Editor’s Note:
One of the most valuable benefits of working at Terakeet is our commitment to continuous professional growth and education. This week we interviewed our training managers for a glimpse into what they do and how they do it. Lynn Fraas, our CPO (Chief People Officer), oversaw the development of the training manager role and is incredibly proud of the work these three ‘Keeters have done. She had this to say about the position:
“The training manager role is designed to help us operationalize our evolving methodology which enables the team to deliver high-value services to our customers. It is a significant investment in the intentional development of our people and, as a result, the culture that makes Terakeet a great place to work.
The Training Manager role was developed for [three] primary reasons:
- We are committed to developing our people and this role is designed to create programs to help individuals develop the skills and competencies required to build a meaningful career at Terakeet.
- We need to hire into our disciplines to scale the company. This role is also responsible to develop and maintain the programs designed to ensure new employees are trained and certified at a base level in less than 60 days.
- We intentionally had this role report into the disciplines so the training manager stays close to the craft of the discipline.”
We are so happy to have these dedicated ‘Keeters on our team!
[This week’s ‘Keeters Sound Off participants are Nick Friedman, Brett Butler, and Collin Kohberger]
Q1. What attracted you to the role of Training Manager for your discipline?
Nick Friedman (Digital Content Training Manager): I’ve been an educator for over a decade now, so when the opportunity arose to apply my teaching skills at Terakeet, it was a no-brainer for me. In the year preceding my transition to the Training Manager role, I worked as a Digital Content Specialist and developed strong relationships within the discipline. Now, in my current capacity, I get to work with the same brilliant people in an effort to help them further refine their skills as writers and SEO experts.
Brett Butler (Technical SEO Training Manager): In my time at Terakeet, I’ve always gotten the most intrinsic value out of helping others – whether that’s helping to better understand higher-level SEO concepts or coaching a colleague through a more complex, data-related problem. Much of that is enabled by the various opportunities I’ve had in different parts of the organization. That perspective has been built over years – and now I am excited to more formally share those perspectives with the rest of the team.
Collin Kohberger (Digital Outreach Training Manager): I’ve always loved to teach. In various positions of leading and managing people here at Terakeet, the most rewarding aspect has always been to teach others what I’ve learned and implement processes that can make us all better. Watching the people I work with go on to grow in their own careers and eventually teach others is a profound thing to watch. I couldn’t think of a better way to have a lasting impact on my department and organization than to be leading the growth and development of the employees within it.
Q2. How have you been able to make an immediate impact?
Nick Friedman (Digital Content Training Manager): I’ve had the luxury of uninterrupted focus on the development of training and continuing education materials for new hires and current employees alike. The immediate impact of my work has been to extract, organize, and disseminate the extraordinary knowledge that we have collectively as a discipline. It’s less about what I’m creating, and more about the raw materials I’m giving shape to.
Brett Butler (Technical SEO Training Manager): We’ve recently begun rolling out the first iteration of what we’re referring to as development plans. These plans are customized roadmaps where training managers and discipline managers are partnering with team members to help grow in areas that are both important to their craft and in alignment with their individual interests and goals. I am very excited to see how this piece of our program works and evolves over time — I am proud to have played a part in getting these plans into operation.
Collin Kohberger (Digital Outreach Training Manager): One thing that comes to mind for me is the new reporting method in the Outreach section of our Quarterly Business Reviews with clients. We had a presentation go very well with a client and Mac loved the way we showed our progress and impact in Outreach. He wanted it to become the standard reporting structure. I met with Leah Demming, the (rock-star) Team Lead involved so I could understand the entire process of developing that section of the presentation. I took that information and created a training session for all Team Leads and Outreach Managers. I was able to get the required templates and materials to our Project Management team so it’s now part of our process. Stakeholders in the Outreach team have already been trained on how to use the new material. It was great!
Q3. How do you view the relationship between training and professional development at Terakeet?
Nick Friedman (Digital Content Training Manager): The training materials we’re piecing together ensure the type of level-setting necessary to growing a company—and growing within a company. We’re giving employees the information and skills they need to become confident practitioners of their craft. That’s a huge asset to anyone working—as we all are—on professional development.
Brett Butler (Technical SEO Training Manager): Truthfully, there’s more overlap between training and professional development than not. The same way that team members are individually committed toward developing themselves professionally, Terakeet is committed to providing a program to enable this growth, along with training where organizationally appropriate. I remember seeing this cartoon years ago, where a CFO is depicted asking the CEO “What happens if we train them and they leave?.” The CEO responds “what if we don’t… and they stay?” It’s a corporate dilemma that I’m proud to say we’re on the right side of – investing in the growth of our people.
Collin Kohberger (Digital Outreach Training Manager): I think one of the core responsibilities for us as Training Managers is to ensure that all employees have the tools they need in order to grow and thrive within the organization. While employees will always have their colleagues and managers to lean on for opportunities to grow & learn, we need to make sure those doing the teaching, ourselves included, are armed with the information necessary to make those sessions successful. The train can’t leave the station if no one has laid down any rail.
Q4. What’s one thing you’re really excited to do in your new role in the near future?
Nick Friedman (Digital Content Training Manager): I’m excited to see how future iterations of training materials make greater and more innovative use of various media (video, voice-over, gamification) to enhance learner UX and maximize the retention of information.
Brett Butler (Technical SEO Training Manager): I’m excited to see what the new ‘normal’ becomes. And then the new ‘normal’ after that. The idea of training and development in my mind is that it never really ends. Our role is really similar to that of an educator or a parent. There are milestones that we want “students” to hit, so that additional learning can be done to achieve the next milestone… essentially done in perpetuity. The benefits of this approach can be realized by the individuals on the team, Terakeet as a whole, and the clients we partner with.
Collin Kohberger (Digital Outreach Training Manager): I can’t wait to start building out the Continuing Education curriculum for our Digital Outreach Specialists and Senior Digital Outreach Specialists. I think it’s one of the biggest gaps we need to fill in the Outreach department and it will have a major impact on the development of our people. The mix of soft skills and craft specific training will guide our people to become experts in Outreach, but also set them up to have a lasting impact on our company for many years to come!