Deadra Welcome, CPLP, CPTM, is the founder and CEO of Concerning Learning, LLC. She is the author of “Don’t Get Left Behind” and founder of the Extraordinary Learning Academy, where she trains other trainers to design, develop and deliver inspiring, engaging and actionable learning experiences.
My career pathway in L&D was not planned. I got here by accident!
I was a college student working in the federal government as a part-time employee until, in my last semester, I realized that it was time for a full-time job. I had no idea what I really wanted to be when I grew up. Thankfully, the training coordinator planned her retirement at the perfect time, two months before my graduation. I was so excited for a full-time position but had no idea what a training coordinator did nor how to do it!
I had a super-steep learning curve, because the retiring training coordinator had already retired on the job. She had no interest in helping me get up to speed, so I had to figure out my new job by observing others, asking a lot of questions, and being a fast learner. I learned so much and performed so well that I became an “expert” in the organization. The human resources office would send people to me so that I could help them set up their processes and procedures and do their jobs more effectively.
This was just the beginning of my amazing over-20-year L&D career journey that has taken me from training coordinator to instructional designer, evaluator, performance consultant, program manager and more. Today, I am an example of an accidental trainer who became a coach for other workplace learning professionals.
Based on my career journey, here’s some advice I’d tell my former self: Take every lesson that your career gives you, good and bad, and learn something from it. Although I was always an eager and passionate learner, in my earlier years, I spent a tremendous number of hours dwelling on the events that didn’t go as well. I looked at them as failures instead of opportunities to learn and grow.
I have learned so much about leadership from not-so-great managers as well as the times when I didn’t do as well as I’d hope. Although I don’t regret the rich experiences I’ve gained over the years, I wish I had developed learning agility earlier in my career. Now, I’m able to channel negative experiences into a learning opportunity and do better the next time.
And, here’s some advice for newer training professionals:
Be a sponge
Soak up every learning nugget you can from reading, talking to others with more experience and applying what you learn. This advice is not only for less experienced training professionals but for those of us who are more seasoned. We should be open to learning new concepts and methodologies and, in fact, model what we teach others. This is the only way to grow. Find someone who can coach you in the areas where you’re not as strong, and teach someone when you have expertise in a particular area. Believe it not, you learn a lot when you teach others.
Build your learning tribe
Seek to be around people who are smarter than you. Social learning is one of the best ways to stay on top of your game. Take advantage of every interaction with other workplace learning professionals. A lot of learning can come from just having a conversation and brainstorming with others who do what you do.
Take charge of your own development
Don’t give away your power to develop yourself. Your development is always up to you. There are tons of ways to develop that don’t require money or someone else’s approval. All barriers to learning can be overcome; you just have to be creative and tap into your network.
Learn something new every day
This one speaks for itself. Set this as your goal, and you’re destined to be extraordinary!
“All barriers to learning can be overcome;
you just have to be creative and tap into your network.”
Deadra Welcome, CPTD, CPTM, CVF, CPDC, CMLF
https://concerninglearningllc.com/about
Founder and Principal Consultant of Concerning Learning LLC, Deadra Welcome, endeavors to make learning extraordinary and create spaces where everyone belongs. She helps organizations perform better by meeting her clients where they are to co-create and reimagine a culture where everyone thrives.
Deadra attended Howard University in preparation for a career that would enable her to help others achieve their best. Continuing her thirst for learning, in 2010, she earned her Certified Professional in Talent Development credential from the Association for Talent Development, followed by numerous other credentials, including the Kirkpatrick Bronze Level Evaluation Certification from Kirkpatrick Partners. Along with this, she received the Certified Professional in Training Management designation from Training Industry, and most recently earned a Wiley Everything DiSC Practitioner certification and became LeaderFactor Certified Coach for The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety.
In 2011, Deadra founded her performance consulting business, Concerning Learning, LLC. She utilizes her 27 years of federal government experience by creating actionable and sustainable learning experiences for executives, managers, teams, and individuals in government agencies, corporations, and nonprofit organizations. Deadra’s goal has always been to enhance individual and team soft skills, which enable them to achieve optimal performance levels. Her organizational development and instructional design experience, coupled with her passion for helping others learn, leads Deadra to create and implement comprehensive, practical, and actionable solutions for organizations. She partners with clients to map and design healthy, safe, and inclusive cultures with best practices in human resources, diversity and inclusion, coaching, and leadership development.
As an author, she shares her extensive knowledge of the principles of adult learning with her book titled, Don’t Get Left Behind, an interactive journal that empowers readers to take charge of their own development. Additionally, Deadra is a regular and sought-after contributor and speaker for organizations such as the Association for Talent Development, Training Industry, Management Concepts, and Training Officer’s Consortium.
Deadra joined the Federal Aviation Administration in 1991, where she designed, delivered, and managed training programs in the Airways Facilities Office, Corporate Learning Services, and the Office of Security and Hazardous Materials. By 2007, she transitioned to the position of Senior Program Manager for the US Department of Energy’s Office of Learning and Workforce Development, before serving as the US Census Bureau’s Chief of Current Surveys Training Branch to lead a team of Training Specialists in creating training that impacted the missions of various federal agencies. Lastly, in 2016, Deadra joined the US Department of Transportation, where she worked in the Office of the Chief Information Officer as its Training Program Manager.
Her career journey continues to inspire others to “learn something new each day,” which she models, and encourages others to show up as their best by joining her learning revolution!
#training #Accidentaltrainer
Thank you Deadra for this wonderful blog! I thought it would give another view to the accidental trainer.
