Association for Talent Development - San Antonio Chapter
PO Box 690327, San Antonio, TX 78269
ATD-SA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
ATD San Antonio Member Highlights |
Every month ATD San Antonio highlights an outstanding member in the community. View our Member Highlights Archive here.
Mindy Spigel | December 2023
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Tell us a little about your career journey. I am proud to be a nurse. Over the course of my 40+ years as a nurse, I have worked and taught in hospitals, outpatient settings and in universities. I am passionate about creating a great experience for patients, families and the health care team. I am a firm believer that to create an exceptional experience for patients and families, the health care team must first have a great experience. This belief led me into Leadership Development and team building to help leaders and teams create that great experience. Trust and communication within the team, including with the leader, is critical. What inspired you to write your book, There’s a Snake on My Head! Strategies for Alleviating Fear and Anxiety in Healthcare? The snake is an analogy. If you are afraid of snakes, and there is a snake on your head and I came in to tell you important things you needed to know in order to care for yourself when you go home, how much would you hear with a snake on your head? I am guessing not very much. People walk into our doors everyday afraid; they have a snake on their head, and they cannot hear us. I became interested in learning about the fears of patients and families and what we could do to alleviate their fears. In 2018, with the assistance of 4 bilingual RNs, we interviewed over 200 patients and families about their fears. I wrote a research report that was published on a patient experience website and had submitted abstracts to present at conferences in 2020. COVID changed those plans. Another thing that happened with the onset of COVID in March of 2020 was that one of my favorite nurses told me one day that she was worried she would make a mistake because she could not concentrate or focus. At that moment, I realized she had a snake on her head and needed the same things that the patients and families had told us in my research, “Keep me informed, keep me safe and keep me comfortable.” I also realized there were other times the health care team was afraid: new leader, new job, significant change. In these situations, they needed the same three things. So, with a significant amount of encouragement from family, friends, and colleagues, I decided to write my book to more broadly disseminate my research in a manner that was easy to read and very practical. The most amazing thing, I have learned that the snake is not just present in health care. I have stepped out of my comfort zone and spoken to groups in many different professional fields. What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process of your book and how did you overcome them? I experienced the snake! I finished the book and then told myself I had no idea how to write a book. I was a speaker not a writer. I told myself nobody would want to read it. It was not very long (it is only about 100 pages). And, I had no idea how to publish a book! Then one day I told all these reasons for not publishing to a colleague who looked at me when I was finished and said, “You have a snake on your head.” I realized he was right and that I needed information, comfort and safety to move on. He connected me with an amazing book designer who laid out the book, hired an editor and illustrator, and worked with Amazon to get the book published. Tell us about a learning & development project you’re currently working on and excited about. My focus currently is on further disseminating strategies for alleviating fear and anxiety. I have been honored to speak at numerous conferences and organizations. I am speaking about patients’ fears, but also focusing on the team fears. It does not matter whether the customer or team are in health care or not. I have also spoken about onboarding for retention and dealing with fear during times of change, or how do you engage and empower your team to make the changes you are seeking. I have also spoken on reigniting your passion and taking care of yourself. As I mentioned earlier, I have been so touched to realize my work transcends health care and is applicable to other fields as well. What are some of your personal learning & development goals? I want to continue to share my research as I believe it will make a difference. I want people to find a way to love what they do again and to be passionate about their work. I am so saddened by the toll these past few years have taken on so many people and I want to help. I want to continue to stretch myself working with organizations outside of health care. They too struggle with connecting to their passion, self care, customer experience, dealing with customer complaints, communication, team building, onboarding for retention, new leader transitions, and dealing with change. I have also had the opportunity to mentor and coach other people who want to write a book and are experiencing that same snake I experienced. My book would not have happened if I had not had that encouragement and mentoring and so it time for me to do that for others. |
John Diaz Jr. | November 2023 |
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Tell us a little about your career journey. I began as a Sales Rep for ADP after college, quit, and became a Marketing Intern for the Spurs, which lead me to my first real Marketing job with Builders Square. I was a Marketing Specialist for Power Tools and Gardening Equipment. I loved that job, but sadly the company was sold to a conglomerate group and we were all laid off. I went back to Houston, to get my master's and found myself running and Managing a store and several accounts for Fisher Safety, which led me to a Marketing and Sales Position, with an Anheuser Busch Distribution company. My wife received her Teaching degree from U of H Clear Lake and wanted to move back to S.A., to start her teaching career. I was hired by Enterprise Rent-A-Car and worked throughout the San Antonio Area. I rented a car to Marilyn Clarke, a teacher at the time at Health Careers High School who told me about an alternative teaching certification at Southwest Texas State (my alma mater) It did not take long for me to decide I wanted to do the same thing my wife did for a living…Summer’s off, extended holidays seemed pretty good to me so I did what I needed to do to earn that certification. I loved teaching, and inspiring the next generation of CEOs, CFOs, etc, but when COVID hit, things