Chief Learning Officer – CLO Media
Chief Learning Officer is a multimedia publication focused on the importance, benefits and advancements of a properly trained workforce.
More results…
Gary Deppe, director of learning and organizational effectiveness at Land O’Lakes, shares some of his career insights and what’s top of mind for him in the learning and development industry.
Chief Learning Officer’s “Learning Insights” series is dedicated to showcasing the thoughts and career journeys of chief learning officers and learning executives — the tireless trailblazers who are transforming the landscape of corporate learning and workforce development. In this Q&A series, we garner strategic insights, innovative approaches and challenges overcome from visionary leaders worldwide.
What initially drew you to a career in L&D, and how have your experiences evolved over the years?
Early in my career, I was in sales, but I was the default person asked to do product training. A training executive role opened up and my manager asked me to interview for it. My initial reaction was, “Why would I want to be a trainer? That is a fluff role, not business-driving like a salesperson.” During the interview, when the regional training leader asked me what I thought the trainers taught, I caught myself saying that they taught folks how to sell—the part of my job I was naturally drawn to. Thus, a career was born delivering business-driving skills through learning.
What key initiatives have you implemented as a learning leader to drive employee development and foster a learning culture?
I have been fortunate to have developed and implemented some key programs, and built learning/talent functions and teams. In one case, I led the development of a coaching skills program for managers that helped kick off a new way of developing leaders at that organization. In that program, we focused on core leadership competencies to develop skills. By leveraging that cultural language and tying the program to new performance management and talent initiatives, we were able to elevate manager skills and mindsets. In my last three roles, I was asked to build or rebuild learning and talent functions from the ground up. Where I have been successful at shifting culture was by ensuring the teams and systems I developed were integrated. This was accomplished by embedding learning and talent practice together and working with business leaders to make sure there was a strong alignment between the organization and business goals.
What is the most impactful learning program you’ve introduced in your organization, and how has it contributed to employee growth and business success?
I am only six months into my current role but feel like my biggest contribution is connecting the dots between enterprise and business. This organization has not had a specific focus on how learning is organized or structured. Meaning, we are not centralized, decentralized or have a formal “hybrid” approach. We have multiple instances of teams working on learning and talent programs with little connectivity. While I am proposing a more formal “federated” approach I am focused on building relationships, identifying common goals, and sharing and learning what each team does and the resources they have to support it.
What is a common misconception people might have about the L&D function, and how do you address it?
That L&D professionals are order-takers, only trainers and represent the “fun” part of the business. I have focused on overcoming these by trying to show up as a businessperson. Seeking to understand how the business operates, understanding pain points and looking to successfully address those issues is one good way to do that. Learning to ask the right (sometimes difficult) questions early in the conversation and then delivering results and sharing those results can also contribute.
What excites you the most about the future of workplace learning, and how are you preparing your organization to adapt to the changing landscape?
At the moment, generative AI is driving a lot of the conversations. I am partnering with the heads of IT and HR, along with key leaders of our data teams in order to discuss how we integrate a mindset, skillset and toolset of leveraging AI while not losing the human element. Curiosity and learning agility are becoming core skills to think beyond where we are today with AI and other near-future team skills. Highlighting the skill of learning to learn is a critical area for us right now.
What essential qualities or skills make a successful L&D leader, and how do you cultivate these traits in yourself and among your team?
Be curious, open-minded and seek new ways of working and perspectives. Further your digital and data analytics skills and awareness. Get better at measurement, marketing and reporting. I foster lots of sharing and development with my teams. I encourage others to bring new ideas and set them on journeys to learn more about how they can grow.
What game-changing advice would you offer if you could go back in time and mentor your younger self?
Don’t be afraid to fail more and learn from those. While I made mistakes along the way I tended to err on the side of driving perfection. Many times that slowed me down and got me caught into setting my own bar way too high.
What do you feel is currently the single biggest challenge facing L&D professionals and the industry as a whole?
The pace of change and trying to keep up with new technology, being resilient to change and keeping relevant while we support are businesses doing the same.
We’re always looking to showcase innovative tools and technologies. Can you share one work or learning tech product or platform that has significantly improved your work processes and why you find it valuable?
Lately, it has been AI tools like co-pilot and chatGPT. I can now quickly research and formulate agendas, articles and other thinking at a pace I had not before. Interested in being featured in our “Learning Insights” series? Please complete this FORM.
by Jaime McGeathy
by Dr. Rosina L. Racioppi
by Elizabeth Loutfi-Hipchen
by Elizabeth Loutfi-Hipchen
From Resistance to Resilience: Bridging the Digital Skills Gap with Workflow Learning
Balancing Titles and Skills: Exploring a Hybrid Approach to Skills-Based Structures
Four Foundations for Future Success: Building Your Modern Learning Organization Today
Resilience Through Change: Talent Leaders as Change Agents
What’s Keeping Your CEO Up at Night: How to Future-Proof Your Organization
