Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2019 - 51

RESULTS
* Over 14,000 campaign registrations.
* Upward of 90% participants ranked
programs as "helpful for development."
* Engaged 54% of people leaders.
* Significant global reach.
* Strong
participation
highest performers.

the

FEEDBACK
* "This is the first time I have seen a
genuine effort across the organization
to develop its employees. This has
been sorely needed. Bravo!"
* "I loved the variety of topics. LDP sent
a signal to all of us that AbbVie cares
about people development and is
making it a priority for both employees
and people leaders."
* "I loved LDP and AbbVie's willingness
to assist in the development of all
their employees.
WHAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE
1. Create your brand: Spending time
on your brand promise up front is
critical - and by "brand," I don't mean
a logo or catchphrase. Instead, think
about what you want your program
to convey. Is it bold or humble? Is
it colorful or muted? Is it open for
everyone or highly selective? Think
through these questions in advance,
and let them guide all your decisions
about what you do and how you
present your style.
2. Determine your delivery: For AbbVie,
webinars delivered by content
experts were critical. Our population
consists of scientists, engineers and
employees with advanced degrees.
We needed to bring experts forward
in a trusted format. There was nothing
flashy about the webinars, but the
content was current, relevant and
backed by research. They addressed
topics such as careers, development,
storytelling, feedback, branding,

difficult conversations, business
acumen, presence and more.
3. Deliver messages with unconventional
marketing: When delivering a new
solution or program, marketing
effectively can be difficult. It can be
tempting to say, "Me, me, look at me!"
But nobody really wants to hear about
your team, your department or your
function. Instead, learners want to know
the focus is on them. Stay true to your
brand promise, and invest in marketing
efforts. If you do, word of mouth
marketing will begin!
CONTINUING SUCCESS
We designed this week-long event to raise
awareness and get people excited about
their development. The results were so
strong that the organization demanded
we continue! People continued to call for
more development, more learning and
more expert content. We moved forward
by adding one new webinar every month
and ramping up for LDP Week 2018. We
stayed true to our brand promise and
advanced with additional goals:
* Global growth: Focus on increasing
our global position.
* Raise the bar: Innovate and increase
the number of delivery methods.
* Stories: Leverage development stories
of our leaders and employees.
* Mobile: Leverage mobile technology
to bring LDP to employees no matter
where they are.
In 2018, we delivered 22 global webinars
featuring interviews with AbbVie leaders.
We hosted 405 self-created webinar
viewing parties across the globe, and
more than 250 webinar replay viewing
events took place following the week
of LDP. We also delivered a TED event
and LDP Radio - a live, 24-hour radio
broadcast interviewing over 50 leaders
from across the globe.
The results were astounding, with over
16,000 employees engaged and most
metrics improving. Moreover, employee

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE -TRENDS 2020 I WWW.TR AI NINGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

engagement related to development
rose significantly. The most substantial
new set of development offerings, by far,
were offered through LDP.
You can accomplish these results,
too. Steal the idea of doing something
amazing, but bring your own style to it
and use the following tips as your guide:
* Define your brand: Determine up
front what you do and don't want your
brand to say. Let this brand, not your
intuition, be the guiding principle for
what and how you move forward.
* Realize your intent: Clearly outline
what you are setting out to achieve.
Our goal wasn't an increase in
employee engagement; we set out
to drive development and create a
more deliberately developmental
organization. What is your intent?
What challenge do you need to tackle
for the organization? Focus and align.
* Know your audience: Your employee
population may have certain demands
by nature of who they are. Understand
their personas, and play to them.
* Iterate along the way: Start with what
you have. Our shoestring budget
helped us begin, and our resources
grew with each success. Refine as you
move forward.
* Don't wait for the C-suite, and
don't listen to naysayers: Don't wait
for approval from everyone or the
endorsement of key leaders. If you
can move forward without it, and your
plan is solid, get started with the team
who is ready to go. With the right
approach in place, others will want to
join in!
With clarity and determination, you
can hardwire development into
your organization.
Michael Poll leads talent development
at AbbVie, where he focuses on elevating
talent so they can lead effectively
and drive high-performing teams.
Email Michael.

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