just went from bad to worst. I started asking myself “Is there life out there”. I wanted to start looking for a new career in 2020, but who does in a pandemic? Anyway, I decided on the next step in my career and go into some type of corporate training. I started using LinkedIn more, found transitioning from teaching to corporate coaches, and met Misty Sherwood out of the Austin ATD chapter, she told me about the organization so I joined the San Antonio chapter. I met some amazing people and was selected to be part of a mentor program in which I was teamed up with Esteban Ramon. He has been a great mentor, and I have learned so much from him. He helped rework my resume, helped me find new resources to use in my current job, and was there when I needed to vent. To that he gave me great advice, but helped me build up my courage to take a chance, step out of my comfort zone, and accept a new position with Principle Auto Group as their Learning and Growth Specialist. How have some of your previous roles prepared you for your current one? I love technology and have been fortunate enough to learn how to use some great tools and resources. I have been fortunate in my career to handle some big projects and implement new ways to teach, as well as, be a part of teams that wrote original lesson plans, created new courses, and learned how to take a live in-person way of teaching and convert it into an asynchronous platform (this was before COVID). The combination of working at Enterprise Rent-A-Car and teaching has helped me learn my new position and help me become comfortable in my new skin. It is not easy to switch 20 years of teaching off in a snap of a thumb, but I am adjusting well. What unique challenges do you face in your current role, and how are you working through them? Well, probably the most unique is the Director of our department works most of the time from the road and he is not in the office very often, so I am learning quite a bit on my own. I am a department of one, with new projects popping up almost daily, I am trying to figure out a chart I can use to help me start organized as well. Being in a corporate office, I am asked directly by the CEO to other executives to complete tasks or projects they assign to me so I am bored and do not seem to know what downtime is. That does not exist in our office. Tell us about a recent project or initiative you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of. I am in charge of getting a new online platform started up company-wide, which will help our Associates keep better statistics for their daily/weekly/monthly activities, as well as implement the training component of the platform. I am about to start recording lessons, to post on the training site of this platform so we do not have to pull people away from their jobs as much and insert Microlearning into their daily activities where they can watch a course that may have 5 or 6 5-7 minute videos. What are some of your personal learning & development goals? Now that I am settling in and have been in my new position for over 90 days, I would like to start looking into certifications in the L&D realm so I can continue developing myself to gain more confidence, to be a better resource for others when they call upon me to create some type of training project. I would also like to take some classes in Instructional design, Articulate, and HR. Thank you for letting me introduce myself to the L&D ATD San Antonio Community. |
Nathan Kohls | October 2023 |
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Tell us about your career journey. I joined the Air Force shortly after high school and began my career as an Operational Intelligence Analyst. My first duty station was in Northern California where I was supporting tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms where I became a subject matter expert on capabilities and the different mission sets in deployed environments. I was a trainer for other intelligence professionals, as well as the aircrew that flew on the airframe, to prepare them for operating in a deployed environment. I did two deployments overseas and came back with real-world experience that I got to apply back to the training environment at our home station. I then got orders to move to Germany where I spent four years providing support to similar aircraft but in more of an analyst role. Because of my experience, I was later moved into the training team as the subject matter expert for my career field. After separating from the military, I went back to school to finish my degree in Project Management at Arizona State University and decided to pursue my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification which I finished around the same time. Upon completion of my degree, and with my experience, I came across my current position as Enterprise Learning & Development Program Manager. I love this team and this organization! It has been a great fit for me and I get to continue to work every day with a talented and dedicated group of individuals that continue to operate with human dignity, stewardship, craftsmanship, and sensible innovation. How have your past roles prepared you for your current role as an Enterprise L&D Program Manager? I spent 8.5 years in the Air Force as an Operational Intelligence Analyst where I got the opportunity to provide learning and development to aircrew and other members of the intelligence community. I was fortunate to learn from some of the best and brightest of mentors on the value of personal and professional development. I participated in many project teams, as well as got to lead a couple initiatives, that focused on developing training material to satisfy requirements for a continuously evolving mission set. What is an example of an innovative project or initiative that you worked on in the last year? There are a couple innovative projects that we are working on currently, however the last major project that I worked on in a previous organization was one where I was leading an initiative to cut down on training timelines and reduce instructor capacity without reducing quality or value. I identified that we had four different training pipelines that were siloed however, shared foundational knowledge that had not yet been consolidated. I brought in a team of subject matter experts from each of the training pipelines to establish a shared vision and pathway forward to develop an in-house 101 course and utilize all the instructors on a rotational schedule. We developed new material that was pulled from each of the training pipelines so that we could develop a collaborative learning environment where each of the specialties could learn from each other in the same