Non-Linear Careers in L&D with Jennifer Sutherland

The Learning & Development Podcast

Many of us fall into L&D - and some of us make sacrifices in order to do so. At a time when many of us have faced layoffs and unexpected setbacks, we wanted to spotlight career journeys that had tough times and what our guests did to overcome these. In this episode, I’m speaking with Jennifer Sutherland, Global Leader of Culture, Learning & Development at Trustwave, about her incredible career and the lessons we can all learn from her.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Very few people follow a linear path into L&D. This is good because they bring varied business skills to the role.

• If you do not have any training or L&D experience to put on your resume seek it out. Jennifer shares several ways to do that.

• Be authentic, especially during presentations, and develop your own style.

• Listen to feedback but recognise who the outliers are and factor that in before deciding whether to pivot.

• Take your time when switching roles. Lots of L&D professionals inadvertently end up in a role that is not a good fit for them.

• Use other L&D professionals as a sounding board and help each other.

• Understand how humans learn and stay up to date with the research.

• Stay curious and stay up to date with the tech.

• Build good relationships with all stakeholders and network.

BEST MOMENTS

“You created the opportunity that helped you gather the experience that you needed to be taken seriously by those L&D hiring managers.”

“Words matter … how you fill in the silence is so critical.”

“Frankly, that role was not the right fit for me.”

“The career path that I'm on looks bananas, but gave me all these skills, resources, knowledge, community and networks.”

“Create your own sandwich of tech to create what you need.”

“The world limits you already. Don't be the one that limits yourself.”

Jennifer Sutherland Bio

Jennifer is the Global Leader of Culture, Learning & Development at Trustwave, where she is responsible for driving employee engagement and developing enriching learning experiences. Her team focuses on initiatives such as change management and sales enablement, essential for a dynamic global workforce across EMEA, APAC, and North America.

Concurrently, as an Adjunct Professor at Davenport University, Jennifer leverages her expertise to educate the next generation in HR and Learning & Development.

You can follow and connect with Jennifer via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifernsutherland

Website: https://sutherlandtalentsolutions.com

The Nonlinear Training Career article - https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/spring-2024/the-nonlinear-training-career

https://www.toastmasters.org

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home

ABOUT THE HOST

David James

David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.

As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.

CONTACT METHOD

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin

• L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective

• Blog: https://360learning.com/blog

• L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home