Chief Learning Officer’s “Learning Insights” series is dedicated to showcasing the thoughts and career journeys of chief learning officers and learning executives — the tireless trailblazers who are transforming the landscape of corporate learning and workforce development. In this Q&A series, we garner strategic insights, innovative approaches and challenges overcome from visionary leaders worldwide.
What initially drew you to a career in L&D, and how have your experiences evolved over the years?
I was initially drawn to L&D while managing a restaurant. I quickly discovered that by taking the time to train and develop my team, I reduced or eliminated many of the issues other managers were facing related to productivity and turnover. Since that time, I have continued to advance my career using some of the basics I learned and applied early in my career and now serve as the vice president of learning and development for one of the nation’s largest providers of air conditioning, heating, plumbing and electrical services.
What key initiatives have you implemented as a learning leader to drive employee development and foster a learning culture?
One of the key initiatives I have implemented is the use of technology. Many companies, large and small, are still clinging to “old ways” of thinking while those currently entering the workforce are already used to constant innovation and technology use. The basic implementation of a learning management system has enabled me to kickstart a learning culture for several organizations.
What is the most impactful learning program you’ve introduced in your organization, and how has it contributed to employee growth and business success?
My company previously implemented a front-line management training event over a time span of one and a half days. The topics covered were relevant but the process was ineffective. My team and I restructured the program to occur over a longer period of time. We introduced various elements to aid in retention and application of the material including group discussion, homework, practical application and best practice sharing. The feedback has been extremely positive and measurements such as revenue and employee retention have increased at branches for those that have attended the training.
What is a common misconception people might have about the L&D function, and how do you address it?
One common misconception people have about L&D is that we are order-takers versus strategic thinkers. Some of this is self-inflicted, however, I address it in my organization by coaching my team to be forward-thinking in all aspects of our function. Unless educated, SMEs will make a request for training and walk away. L&D needs to have meaningful conversations about the request, why it is needed, how success will be measured, etc., in order to help the company and themselves. Sometimes this will result in discovering that training is already in place, but a higher level of accountability is needed in operations, which is an area where L&D can assist the manager in becoming more effective.
What excites you the most about the future of workplace learning, and how are you preparing your organization to adapt to the changing landscape?
The use of generative AI is exciting. L&D has been an early adopter of AI and is experimenting with ways to use it in our various roles. We are being cautious and validating the information we are getting out of AI to ensure we are not moving too quickly but the results have been very encouraging.
What essential qualities or skills make a successful L&D leader, and how do you cultivate these traits in yourself and among your team?
One essential is to practice what we preach. Continuous improvement and lifelong learning are not just what we want from our end users. This is what we need to role model as L&D professionals or we will lose credibility. My team and I have three primary goals each quarter related to the business, however, we all have a fourth goal which is personal and professional development. This can include a variety of things however these items are tracked and shared among the team to help us all get better and ensure accountability.
Collaboration and innovation are also important. One person does not have all the answers and everyone should feel confident bringing forth new ideas on how to make the company and employees more successful.
What game-changing advice would you offer if you could go back in time and mentor your younger self?
Ask questions. Do not try to figure everything out by yourself. Tap into those that have been doing it successfully. What I learned over time is that L&D professionals are willing to share, generally because someone else shared with them during their career.
What do you feel is currently the single biggest challenge facing L&D professionals and the industry as a whole?
The single biggest challenge I feel L&D is facing is that of positioning ourselves as order-takers. Individuals are in learning and development because they like helping others. They are people pleasers by nature and usually stop what they are doing when a request comes in from the field. While this is admirable, it is also necessary for L&D to be forward-thinking and proactive versus simply reactive. Every year, companies set annual goals. L&D should be involved in these conversations. What training will be necessary to achieve these goals, when and how will it occur and what milestones must be met along the way? L&D is the perfect function to help answer these questions. When L&D is seen as a more valuable partner, L&D will be asked to join these conversations, and everyone will benefit.
We’re always looking to showcase innovative tools and technologies. Can you share one work or learning tech product or platform that has significantly improved your work processes and why you find it valuable?
While we utilize a learning management system and rapid course development software, a product that has significantly improved our work process has been Microsoft Teams. We utilize it for our weekly team meetings, as we are a geographically dispersed, remote team. Being able to see each other helps us be more connected. We also use Teams to keep track of issues to discuss during meetings as well as track assigned to-do items that result from meetings. Our goals are tracked within Teams and files are shared also. Teams is our platform for virtual instructor-led training, where, in addition to cameras, we utilize other functions such as polling and breakout rooms.
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