room. This enabled the cadre to teach cross-functionally and get back capacity by sharing the responsibility of running the cohorts. Upon completion of developing this initiative we achieved a substantial decrease in training timelines since we pushed learners through in cohorts as well as provided an opportunity for more learners to attend at one time. We recouped instructor capacity due to shared facilitation accountabilities, and vastly increased the quality and value that was provided by creating a course that promoted working cross-functionally and in a collaborative environment. What is an important challenge you have faced in your career and how did you work to overcome it? One of the biggest challenges that I have faced in my career was my transition out of military service and into civilian life. There are many incredible organizations that are there to help service members with this, but I really didn’t understand how difficult it was going to be until I went through it. I decided that I wanted to move my career in a different direction and so I finished my degree in Project Management and obtained my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification through the Project Management Institute (PMI). I started networking, meeting people, and enrolled in an amazing program called America’s Corporate Partners (ACP) where service members are linked up with mentors in their industry of interest and we would meet once a month to discuss goals and how to achieve them. Through networking, asking questions, and always looking for opportunities to learn, I found an amazing opportunity as the Enterprise Learning & Development Program Manager here at Credit Human. I couldn’t ask for a better team to be a part of, as I am surrounded by people that I am proud to call friends. The camaraderie, collaboration, and shared commitment to our goals make every day a joy, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such dedicated and inspiring individuals. What are some of your personal learning & development goals? I have a few professional certification programs that I am wanting to pursue which I will be starting to enroll in later next year. Currently, I am pursuing my Master’s in Business Administration and my goal is to have that completed by the end of summer next year. |
Victoria Padilla | September 2023 |
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Tell us a little about your career journey. I embarked on my career as a first-grade elementary teacher, dedicating four fulfilling years to nurturing and educating young minds. During my final year in education, I transitioned to kindergarten, cherishing the opportunity to guide even younger learners. While I cherished every moment teaching these young students, I yearned for a career that offered greater avenues for personal and professional growth, without necessarily venturing down the administrative path within the school system. This aspiration led me to the corporate world, where I joined an exceptional company, Whataburger. Although my initial role didn't place me directly in the Learning & Development team (which we affectionately referred to as the Talent Development team), it was my steppingstone towards achieving my goal of returning to teaching, leading, and developing our dedicated team members. My various roles at Whataburger exposed me to the complexity of business operations, impressing upon me the vital role of learning and development in the success of every facet of the organization. This profound understanding became invaluable when I eventually secured a position on the Talent Development team. After a rewarding six-year tenure with Whataburger, a new opportunity beckoned, and I eagerly embraced the role of Learning and Development Manager. In my current capacity, I have the privilege of applying my extensive knowledge and skills in both business operations and learning and development to a new and exciting industry. What advice do you have for someone who is looking to make the jump from elementary education into corporate Learning & Development? Embracing change can be difficult, especially if teaching has been your only career. Yet, it is often at the edges of our comfort zones where our greatest growth unfolds. It’s no secret that educators’ compensation often falls short of their immense dedication put in both during and after hours; we all know a teacher’s work is never truly done. A piece of advice I offer is do not be disheartened if the initial compensation in your new endeavor doesn’t match your expectations. Unlike teaching, where salary rarely reflects performance, many companies conduct regular performance reviews that can result in annual pay adjustments. Some even extend the possibility of bonuses, which is a refreshing change from the static nature of teaching salaries. There are also opportunities for growth which could also have an impact on your salary. When I made the transition from teaching to the corporate world, I experienced a profound culture shock. It amazed me that I now had the freedom to take a bathroom break at my convenience and could eat my lunch without constantly racing against the clock. However, one of the most significant adjustments I faced was finding a renewed sense of purpose and impact. Teaching had allowed me to connect with students and witness their growth and development throughout the school year. I took pride in knowing that my efforts would shape their futures, and perhaps they would remember me for the rest of their lives. Surprisingly, In Learning and Development, the significance of what you do remains just as profound. Guiding individuals to reach their full professional potential has a ripple effect on their personal lives. You are still a teacher; your audience simply looks a little different. Whether during training sessions, coaching meetings, or any other events hosted by L&D, your words possess the power to ignite a spark in individuals they might not even realize they needed. They then carry that newfound inspiration home, passing it on to their spouses and children. The ability to motivate people and facilitate their growth is a truly remarkable gift. The leap into a new industry might seem challenging, but rest assured, your skills in organization, time management, planning, teaching, and motivation are all invaluable assets that seamlessly translate to the Learning and Development industry. Don't let fear hold you back; instead, let your talents propel you into this new and rewarding realm. As a leader in Learning & Development, you likely play a role in shaping the learning culture within an organization. How have you promoted a culture of continuous learning and skill development