This is part of our ongoing series, Interviews with Learning Leaders.
Pete Markuson is ADP's director of learning consulting for national accounts services learning and performance. He has spent more than two decades in various learning leadership and project manager roles for ADP. He holds a bachelor's degree in human resources from University of Iowa.
How did you first get involved with learning and performance?
I worked in the implementation organization as a program manager. I had responsibility for overseeing the implementation of large projects, involving different groups in ADP. I wanted to expand my career and get into direct people management, instead of being an individual contributor. A former learning leader had decided they wanted the perspective from someone in the business to provide the link back in learning. So, I had the opportunity to join learning. I stayed in learning because of the opportunity to grow and develop in my career from manager to director, and also to be able to lead different teams—technology, delivery teams, learning consulting. It allowed for explosive learning and growing, and developing some swagger.
Are there any trends in the industry right now that grab your interest?
Learning and performance is full of trends. There always seems to be a new flavor of the day. Gamification, MOOCs, mobile learning—there is always something new. People are looking at innovative ways to provide training. It is all good, and all have their place. At the end of day, they are not usable unless it meets the needs of the client. First, focus on knowing the business you are supporting, and then build relationships with the people in the business. Now they know you are on the ground and understand what they need. You can create the snazziest game they have ever seen, but if it doesn’t meet the need, there is no value there.
How can learning leaders strengthen their partnership with the business?
I spent the first half of my career in the business. I understand how work gets accomplished, the challenges faced, how the business is run, what the needs are. By having knowledge and background in the business, it is vital to having a strong partnership. Having worked in learning and performance the second half of my career, the flip side is true. Just as it is crucial for learning and performance to know the business, it is crucial for the business to know what learning and performance can provide. Ultimately, it comes down to building relationships, getting to know people in the business, and them getting to know you and what your organization can do. The goal is strong partnerships.
When designing client training, how do you ensure it meets their needs?
We have a specific approach when thinking about clients. Our clients choose ADP because our solutions solve critical business issues. Learning and performance has to understand what those critical business initiatives are so that we understand this is the problem we are trying to solve. Also, we need to understand what they are expecting from the training and what they want their associates to be able to do. We come in with a consultative approach. I have been working with them to understand those things, sometimes helping them to understand what those expected results should be. This is sometimes new to them. We can consult that, help guide them, so they understand ultimately what they want out of it, and then we design a solution to meet those needs.
There are often challenges along the way. Want to be as close to the client as we can be. It is critical to understand what their needs are and the best way to get that information. We need interaction with clients. When developing training, it can be challenging to get time with the right people in the client organization. In addition to direct client time, we look at training evaluations and comments, and we talk to SMEs in our business that are client-facing and that work with clients every day (client service, implementation, etc.). This helps us make sure we are in touch and in tune with their needs.
Topics: Interviews with Learning Leaders