Learning Strategy

Build Capability

Build Mission Critical Capabilities

To maximize L&D’s value to the business and to avoid costly, ineffective curricula, we help you identify the unique capability-sets that are required to run your business and then design measurable learning strategies that can effectively and efficiently develop these capabilities.

Engage and Motivate

To spark interest, ownership, and high performance, we design learning experiences that take the whole person into consideration and that integrate learning into the flow of work. 

Work Smarter, Not Harder

We hone L&D team operations models and design role-, team-, and enterprise-level learning strategies to drive purposeful L&D decisions and administration, to help L&D shift into a proactive thought leader position, and to maximize L&D’s value to the organization.

Teach to Transform

Countless organizations develop training for singular technical and behavioral competencies; few focus on the unique ‘capability-sets’ that are needed to run the business. Clever Tern® partners with learning development leaders at the department and enterprise-wide levels to:

  • Assess the effectiveness of and recommend improvements to the current learning strategy and curricula.
  • Design, develop, and deliver functional and enterprise-wide learning strategies and training material that deliver measurable results.
  • Sharpen Learning & Development efforts to spend less time managing outdated and excessive curricula and more time generating value for the organization and its people.

Contact us to see what we can do for you.

 

Contact Us

 

Our Work

We are passionate about designing learning experiences that have impact – both for the individual and the organization.
Here are a few past projects that represent what we can do.

CLIENT: Multi-national pharmaceutical company; global Finance department

REVENUE: $11 billion USD 

COMPANY EMPLOYEES: 17,000+

GLOBAL FINANCE ASSOCIATES: 600+

Global Financial Leadership Learning Program

The client was transforming the roles and responsibilities of its Budget and Control (B&C) organization. To prepare global B&C associates for the change, they wanted to develop a 'training academy' that:

  • Aligned with core accounting competencies from AICPA's Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) program.
  • Provided a personal learning experience that tied CGMA online learning topics with real-life work.
  • Was cohort-based, to create a learning community and strengthen organizational relationships and networks.

The design of the B&C learning academy would serve as a future template to build out a broader learning academy for the entire global Finance organization.

Heather Jencks:

  • Researched and partnered with the client to identify the most critical and relevant CGMA core competencies and desired capabilities for the B&C organization.
  • Designed and developed a holistic learning strategy that:
    • Defined a recommended order for the cohort to complete CGMA online learning content.
    • Incorporated self-paced and recommended online learning content, on-the-job application activities, social/cohort learning meetings, and onsite cohort learning events.

After presenting the overarching learning strategy, Heather was asked to continue with the project to fully develop and facilitate the pilot of all program components, including:

  • Program kickoff communications and meeting materials.
  • Participant workbooks, and learning journals.
  • Virtual cohort meeting materials (facilitator guide and PowerPoint presentation).
  • Three 3-day onsite intensive learning workshops (facilitator guides, participant workbooks, and PPT presentation).

The program was piloted with 10 associates and leaders from across the globe and received highly positive reviews and results-based qualitative feedback from participants' leaders and client partners.

When the project came to a close, the leadership for this project shifted. The client's intent was to use this program as a template to further build out the academy.

CLIENT: Fortune 500 American food service distributor

REVENUE: $25 billion USD 

COMPANY EMPLOYEES: 25,000+

Enterprise Leadership Development Strategy

The VP of Talent Management identified a critical need for leadership training throughout the organization and wished to develop a 70/20/10 leadership education program that better aligned with how people learn. A key requirement for this program was to focus on core leadership skills and to adapt to learner needs based on where they were in their development; i.e.,  it must address the needs of emerging, high-potential leaders, new frontline managers, and experienced, incumbent leaders.

Heather Jencks:

  • Conducted a current and desired future state assessment of the company's manager training needs, offerings, and target audience.
  • Recommended and validated learning topics and target learning objectives.
  • Designed a 70/20/10 flexible learning strategy that:
    • Included self-paced, social, and facilitator-led learning options.
    • Addressed learning needs for new, mid-level, and senior leaders.
    • Provided a recommended flow for the learning experience.
    • Defined necessary support resources.
  • Developed a 'blueprint for development and implementation' that:
    • Outlined critical details of each program component (e.g., target audience, purpose, topics, delivery method).
    • Defined an implementation communication plan.
    • Recommended 'bare minimum' resource requirements for program development and implementation.
    • Recommended a timeline for development and implementation.

Upon reviewing the learning strategy, the client expressed, "This is my dream design!" The client used Heather's design and blueprint for development to build and fully implement the learning program.

CLIENT: Fortune 100 American insurance company; enterprise new agency owner education department

REVENUE: $33.3 billion USD 

COMPANY EMPLOYEES: 38,000+

EDUCATION TEAM: 8

AGENCY OWNERS: 9,300+

National New Agency Owner Education Transformation

The client was responsible for a national 'new agency owner' sales education program to develop the business acumen and sales capabilities of new insurance agency owners. The program was ten-weeks and largely lecture-based.

They requested Heather Jencks' support to transform the program into a shortened, yet still impactful, interactive learning experience that accelerated time-to-productivity.

Over the course of 18 months, Heather partnered with the client and:

  • Shortened program length from ten to six weeks.
  • Lessened participant time-away-from-home to attend the national sales school.
  • Redesigned the entire curriculum flow and content, based on the essential knowledge, skills and capabilities required of new agency owners.
  • Transformed dry, lecture-based modules to learner-centric, interactive and experiential learning experiences.
  • Designed, developed and facilitated a train-the-trainer for team facilitators to strengthen interactive facilitation skills.
  • Implemented and refined the new program over time via a staggered design, development, and module piloting approach.

The redesign effort resulted in:

  • Accelerated time-to-productivity for new agency owners.
  • Increased contact-to-close ratios for participants of the revised program, when compared to agency incumbents.
  • Stronger relationships between the national 'new agency owner' sales education team and regional education teams.
  • Improved satisfaction in qualitative feedback among program participants.