among employees? As a leader in Learning & Development, fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development is paramount to the growth and success of the organization. Some key strategies I've focused on to promote this culture are clear communication, a variety of learning opportunities, working to ensure there is always leadership buy-in, access to a range of internal/external learning resources, and adaptability. By focusing on these strategies, we aim to create a learning culture where employees are motivated, empowered, and supported in their journey of continuous learning and skill development. The field of Learning & Development is evolving rapidly with the integration of technology and data-driven approaches. How do you incorporate data and analytics to assess the effectiveness of your learning initiatives? Incorporating data and analytics into the assessment of learning initiatives is crucial for ensuring their effectiveness and making data-driven improvements. Here's how I approach this in the field of Learning & Development: understand the company’s goals and how L&D supports them to ensure strategic alignment, set clear and measurable objectives to determine which KPIs will be tracked using data & analytics, gather data from various sources like the LMS, surveys, assessments, feedback etc. The data collected can be used to analyze the impact of learning initiatives to identify trends, patterns, and correlations that can provide insight into the effectiveness of the program. These data-driven insights are valuable for making informed decisions about making program adjustments to content or delivery methods. By incorporating data and analytics in these ways, I can measure the effectiveness of learning initiatives, make data-informed decisions, and continuously refine and optimize the learning and development strategies to meet the evolving needs of the organization and its employees. What are some of your personal learning & development goals? The field of learning and development is a dynamic field, marked by continuous advancements in technology and methodologies. As a dedicated learning and development professional, I am committed to staying at the forefront of these changes and remaining well-informed about the latest industry trends. Recently, I took the initiative to earn the Certified Professional in Training Management certification. This accomplishment has equipped me with the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to strategically align training programs with the overarching business goals of an organization. Looking forward, I intend to actively participate in a multitude of workshops, seminars, and conferences, all of which will afford me the opportunity to gain insights from industry professionals. These events will also facilitate connections with fellow professionals, fostering an environment where we can engage in insightful discussions, exchange innovative ideas, and pool our resources. I am committed to ongoing learning and staying connected with the learning and development community so that I can improve the effectiveness of the training programs I am a part of. |
Stephani Alvarado | August 2023 |
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Tell us a little about your career journey. Out of college, I pursued a career in marketing for non-profit organizations. Three years in, I realized that my true joy came from training and developing my peers. From there, I made the choice to transition to public education. My first three years in education, I was the only English teacher at a Discipline Alternative Campus. Following this, I transferred to Samuel Clemens High School as an English teacher. I began coaching cheerleading my second semester at SCHS and continued for seven years. During this time, I became a teacher leader, acting as Department Chair and hosting multiple professional developments. My last three years, I became the PD chair for the campus. Additionally, I completed my masters during this time in Education Administration. My thirteenth year as an educator, I moved to Smithson Valley High School in an Assistant Principal role. I spent five years in administration, my last three during and on the backside of the pandemic. The landscape of education changed greatly. People change. I no longer felt like I was impacting the greater good. I needed a change. I connected with some educators on LinkedIn who had transitioned to the corporate world focused on L&D. It was through countless conversations, and many drafts of my resume that I felt prepared to make the jump. I am excited that I have landed at an organization that is rooted in mission and committed to impacting its community in meaningful ways. In my short time, I have experienced a revitalization in my soul. The coaching from my manager, and the support from my team have confirmed my decision daily. As you reflect on your career, are there any particular milestones or achievements that you are most proud of? I am proud that I chose me, in my career. Although education had many moments that brought me joy, the change couldn’t have come at a better time or at a better place. The Learning and Development landscape is ever-evolving, with advancements in technology, new methodologies, and changing organizational needs. How do you ensure your learning strategies and initiatives remain relevant and effective in such a dynamic environment? As a stewards of learning, it’s our responsibility to ensure we stay on the forefront of learning. At the same time, it’s imperative that we remember learning is rooted in andragogy. Just because something seems new and exciting doesn’t mean that our learners will be able to access it. Like classrooms, companies are stocked with a variety of learners. One technological advance that inspires some learners could create a disconnect for others. Strong facilitators are aware of their audience and manage change carefully. Collaboration is often vital in the field of Learning and Development. Can you share an example of a successful cross-functional project you've worked on that positively impacted the development of employees in your organization? Here, no project is siloed. Cross functional conversations are vital to our growth. Currently, I am supporting my manager in a learning opportunity that will impact our entire enterprise. I have partnered with multiple departments to ensure that our delivery and our objectives are fully met. The impact has yet to be seen, but the power of building relationships at this organization encourages me that we will see great strides. What are some of your personal learning & development goals? As a rookie in my role, I want to sponge all that I can. I am excited to explore development in change management and eLearning design soon. From there, the opportunities are endless. That’s what makes being a learning professional great. It never ceases! |
