- Know how to talk about setbacks.
Individual Purpose
Purpose is the desire and determination that drives people to create a meaningful and fulfilling future, often through their work. In the workplace, providing purpose means enabling individuals to reach their full potential by supporting both personal and professional growth. Leaders play a key role by challenging people to develop the skills, knowledge, and experience that enrich their lives and careers, while also connecting their contributions to the organization’s larger goals. When people feel a sense of purpose, they are more motivated, committed, and resilient – better able to solve problems, adapt to challenges, and embrace new ideas.
Leader Task 1: Analyze individual purpose.
- Know why challenging people to reach their full potential provides purpose.
- Know why providing purpose improves motivation and commitment.
- Know why providing purpose builds resilience.
Leader Task 2: Demonstrate character.
- Know why demonstrating character is important.
- Know how to demonstrate character.
Leader Task 3: Show genuine concern for people.
- Know why showing genuine concern for people is important.
- Know how to show genuine concern for people.
Leader Task 4: Encourage individual learning.
- Know why encouraging individual learning is important.
- Know how to encourage individual learning.
- Know what a growth mindset is.
Leader Task 5: Delegate responsibility.
- Know why delegating responsibility is important.
- Know how to delegate responsibility.
Leader Task 6: Empower decision-making.
- Know why empowering decision-making is important.
- Know how to empower decision-making.
Leader Task 7: Train the team.
- Know why training the team is important.
- Know how to train the team.
- Know what collective efficacy is.
Team Learning
Work is a team sport. Team learning is a continuous cycle of experiencing, reflecting, deciding, and acting together to improve, innovate, and solve problems. Leaders coach their teams through this cycle of experiential learning. Every experience a team has can be learned from by reflecting on what happened and why. This critical examination then informs decision-making about what needs to change. Those decisions are followed by action, where teams put plans into motion. This cycle repeats as each action creates new experiences, ensuring that learning never stops. Team learning is the foundation of organizational learning.
Leader Task 1: Analyze team learning capacity.
- Know how teams learn from experience to improve, innovate, and solve problems.
- Know what happens during the experiencing stage
- Know what happens during the reflecting stage.
- Know what happens during the deciding stage.
- Know what happens during the acting stage.
Leader Task 2: Set collective goals for teams.
- Know why collective goals are important for teams.
- Know how stretch goals drive improvement, innovation, and problem-solving.
- Know what stretch goals are.
Leader Task 3: Encourage constructive dialogue.
- Know why constructive dialogue is important for teams.
- Know how psychological safety makes constructive dialogue possible.
- Know what psychological safety is.
Leader Task 4: Build new mental models.
- Know why mental models are important for teams.
- Know how entrenched mental models impact improvement, innovation, and problem-solving.
- Know what single-loop learning is.
- Know what double-loop learning is.