The second episode of Chief Learning Officer’s new podcast, Voices of CLO, is now live!
This bi-monthly podcast hosts learning and development’s movers and shakers as they share their stories, their successes and setbacks, and what’s top of mind as we move forward into the future of learning and work.
This latest episode features a coaching-focused conversation between Chief Learning Officer’s editor-in-chief, Ashley St. John, and Judy Whitcomb, senior vice president – organizational strategy and effectiveness at Vi.
The following is an excerpt from CLO’s new podcast, Voices of CLO. To hear the full conversation, click here.
Ashley St. John: Welcome Judy. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Judy Whitcomb: Thanks, Ashley. I’m thrilled to join you today and looking forward to our discussion.
Ashley: Yes, me too. I know we really want to focus our conversation around coaching today, but before we jump into it, let’s talk a little bit about your own professional journey and your role within Vi, your current organization, and how you’ve navigated to where you are today in your career.
Judy: You know, gosh, I’ve had a 30-plus year career, and prior to coming to VI, I spent 19 years of my career working at United Airlines in so many different roles: marketing, operations, human resources and learning. And all throughout my career, I had great mentors and coaches. And so as I continued my journey through human resources and learning, I always came back to learning and development. And so back in 2007, when I had this opportunity to join Vi, I had the opportunity to build a ground-up learning and development department. And one of my first realizations in that role was the fact that we had so many employees who didn’t have the same opportunities as our senior-level leaders in the organization.
So, I spent my first couple of years really looking at, you know, how do we offer learning and development programs for all levels? And in our company, we operate two separate businesses. We operate a hospitality side and a health care side. And, you know, how do you offer learning and development opportunities for, for housekeepers and cooks at the same time, nurses and sales professionals and accountants?
And so I was really committed to ensure that every employee, regardless of their role, had opportunities for learning and development. A few years after I had been in the chief learning officer role for Vi, I was asked to oversee HR and learning for the company, and I maintained that role until last year. And I made the decision to transition to a role that is focused strictly on organizational development and organizational strategy. So, I get the great opportunity to spend about 65 to 70 percent of my job coaching every day. It is the most fulfilling part of my job. It’s a fulfilling part of my career.
So that’s where I’m at today and how I got to the role I am in at Vi. I do a lot of work outside of Vi for coaching for not-for-profits and other organizations, but coaching and employee development are my North Star. I really enjoy it. It brings me energy every day.
To hear the full conversation, click here. This transcript has been edited and cut for clarity.