Alexa Urbano | July 2023 |
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Tell us a little about your career journey. I started at SWBC in 2018 within Training and Employee Development (TED) as a Training Coordinator. By the end of my first year in TED I was promoted to Training Design & Development Specialist, where I had the opportunity to develop classes, facilitate New Hire Orientation, as well as other classes from within our training catalog, to our internal employees. I’m currently in my 5th year at SWBC and I now serve as a Learning & Development Consultant. Over the course of five years, I have managed two companywide programs, developed three instructor-led training classes, and assisted in the development of classes for external clients. I am eager to continue making a meaningful impact in the realm of learning and development as I move forward in my career. You run a highly successful mentoring program at SWBC. What are some of the most impactful aspects of the program? Some of the most impactful aspects of co-managing the Mentoring Program are seeing the relationships being built and getting to be a part of conversations where I’m able to hear the growth made from the mentees who are tackling new obstacles, overcoming fears, and are exposed to a different perspective that they might not have otherwise received. What has been one of your most challenging projects in your career and what was the outcome? I love a challenge, so when my leadership was looking for someone to take on an established program called the Emerging Professionals program at the end of 2021, I jumped at the opportunity. Emerging Professionals was an eight-month program geared towards employees who had been in the workforce for 15 years or less. This group offered vital perspective on products and services offered at SWBC. Prior to this, I had not managed a program and all efforts surrounding it, including being involved in the application review process, interviewing candidates, managing a budget, and most importantly, guiding the people within the program. To overcome this challenge, I utilized my past experiences as a coordinator, knowledge gained from our classes on emotional intelligence and DiSC, and the guidance from my leadership. By the end of the program, members had successfully presented their contributions to the company, whether from within or in the community, in front of our owners, Gary Dudley and Charlie Amato. Although it was one of my greatest challenges, I’m grateful for everything I learned from the program and from its members. You recently received your CliftonStrengths coaching certification. How do you plan to leverage this certification over the next year? The addition of CliftonStrengths to our training catalog was recently announced to all senior leadership at SWBC. My hope is that this will continue to generate team sessions surrounding CliftonStrengths. So far, I’ve been able to coach six employees and I hope this number will continue to grow as CliftonStrengths gains more traction across the company. This certification empowers me to make a significant impact on individuals' personal and professional development, and I am excited to continue harnessing its potential in the year ahead. What are some of your personal learning & development goals? I have my eyes set on developing a new program for SWBC employees, specifically geared towards employees who are interested in becoming leaders. It’s still in the early stages of development, but my goal with this program would be to give employees who are interested in becoming leaders a space where they can build their skillset and the knowledge necessary to get where they want to be and excel as tomorrow’s leaders. In 2020, I developed a short class called Learn to Lead. In this class, employees learn valuable skills to help set them apart from others and how-to become strong leaders who can tackle problems while keeping their values at the forefront. The program I’m hoping to launch, within the next year or two, would be a much deeper expansion of that class. |
Sinclair Ceasar III | June 2023 |
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Tell us a little about your career journey. Directly after graduating from undergraduate school, I spent three years working in Community Engagement and Social Impact with Americorps, Playworks, University of Oregon, and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Then, I pivoted into doing crisis response, community building, learning and development work for several years as a University Housing professional. In the past several years, I’ve held roles as an Academic Advisor, and am currently the Assistant Director of Marketing for the Trinity University Center for Experiential Learning & Career Success. I’ve excelled at project management for events totaling up to 400+ attendees with budgets of over $30K. I’ve also had a wealth of experience leading teams, presenting to those in the C-Suite, and vendor management. What skill sets developed in past roles have served you well as a public speaker? I’ve excelled at project management and led capacity building efforts for new teams and departments and have managed multiple 400+ attendees with budgets of over $30KWorking with an Apple Award winning startup as a content creator and voice talent provided me with masterclasses on working with C-suite professionals, managing competing priorities, and helped me to sharpen my speaking and multimedia skills. Being able to manage a side hustle with a full time role, while still receiving glowing reviews on both fronts has been a feat in itself, and has taught me the importance of automation, time management, and delegation. I’ve also had a wealth of experience leading teams, being able to effectively communicate with individuals at every level including the C-Suite, and vendor and contract management. My combined experiences have made me the adaptable, dependable, responsible, and genial gregarious keynote and consultant that I am today. Tell us more about how you help people unlearn mental health shame through storytelling. Pre-pandemic, I knew it was important to engage in discourse around mental health and was something I was comfortable with. But, with life changes I experiences leading up to and during the pandemic, I realized that it’s necessary to find ways to help others feel less alone. Storytelling is powerful. Just think about the last time you felt more seen or validated when someone else shared about a struggle