Training Industry Quarterly - Winter 2009 - (Page 32) MEET DEBORAH MASTEN n workforce development, leaders typically come either from the world of business or through the traditional avenues of education. As vice president and director of associate development for JCPenney, Deborah Masten’s career path combines both business experience and educational background with an old-fashioned, learn-by-doing approach that’s seen her move from sales associate to learning leadership. In short, she’s earned it. Masten started her relationship with JCPenney when she was 16, selling cameras, a product Penney stores no longer carry. She worked with the company through college, where she trained for a career in elementary education. After college, Masten found no immediate teaching opportunities, so she went into the JCPenney management program. After about a year, however, education called again, and Masten found a teaching job. She stayed with that until her husband’s career move would have forced her to start over on the public school pay scale following a transfer. Instead, she returned to Penney’s. Before long, Masten had transferred into associate development as an instructional designer, and then worked her way up to the leadership role. “I’ve always had a passion for learning and training, and I have a passion for JCPenney stores,” Masten said. “I’m just honored to be where I am. I love what I do and wouldn’t want to do anything else. I wouldn’t want to work for any other company. Mike Ullman is my fourth chairman I’ve had the opportunity to work with and he’s a great chairman. It’s really nice to be able to say you have an open door to the chairman. I’ve always had PEER REVIEW I that wonderful opportunity.” In fact, as CEO and chairman, Ullman is more than interested, he’s involved. Both Ullman and Mike Theilmann, chief HR and administration officer, work with Masten on a two-day leadership class she’s rolled out, targeting the top 500 leaders in the company. That’s just a small part of the 155,000 associates Masten’s team supports with education, but eventually she hopes to take the class to all store managers at more than 1,000 stores across the United States and Puerto Rico. “I think Mike and Mike thought it was very important that we get all of the leaders aligned, that we have a common language to talk about leadership,” Masten said. “It really starts with the leadership to develop the culture.” That’s just one learning initiative Masten and her team are providing, along with other programs including a drive to certify the skills of sales associates across the organization (93% are certified now). Clearly, the learning at JCPenney is working. In 2007 and 2008, the company sent an engagement survey to all 155,000 Penney associates, asking them if they have received the training needed to do their jobs effectively. In 2007, 96% agreed they had. In 2008, that number climbed to 97%. “I think our biggest challenge is, of course, the turnover, especially in our hourly associates,” Masten said. “We’ve really attacked it and it’s going down, because we’ve engaged the associates in the business and we’ve given them a voice. What’s important to them is important to us.” 32 Training Industry Quarterly, Winter 2009 / A Training Industry, Inc. ezine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.