Focus Magazine - Fall 2015 - (Page 5)

FROM THE PRESIDENT John Sjovall Training's Transformative Power Successful learning transforms the learner, the trainer, the department and the enterprise. I f somehow you were forced to boil down the mission of learning into one word, what word would that be? ere are lots of contenders - education, growth, development, creation, fulfilment. All good words for this hypothetical exercise. My answer - once "they" rejected my request for a few more words - would be "transformation." Successful learning transforms the learner, the trainer, the department and the enterprise. It creates opportunity, it strengthens advantages, it builds bridges, and it shatters preconceptions. Education is the solution to all sorts of problems and it keeps everyone moving ahead, positively impacting business, society and especially people. Transformation has been on my mind a lot lately. As many of you know, I recently le a longtime employer and have taken an exciting new role as senior director of commercial capabilities and training at Collegium Pharmaceutical. Changing jobs is just like learning a new skill ... it forces us to reevaluate our processes, our professional beliefs and our goals. Change may be - in fact is - frightening at times, but like the mother lion rallying to protect her cubs, we find the strength to do what's necessary to the best of our abilities. Some transformations are larger than others, of course, but all can seem daunting when the rubber hits the road. In my case, it has been very interesting to go from an established company with a full department of 24 training professionals (who were part of a greater commercial organization of around 300 home oﬃce and 1,600 field folks) to a small start-up company. Currently I'm a team of one, part of a commercial organization of 10 (although there are about 25 scientists and lab folks as well). Nothing exists and if you need it, you have to build it yourself. For example, when we needed to put out a request for proposal (RFP) for some training to be built, I had to build the process and the form, then put together the content to go into the RFP. But frightening or not, change is a good thing. It keeps us fresh, challenges our entrenched approaches and leads to new victories. You feel excitement; you feel a sense of accomplishment. Personally, I've have had to start thinking back to my old days as a field trainer and new department leader. I pondered what is important, what needs to be accomplished first and what is critical. It all brings a sense of importance - not of oneself, but of the gravity of what we are doing. In my new role, we are incubating the egg of a new commercial organization and we have to do this right. I know that sense of responsibility resonates with you, because each of you have your own "have to" list when it comes to job performance. Educators, as much as if not more than any other professionals, have a burden to reach for the stars. Take this as a friendly reminder to avoid stagnation. Periodically inventory your training processes, delivery methods, content library and learning plans. And physician, heal thyself ... be sure to look at how you learn, how you manage and how you lead. Always be "transforming." Do your best to harness the power of change. e results will likely be shockingly good. ■ John Sjovall is president of LTEN and senior director, commercial capabilities & training, for Collegium Pharmaceutical. Email John at jsjovalljr@gmail.com. FOCUS | FALL 2015 | www.L-TEN.org 5 http://www.L-TEN.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Fall 2015

Focus Magazine
From the President: Training's Transformative Power
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Guest Editors: The Role of Tension Management
Directions: More Ways to Connect
Front of the Room: Delivering the Unexpected
Neuroscience: The Neuroscience of Mindfulness
AstraZeneca: Creating a Blended Learning Curriculum
44th LTEN Annual Conference: The Power of Networking
Executing a Key Account Management Strategy
Member Solutions: Managing Global Learning
The Making of Great Leaders
Developing Reps: 5 Critical Steps to Success
Reaching Potential: Two Essential Skills
Virtual How: Medical Device Training Priorities
Ad Index
Focus Contacts
5 Questions with Anthony Caliendo

Focus Magazine - Fall 2015