you went through. Now scale that up for the millions of people who quiet lives of shame because of how the status of their mental health adversely impacted their career, family, relationships, or their image of self. I know part of my life’s purpose is to use my ability to connect deeply with any audience, share parts of my story in non-triggering and hopeful ways, and help people feel less alone regardless of the season they’re in. What is one of the biggest challenges you face in your career, and how are you working through it? One of my challenges has been viewing myself as the intelligent and competent achiever that other’s say I am. This is why developing and facilitating trainings on navigating imposter syndrome is so helpful to me. I too am working to frame my accomplishments, skills, and value adds as meaningful. What’s helped is doing research on self-advocacy in the workplace, meeting with trusted mentors and coaches, and revaluating my skills. I’ve also been going through my rainy day folders which I have in my Gmail accounts. Anytime I receive a word of praise, that message gets routed there. What are some of your personal learning & development goals? I think the above response best answers this. |
Esteban Ramon, CPTD | April 2023
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Tell us what brought you to your role in Talent Development. I’m what you would call an accidental trainer. I stumbled into this field without prior experience or formal education, but I believe that greatness can come from unexpected places, and my journey is a testament to that. I graduated from UTSA with a degree in Criminal Justice and did not have anything lined up. I was working at an organization when a mentor of mine gave me a chance to work in the Training Department. At the time, I didn’t know the first thing about training however I discovered my passion for serving people and helping them go as far as they were willing to go. Through perseverance, hard work, and dedication to constant improvement, I continued to advance in the field and earn certifications and credentials. It wasn’t always easy, but I knew that the work I was doing was making a difference in people’s lives. Now after 10 years in the field, I’m proud to say that I’m a seasoned and respected facilitator and coach, and I owe it to the unexpected opportunity that came my way. But I know that the journey doesn’t end here. I’m constantly pushing myself to be better and achieve more. Remember, no matter where you start in life, you have the power to create your own success. It all comes down to your mindset and your willingness to push through the challenges. Alamo College District is consistently recognized as an ATD BEST award winner. How does your team maintain high standards in learning & development? As a member of the Organizational Development team at Alamo Colleges, I am proud of our recognition as a 3-time ATD BEST award winner. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team in designing and implementing programs that develop the skills and capabilities of our employees. We believe in beginning with the end in mind, and we strive to create a deep understanding of how the TD department can generate value though learning design and effective interventions. To accomplish this, we collaborate closely with key stakeholders throughout the year, including during new initiative launches and annual strategic planning. We prioritize ongoing feedback throughout our process, including for ongoing planning and coaching, to ensure that we are meeting the learning needs of our employees. Our planning is systematic and continuous, using three approaches to support our efforts: the Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning model (6D’s), project management, and cycles of improvement tools. We ensure a holistic and systemic view by applying the 6D’s methodology to review learning needs for alignment to our strategy and business impact. This process allows for input from stakeholders to define the business outcomes and determine specific criteria for results. We are incredibly proud of our recognition we have received for our efforts, and we remain committed to continuing to refine our approach to learning and development to meet the evolving needs of our organization and its employees. What is an example of an innovative project or initiative that you worked on in the last year? Over the past year, we have been involved in documenting and implementing a learning analytic strategy for our L&D department. Our first step was to identify what we needed to measure and why. We turned to the Talent Development Reporting principles (TDRp) to guide us in this effort. Using the TDRp framework, we identified the key areas we needed to measure to evaluate the effectiveness of our learning and development initiatives. These included business outcomes, learning outcomes, participant satisfaction, and learning transfer. We also determined what specific metrics would be most useful in measuring each of these areas. By taking a strategic approach to learning analytics and infusing data literacy throughout our team, we have been able to better measure the impact of our learning and development initiatives and make data-driven decisions to continuously improve our programs. Alamo Colleges District has a robust Leadership Development program. What advice do you have to learning & development professionals who are building their own? In today’s digital age, the importance of effective leadership cannon be overstated. With the workforce evolving at a rapid pace, it’s crucial that we create a space for current and future leaders to adapt to new realities and lead their teams to success. I would advise learning and development professionals who are looking to build or improve their Leadership Development program to first and foremost, determine what you hope to achieve through your program. What are your organization’s goals and strategic priorities, and how can leadership development contribute to their achievement. It is also crucial to understand what the leadership skills are that your organization needs currently and in the future. Conducting a needs assessment can help identify skill gaps, areas for improvement, and future capabilities that will be essential for success. Once you have a clear understanding of your organization’s needs, develop a competency model that outlines the skills, behaviors, and knowledge that are necessary for effective leadership. This model will serve as a framework for selecting training modules, designing development plans, and evaluating the program’s effectiveness. What are some of your personal learning & development goals? With the increasing prevalence of generated AI in the workplace, I recognize the need to gain a better understanding of how this technology can enhance the learning experience for employees. I want to understand how to use generated AI to provide personalized learning pathways, improve learner engagement, and streamline administrative tasks. Staying on top of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies is crucial to being knowledgeable in this field. I want to expand my knowledge and skills in this area and incorporate new technologies into the flow of work to create more effective and engaging learning experiences. Another focus is improving my coaching skills. As a coach, I recognize the importance of helping others reach their potential. My goal is to enhance these skills to better support the employees and teams I serve in achieving their goals and driving success. |
