The Team Lead Certification

Ward Warren is a Level 2 Flesh & Blood judge and mainstay on events of the Flesh & Blood competitive circuit, as well as the Advanced Certification Team Lead.

The following article will describe the Team Lead Certification (TLC): what it encompasses, for whom it is for and who, to achieve it.

The Team Lead Certification (TLC) is a certification awarded to Level 2 Flesh and Blood Judges who have demonstrated the necessary skills and competence for leading a team of judges at large-scale Flesh and Blood events. Team leads are critical to the fabric of a main event: they ensure that the specific group of tasks assigned by the event’s head judge to the various teams are executed successfully by team members. Team leads excel at process execution, task coordination and communication, all of which contribute to the overall success of a large judge staff for Flesh and Blood main events.

When someone has completed their TLC, tournament organizers and others responsible for event staffing know that the TLC holder has been vetted to a higher-standard and is capable of leading a team of judges for Flesh and Blood main events. The certification does not guarantee that a judge is staffed into a Team Lead position at any particular event (as team lead opportunities may be limited); however, holding the certification makes it easier for organizers to identify individuals with the skills necessary to team lead in order to consider them for available team lead opportunities.

High-Level Process Overview

Judges seeking their Team Lead Certification (TLC) will be first required to complete an application to begin the process. The application process will require applicants to demonstrate that they satisfy the minimum qualifications for being evaluated for the certification. Applications will be reviewed and validated by the Advanced Certifications Lead (ACL), with successful candidates moving on to an evaluation phase.

During the evaluation phase, candidates will be observed by a Team Lead Evaluator (TLE) who will be responsible for observing the candidate in a team-lead role at a large-scale Flesh and Blood event. TLEs will provide their approval to candidates who successfully demonstrate and pass the necessary criteria for a Team Lead or provide feedback on development opportunities for candidates who do not successfully pass the evaluation.

The information below details the qualifications necessary to begin the Team Lead Certification (TLC) process and the evaluation criteria that will be used to measure prospective candidates.

Qualifications

Mandatory Requirements

A candidate must meet all of the following criteria:

Must be a certified Level 2 judge in good standing within the Flesh and Blood Judge Program.
Provide a written statement of 200 words or less demonstrating leadership or management skills in a team setting. The team setting described here does not have to be strictly Flesh and Blood related; it can be from other settings such as current or past work experience.
Demonstrate that you have provided written feedback and/or a review of other judges in the Flesh and Blood Judge Program.

Additional Requirements

In addition to the requirements noted in the Mandatory Requirements section above, candidates must meet at least two (2) of the following three (3) criteria:

Worked the main event of at least two Tier 3 and/or Tier 4 event weekends for Flesh and Blood. These events must have occurred within 24 months prior to the date of the candidate’s application submission.
Obtain a written recommendation from the Head Judge of a Tier 3 or Tier 4 Flesh and Blood event.
Provide a history of performing the tasks for each of the following teams at a 200+ player event for a trading card game:
- Deck Checks
- Pairings
- End of Round
- Floor / Features

Events where these teams’ tasks were performed do not have to be Flesh and Blood events specifically; they may be for other card games as well. Moreover, different team assignments on different days of an event weekend may count towards fulfilling this requirement (e.g. Deck Checks on Day 1 of the World Championship; End of Round on Day 1 of The Calling). Performing tasks for the Breaks and Product team(s) may substitute any of the teams above on a case-by-case basis, decided at the discretion of the Advanced Certification Lead (ACL).

Submitting Your Qualifications

Candidates will be required to submit their completed applications with the aforementioned proof of qualifications via Judge Hub.

All applications will be reviewed by the Advanced Certifications Lead (ACL) for completeness and approval. The ACL will provide their approval for applicants who sufficiently demonstrate their qualifications. The ACL may reach out to candidates for applications needing additional information or clarification. Please take into consideration that this process can take some time.

Coordinating Your Evaluation

After submitting your application and receiving approval from the Advanced Certifications Lead (ACL), the candidate will work with the ACL on scheduling the next available evaluation opportunity.

Below are the steps both the candidate and ACL will work towards in coordinating an appropriate date for evaluation:

The candidate will contact the ACL with a date and event where they would like to be evaluated.
- The candidate must inform the ACL of their desire to be evaluated no longer than four (4) weeks prior to the event’s start date.
- Given the limited number of spots available per event, there may be instances where the candidate is unable to be evaluated at the time.
The ACL will work with the event’s Tournament Organizer, Head Judge and Team Lead Evaluators (TLE) on putting the candidate in a team lead position in order to be evaluated and observed by a TLE.
The ACL will notify the candidate if they are able to be evaluated at their desired event.
- If the candidate can be evaluated at their desired event, the ACL will provide the candidate with the information of the TLE who will be observing them, as well as the team the candidate will be leading during their evaluation.
- If the candidate cannot be evaluated at their desired event, the candidate will work with the ACL at identifying the next potential event where they wish to be evaluated (see step 1).

