This is part of our ongoing series, Interviews with Learning Leaders.
Leonard Cochran is the manager of learning programs for Hilton Worldwide, the world's largest hotel company by number of rooms. Leonard has spent 14 years in learning & development with Hilton. He is a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance and is a contributor to The Art of Modern Sales Management. He holds a bachelor's degree in adult education from Bellevue University.
How did you get into the learning & development field?
I have always enjoyed training employees as a part of my job. When I was changing careers some years ago, I had built some websites for some extra cash. Little did I know that skill set would open the door for me to land a job in the training department, as our company was moving from server-based training to web-based training. I had the skill set, since I could build webpages, so they took a chance and hired me as a “developer of distance learning.”
Once I landed in the learning department, I consumed all the information I could about the learning profession. That’s when I learned about the CPLP certification. I sought the certification to solidify my career as a learning professional. Not long after that, I completed my undergraduate degree in adult education to keep pace with the job requirements of my evolving role in the learning profession.
What part of the learning profession are you most passionate about?
There is no greater joy than to see people’s lives changed by the knowledge they gain. It’s my belief that every person contains a wealth of untapped potential. If there is any knowledge that I can share, or if there is anything I can do to help them move toward their full potential, then it excites me.
One of the great things about the learning profession is you can actually help make a difference in people’s lives in meaningful and impactful ways. Think about it: think about teaching a child to read, or helping an adult become be a better team member or a better leader. That’s impactful!
One of your priorities is helping managers become good coaches. How do you help them improve their team's results?
I prepare them for coaching. Things like noticing performance and giving sincere praise. Providing honest feedback on a regular basis, both positive and constructive. Sharing teachable moments during team meetings. Providing opportunities for team members to learn from each other.
How do you prepare a new manager to be a good manager and a coach?
I have a three-step checkup:
- Provide the proper training to the team and allow enough time to be competent.
- Establish clear and consistent expectations for the team.
- Communicate clear and consistent expectations, and then properly handle team members that need improvement.
Beyond that, it’s giving people space to make decisions and make small mistakes. We can learn so much more through trial and error than we can from any textbook. My role is to help provide enough tools and resources for people to make educated decisions and reduce the number of mistakes they make. But if they make a mistake, I encourage them to not quit, but to learn from their experience.
How can learning leaders strengthen partnerships with business leaders?
I think relationship is key. Without a good, positive relationship, you don’t even get a place at the table. You have to demonstrate the value of your work. Not in a bragging manner, but in a way that demonstrates you care about the needs of the business as well as the individuals.
I need to demonstrate that I’m at the table to help them meet their goals. I have to ask myself what we can do from a learning and performance perspective to better ensure we’re meeting our company objectives. Once you have a relationship, the whole collaborative process becomes much easier.
Tell us about a memorable training initiative that improved a team’s performance.
One of the biggest stories I can share was a program we did some years ago. The basic message was to encourage sales leaders to understand that they needed to leverage the expertise of their team members. We put together a one-day workshop, and 106 sales leaders participated. Their own research indicated that they had a 3% increase in market share during the 90-day period after the training. Did that happen just because of a single training class? Unlikely, but training certainly had to factor in the results. Not to mention, our client that requested the training was ecstatic about the results.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to be successful in L&D?
You have to be a lifelong learner and you have to be passionate about helping people improve their skills. That’s the foundation, as far as I’m concerned. As a learning professional, we try to provide the knowledge, but you also have to inspire passion or action from the learners, because knowledge without action is of little value.
From there, you certainly have to stay flexible and keep your ego on the shelf. There’s no place for egos when you’re trying to help someone else accomplish something. It’s a collaborative effort to get anything done.
Topics: Interviews with Learning Leaders