Donta Watson | March 2023 |
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Tell us a little about your career journey. My career began with a position as an Enrollment Counselor for an higher education company with a focus on the non-traditional adult student demographic. It was a very interesting start to my professional career because to this day, it was the absolute best training I received in how to connect with people and really ask deeper questions to uncover customer needs. Even though it was not an official sales job, it taught me how to sell the benefits of services to a customer’s needs. My career eventually evolved into outside business development and after much success with that I was able to become the department new hire trainer and that is where my love of facilitation, developing and implementing training content, and conducting 1:1 coaching sessions came to fruition and I knew that developing people is what I would want to do for a career. I got the chance to do those things 100% of the time at CHRISTUS Health in 2019 and I have been in professional paradise ever since leading into my current role at Intermountain Health. What unique challenges do you face in executive leadership development, and how are you working through them? The main opportunity with executive leadership development is understanding the complexities of leading at the C-suite level. At this level of leadership there are demands for your time all day long, Monday-Friday (and some weekends too!), and leaders are so indepthly involved with the strategic initiatives of the organization, the engagement landscape of the employees from entry level positions to the leaders reporting directly to them, speaking engagements, and the list goes on. Amid all of those important responsibilities, where do they find the required and necessary time to invest in developing themselves? Great servant leaders at the executive level will always put their team first, and I have conversations with them highlighting that the investment in their people can coexist with an investment in themselves and their personal development and growth is also very important to their team’s success. What are some of your key considerations as you develop the executive leadership development strategy? When developing an executive leadership development strategy, you really need to understand where the organization has been and where it wants to go moving forward. Three considerations I focus on are data, top-down support and creating demand. HR analytics are so important to initiating learning strategies because it is hard to argue with data. For example, if you have a leadership development program for first-year leaders and you can see that all new leaders who participate in and complete the program retains in the organization for a minimum of 3 years compared to new leaders who do not participate in the program, or prioritize completion of the program, then you have valid data to demonstrate that the leadership development program should be considered mandatory for newly hired leaders because of its impact on the business and its retention metrics. I have learned that once you have the data to support your strategies, you build top-down support for your initiatives, and it creates demand for more of your projects within the strategy. How have some of your previous roles prepared you for your current one? The biggest takeaway I have taken from previous roles is working with urgency. When working in business development you always needed to be responsive and accessible because your goal attainment relied on it. I have taken that same approach in my work in the leadership development space. I am a HUGE advocate of work-life balance and I do not want to confuse being available 24/7 to being responsive and accessible! What I mean is that if I see an email from a leader requesting something from me by next week, and I have time to do what they need today, I will complete that task today. Urgency has carried over from my very first professional job into the support and development I provide executive leaders today. What are some of your personal learning & development goals? I am really excited to begin my ICF Coaching Certification this summer as it is something I have been wanting to do for quite some time, and I know it can help me take the next steps I want into my career. I also want to begin promoting my personal coaching and facilitation business as I filed for my own personal LLC during the pandemic in 2020. With that being said, I am blessed to do something I am passionate about every day, and I am excited to continue learning and growing at Intermountain Health and managing our amazing Crossroads Program, which is a cross-country Executive immersion learning experience with learning forums and mentorship visits. |
Daniel McEssy | February 2023