Evaluation

After receiving confirmation from the Advanced Certification Lead (ACL) of the event, the candidate will be in charge of executing all responsibilities and tasks required of the team lead position they have been assigned. As part of the ACL’s coordination activity, a Team Lead Evaluator (TLE) will be assigned to the candidate to conduct the evaluation process.

Team Lead Evaluators (TLE)

Team Lead Evaluators (TLE) are individuals who have the responsibility of observing candidates seeking their Team Lead Certification (TLC). In general, TLEs are a qualified group of individuals composed of Tier 3/Tier 4 Head Judges and subject-matter experts with the trusted responsibility of performing team lead evaluations.

Assigned TLEs will be positioned on the candidate’s team on the event day and will work the event as normal (e.g. execute assigned tasks) while observing the candidate in their team lead role. The TLE is not an advisor to the team lead in this position and will not intervene in the candidate’s team lead responsibilities.

To facilitate the process, the candidate must include the TLE in all event-related communications (e.g. pre-event planning, head judge, intra-team and cross-team communications). This is to ensure that the TLE has as much exposure as possible to the activities the candidate is performing while in their team lead position. While the evaluation is ongoing, the TLE may reach out to other members of the event’s judge staff for additional insight necessary to complete the evaluation.

Evaluation Criteria

To conduct their evaluations, Team Lead Evaluators (TLE) will be observing the candidate during their time in the team lead role, looking for artifacts for the following set of evaluation criteria. During the evaluation, TLEs will look at the candidate’s ability to:

Direct their assigned team to perform their tasks and responsibilities correctly.
This includes describing the team’s tasks for the event and the expectations for execution. How tasks are assigned and delegated will be considered here in addition to any pre-event communication about the tasks.
Verify that the assigned tasks are completed to the Head Judge’s specification, making corrections and adjustments as necessary.
This includes how frequent the task verification is done. If adjustments/corrections need to be made, the manner in which the feedback was given will be taken into consideration. The expectation is that the team lead will be professional and cordial in their conduct while investigating issues on their team and/or explaining any necessary adjustments/corrections to task execution.
Coordinate with other team leads on any team tasks.
This would include making sure information that requires dissemination is given to other leads. Examples may include ensuring who to go to for End of Round procedure, properly transitioning tasks and information to the breaks team, etc.
Ensure team tasks are completed in a manner that does not negatively affect tournament operations and its participants.
Executing tasks should not negatively impede tournament processes and its participants.
Handle unexpected and unforeseen situations appropriately.
Adapting to unexpected, unplanned situations may be required. How the candidate responds when confronted with these situations will be evaluated.
Handle stress and difficult situations as they arise.
How the candidate responds when confronted to stress-inducing and/or difficult situations during their time as a team lead will be evaluated.
Provide education and feedback for team members in a diplomatic and insightful manner.
Team leads often act in a mentorship role, providing new opportunities for upskilling and learning. The candidate will be evaluated on their ability to facilitate these opportunities.
Communicate clearly and effectively with the Head Judge at reasonable times.
All pre-event and at-event communication will be considered during this evaluation. Team leads will often be the individuals to relay event-related communication and updates between the judge staff and head judge. The timing and presence of mind of communicating updates and information to the Head Judge will be considered.
Engage their team to promote focus, build team morale and team collaboration.
Team leads can often serve as a boost of energy or inspiration for their team members. How leads engage with their team to build focus, morale and collaboration without negatively impacting the event will be considered.

Evaluation End

After the event concludes, a short reflection period will be provided to the Team Lead Evaluators (TLE) to complete the evaluation process on their side. This is to allow the TLE to gather additional information as necessary, such as input from the event’s Head Judge and other team leads on the candidate’s conduct, performance and interactions with them.

After the TLE submits their evaluation, a decision will be rendered for the candidate. Candidates who successfully demonstrate and pass the evaluation step will receive the Team Lead Certification (TLC). Candidates who do not pass their evaluation will receive feedback on development opportunities that they can work towards for future evaluations.

Questions & Outlook

For any questions about the Team Lead Certification process, please reach out to the Advanced Certifications Lead (ACL), Ward Warren. Judges will be able to submit their checklist by the end of September. The first evaluations at events can be done starting November 2023.

This whole certification is something new for us all, with that keep in mind that we will have adjustments on the process in the future!

All photos used in this article are courtesy of John Brian McCarthy, whose work you can find at Judges at Work.

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Ward Warren

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