Blair Bekker, Director of Global Talent Development of Chewy, joins us to discuss why L&D must trade perfectionism for speed, how entire workforces learning new skills at once is turning L&D into a strategic partner to the business, and why proving measurable impact is what separates the leaders who move fast from the ones who stay stuck.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction.

01:35 What it looks like to lead talent development across every part of Chewy’s business, from corporate teams to the fulfillment floor.

04:22 Why Blair says the biggest shift in L&D isn’t a new model.

05:45 The uncomfortable mindset shift Blair has to coach her own team through every day.

09:05 Why Blair believes the entire workforce learning new skills at once is turning L&D into a strategic advantage.

09:55 Where Blair would put 10 times her current budget.

12:50 The skill Blair says is hardest to hire for on any L&D team right now.

17:05 The one book Blair credits with completely changing how she talks to the business.

19:00 How running a true A/B test gave Blair her first real proof that training moved the needle.

21:58 The career advice Blair says is the real unlock for L&D professionals.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED

Chewy Website:

https://www.chewy.com

“Return on Learning: Training for High Performance at Accenture” by Donald Vanthournout:

https://www.amazon.com/Return-Learning-Training-Performance-Accenture/dp/1932841423

#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment