Winning the shift from order taker to business partner: A five step approach to solving team performance challenges with Jess Almlie

As learning professionals, we often receive training as a solution to team performance issues. But all too often, training or learning is not sufficient to solve the problem. Now we are in a rough spot. If we say no to creating a learning solution, we risk our reputation as a business support function but if we provide a solution that doesn't solve the problem we waste time and resources and could even jeopardize our own credibility as learning experts. 

There is a better way to partner with our stakeholders that will help everyone to win. The stakeholders can solve their performance issues and learning professionals can provide a solution that hits the mark. The secret is in a five step process pulled from the theories behind performance consulting.

This session will dive into each of the five steps in this process to provide a description along with details on how to implement each of them in your own organization. In addition, the speaker will share real life examples of her own success and failures when using this model as a response to training requests from stakeholders.

In this session, you will learn:

1. The key assumption that must be used as a starting point for any stakeholder request
2. A five step model to partnering with stakeholders to diagnose and solve performance issues, whether or not the solution is related to learning
3. Practical strategies within each of the five steps that explain how to implement and use the model in your own organization
4. How to work with stakeholders to gain buy-in for a solution that may not be training related (when that is what they asked you to provide in the first place)

Jess Almlie has worked in talent development for over 20 years in non-profit, for-profit, and higher education organizations. Currently, Jess serves as the Vice President for Learning Experience in the benefits division of WEX. In this role, she is responsible for casting vision, defining effective learning strategy, developing learning leaders, and working collaboratively across the organization. Jess holds a Bachelor's in Organizational Communication from Concordia College-Moorhead, a Master's in Educational Leadership from North Dakota State University, and a Certificate in Improving Human Performance from the Association for Talent Development. She is a member of the Talent Development Think Tank and also volunteers as a National Advisor for Chapters through the Association for Talent Development.