Talent Development at the Speed of Business with Blair Bekker of Chewy
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
“Return on Learning: Training for High Performance at Accenture” by Donald Vanthournout
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