My name: Jonathan Searle
My company: Genesys
My title: Global Head ofTraining
My location: Daly City, California
Best businessadvice I ever received: Theadvice referenced a term we have all heard: the flight attendant’s instructionsto “put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.” The same philosophyapplies to being an effective business partner. You can’t spread yourself too thin to helpothers when your own projects and deliverables are put on the back burner. “TheOxygen Mask Rule” helps me guide my team to prioritize workload and leveragethat focus to evangelize our success with those that we help in the future.
Most daringpersonal career move: While onthe learning and development track at my previous job, I felt a little stuck. Idecided to change gears and apply for an HR leadership role versus L&D. Igot the job, loved it, and I ended up learning so much about labor law,benefits, employee relations, etc. Two years later when the Genesys opportunitycame knocking, it was the recent HR experience that gave me the leg up I neededto be selected for the role. So a change in direction ended up getting me towhere I wanted to be.
What I’m most proudof: My current training teamat Genesys! A year ago, our company doubled in size and we were faced with thechallenge to grow and expand (and create some new) training programs to supportour growing employee population. Together we have built massive curriculumsfrom the ground up that help our new hires get up to speed faster. We havetraveled to facilitate leadership workshops around the globe, led an engagingWomen in Leadership webinar series, and have created partnerships with leadersin the business to produce new training content and improve the way in which weapproach employee learning.
Current workplace challenge: Genesys invests in an impressive amountof online training resources like Lynda.com and Skillsoft for all employees. The challengefor my team is breaking down deliverables from the extensive library and curating learning paths, playlists, and curriculums that aremeaningful and time-effective for our busy people.
Something peopledon’t know about me: I am a trainedsinger, performed in musicals as a kid, and almost made it as a Mouseketeer inthe New Mickey Mouse Club on the Disney Channel.
