Taking a Curious & Consultative Approach to L&D with Jess Almlie from WEX

On this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy’s guest is Jess Almlie. Jess Almlie has worked in the talent development field for more than 20 years in nonprofit, for-profit, and higher education organizations. She is currently serving as Vice President of Learning Experience in the Benefits Division of WEX, a leading financial technology service provider with nearly 5,000 associates around the world. In this role, she is responsible for casting vision, defining effective learning strategy, developing learning leaders, and working collaboratively across the organization.Jess Almlie has a BA in organizational communication and a Master’s in education leadership from North Dakota State University and a certificate in Improving Human Performance from the Association for Talent Development.In this interview, you’ll hear:What working at McDonald’s as a trainer taught Jess Almlie about talent development and how she eventually chose that path as her career.Why the manager you’re working under makes or breaks the experience you have at a company.How she knows when it’s time to take the next step and how you can use that to evaluate your own career.What she’s doing in her role in L&D at WEX and what she loves about it.The questions Jess Almlie asks to ensure that she’s using processes within the company that are effective and strategic.Why a request for training doesn’t necessarily mean that training is what’s needed and how she addresses it.The data Jess Almlie uses to guide her training methodology and how you can apply the same approach to your company’s training.Why learning will only solve a problem if there is a gap in knowledge and skills and how you can shift your training approach to address the true issues.The three tips she would give to someone looking to get into learning and development and grow a career in that field.The reason curiosity she values curiosity so highly in her role and how it is woven into leadership.What she’s enjoyed about the Talent Development Think Tank community and the value she’s received from it.Connect with Andy Storch here:andystorch.comlinkedin.com/in/andystorchtdtt.us/Connect with Jess Almlie:linkedin.com/in/jessalmlieMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/