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As a Regional Program Manager focused on Career Development, where do you find the most fulfillment in your role? Easily, the most fulfilling part of my role is helping others develop and succeed where they might not otherwise have thought they could. My role, and Talent Development as a whole, provides more than just training and upskilling. It provides self-confidence, hope, career aspirations, and life stability. Nothing beats being told I’ve made a significant impact in someone’s life for the better, regardless of how much I’ve actually contributed to that success. Making a positive impact is my ultimate fulfillment and I’m honored when others put their trust in me to help them navigate their career progression. How did your academic background in Industrial and Organizational Psychology prepare you for a career in Talent Development? The Industrial/Organizational Psychology (I/O) field is such a beautiful mix of data driven decision making you’d find in an MBA with a psychological understanding and approach to its interventions. At the end of the day, our organizations are comprised of people with their own unique psychologies. Human capital is an organization’s most prized investment, so learning how to leverage that investment is critical to an organization’s success. It’s truly the perfect marriage of the “hard science” or business with the “soft science” of psychology. Tell us about the programs you established to attract and retain military talent in South Texas. The DoD SkillBridge Program is the top opportunity we’re leveraging at the moment. In short, it is an opportunity for service members who are separating from the military to be trained and gain civilian work experience before they officially separate. Our hope at CHRISTUS is that we make such a positive impression on our SkillBridge participants due to our culture, people, and career opportunities that the service members want to stay as full-time employees. Thankfully, we have a fantastic team who are all committed to our service members’ success and we’ve been quite successful in retaining those we’ve had participate in the program! SkillBridge is not the only program we’re going to be adding to our portfolio to attract and retain military talent. Military spouses, veterans, and their dependents are all populations that we hope to support in the future whether it’s through federal programs or programs we create in-house. We know we have such fantastic talent and people in Texas due to our military, and want to partner with that community as much as possible moving forward. As a leader in change management at your organization, what are some of your biggest lessons learned? There are two overarching lessons I’ve learned about any change management initiative. The first is to always err on the side of overcommunication whenever possible: especially from upper level leadership. Change causes uncertainty, discomfort, and ultimately anxiety. Leadership has the power to reduce these natural reactions to change by making their employees feel a part of the process. This can include being transparent with the rationale for the change, consistent in updating their organization with relevant progress reports, and reassuring in their approach to create a steady path forward amid the turbulent change. Don’t let your employees hear news through the grapevine and fill in the blanks with their presumptions. That only adds to the uncertainty and makes a successful change initiative that much more difficult. The second lesson is not to assume the degree of competence your employees have with the new change. Competence is one of the universal motivators of individuals. The more someone knows how to engage in a task successfully, the more their motivated to engage in that behavior. Resistance to change is often thought of as an emotional reaction – almost a stubbornness to adapting a new process. This is often a faulty assumption and at best an over simplification. Implementing any new process or system needs to include training on how and why they are utilizing this change with consistent practice until you’re sure everyone feels competent in the task. Unfortunately, many leaders make assumptions that if the new process uses the same software but in a different way that no training needs to occur, yet become frustrated when employees revert back to what they know and are comfortable with. Try writing with your non-dominant hand: it’s the same tools (hand, pen, paper) but just in a different way. Unless you train and practice the change, most people will revert back to writing with their dominant hand. Leaders should keep that metaphor in mind when there’s “resistance” to change. What are some of your personal learning & development goals? There real societal shifts occurring in our relationship with work, organizations with their workforce, and the integration of technology in our everyday lives. This has been and will continue to be a time of change and adaptation for the workforce and organizations alike. I see this as an outstanding opportunity for myself and Talent Management as a whole to explore innovative approaches and learn how to answer the same questions of talent development, workplace satisfaction, and retention in new ways. I know data-driven approaches and outcomes will become more relied upon so I’m continuing to dive into Talent Analytics to demonstrate our value to organizations. I’ve also recognized the impact valuing inclusion can provide an organization. The contribution fully valued team members offer to an organization provides such rich diversity of ideas and outstanding potential. How we can help all leaders embrace this perspective and consistently act upon it even when it can be remarkably challenging is the area I’m continuing to develop. And finally, as always for me, my driving goal is to make a positive impact in the lives I serve. Helping others maximize their potential is the most fulfilling goal I can ever achieve. |
Monica Byrd | January 2023
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How did you get started in talent development?
I started in talent development in 2005. I led the learning & development of a fortune 500 company where I delivered ongoing leadership development training and worked with employees on career development. In my current role with Texas Biomedical Research Institute I lead our talent development efforts through our professional university that affords employees the opportunity to participate in leadership development, aspiring leaders and new leader academies.
What aspect of your role do you find most rewarding, and why?
I am enlightened to be part of an employee’s professional development and see them move within the organization that supports both their career and the company’s goals.
What is your biggest challenge as a Learning & Development Specialist in your field, and how are you working through it?
Time. A large percentage of our leaders in our organization are scientist who are extremely busy with biomedical research. I offer several learning sessions throughout the year and I am cognizant of their schedule by ensuring that the development programs are manageable.
What new/innovative trends or technologies in learning & development are you most interested in?
I’m most interested in maximizing our LMS system that offers playlists and bite-size learning, which will be helpful for our large remote workforce.
What are some of your own learning & development goals?
My personal L&D goals are to continue to learn about new technology that will support a hybrid work environment and creative approaches to talent development.