Focus Magazine - Fall 2013 - 18

COVERSTORY

TOP LEFT: From left to right, Gordon Burkett, Kathy Byrne and Britton McGregor flip
chart Situational Leadership scenarios.

BOTTOM LEFT: From left to right, Diane DeVincentis, Steven Spencer, Amy Lakusiewicz,
Jeff Benoit and Rebecca Nickerson.

TOP MIDDLE: Steve Spencer and Brent Johnson, associate director, leadership
development, facilitating class.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Jeff Benoit instructing a class participant on the new onboarding app.

TOP RIGHT: Class participants learning.

“We can collect all the data and see
it in aggregate,” Spencer said. “We can
create training now because we have
data based on real-time feedback on
how the reps are performing on a
certain skill. Now we can create
training to help support and enhance
that skill.”
And, of course, Eisai leadership was
thrilled, including Lonnel Coats,
president and CEO of Eisai’s Americas
region. Spencer said Coats was
extremely supportive of the transition
to digital training.
“Leadership is extremely pleased,”
Spencer said. “We did something good
for the organization and we gave back
for our knowledge. Now it’s at a point
where other people are leading their
initiatives on the iPad, individually or
independently. They wouldn’t have
been able to do this if we didn’t
introduce it to the organization.”

Looking Back, Looking
Ahead
Spencer and his colleagues did have
some history to fall back on during the
transition: Eisai’s European team had
launched iPad training a year ahead.
Some of their best practices helped ease
the transition.
But it wasn’t easy. Digitizing the
content, Spencer said, amounted to a
Herculean effort across the
organization, involving action items
that ran a diverse course, everything
from conversations about how adults
learn to legal department reviews of
digitized materials. The team also paid
close attention to security issues,
creating a safety net that protected the
company from the dangers of lost or
left behind iPads.
But the cultural shift took place, and
there’s certainly no going back. In fact,
Spencer and his innovative teammates
have now been tasked with another

challenge: Looking at distance learning
and how field reps can stay in the field
longer, not the classroom.
“How do we keep sales reps at home
longer and provide them more
information versus coming into a
classroom setting. We’re exploring
different ways we can connect with
representatives and train them
effectively, but keep them home longer
so that they can be in the field selling,
more than being in a classroom
learning and training,” Spencer said. So
for now, the work continues, and
technology is definitely a part of the
solution. That works for Spencer, who
had an iPad before the project for
personal use, and who now relies on it
professionally.
“I’m looking at it now, it’s right on
my desk,” Spencer said. “The great part
about it is the reps now are attached to
it.” I

Tim Sosbe is editor of Focus magazine and editorial director for SPBT. Email Tim at tsosbe@spbt.org.

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Focus Magazine - Fall 2013

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