In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, David James is joined by Brian Jarvis to explore what it takes to lead an L&D transformation inside a long-established organisation.
Brian reflects on stepping into WM, the early signals that learning wasn’t supporting the business in the way it needed and the first moves he made to begin changing direction. He discusses building credibility with stakeholders, evolving ways of working within his team and how L&D has shifted from a reactive, request-led function to one that’s having a more meaningful impact on the organisation.
Take your L&D to the next level
Take advantage of thousands of hours of analysis. Hundreds of conversations with industry innovators and 25+ years of hands-on global L&D leadership.
It's all distilled into one framework to help you level up L&D. Access the L&D Maturity Model here - https://360learning.com/maturity-model
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Make their problem your problem. Speak the language of stakeholders, take ownership of their goals and risks, and provide impactful and measurable solutions.
Target where the business is hurting most, prove revenue and performance impact. Then, expand from there.
Play the long game: build trust, feedback loops, and champions.
Be ready to wow someone - you need stakeholders who advocate for L&D.
Measure time‑to‑proficiency, readiness, and confidence, not just completion of courses or content delivered.
Evolve your practice with design thinking, leverage AI, and technology. Put in place solid best practice to scale the impact of L&D without needing a bigger team.
BEST MOMENTS
“Every programme … is evolving and changing as they (the learners) grow into another year.”
“Make their problem your problem.”
“The management of the stakeholders is the most important piece.”
“We either use smart tools to do dumb things, or we use smart tools to do the right things.”
Brian Jarvis Bio
Brian Jarvis is a strategic Learning & Development leader with more than 13 years’ experience leading enterprise-scale initiatives across large, complex organisations. He is currently responsible for Learning and Leadership Development for National Accounts at WM, supporting teams across North America, Canada, and India. In this role, Brian has modernised onboarding and upskilling for customer experience, billing, and sales functions—reducing time to proficiency, improving frontline readiness, and increasing retention while supporting significant business growth and transformation. Previously, he led large-scale learning strategies at CVS Health, Aetna, and United Bank, delivering data-driven, digital-first learning approaches that improved performance, strengthened capability at scale, and delivered measurable commercial impact.
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
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
