Visionary L&D leader respected for creating transformative learning cultures that drive organizational success. Skilled at bridging performance gaps through innovative strategies, blending adult learning principles with cutting-edge technology, and fostering cross-functional collaborations that boost employee engagement. Delightfully disruptive strategist known for a relentless pursuit of excellence, empowering teams to exceed expectations, and delivering high-impact programs that align learning initiatives with broader business goals. Adept at developing forward-thinking solutions that address current organizational challenges while preparing for future competitive pressures.
With extensive experience spanning multiple industries including:
I earned a master's degree in management, strategy, and leadership with an HR management concentration from Michigan State University's Eli Broad College of Business - a top five program.
Powered by an undergraduate degree in psychology from Madonna University and as a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) from the Association of Talent Development (ATD), I excel at leading effective talent development initiatives that help organizations meet the needs of today while preparing for competitive pressures of the future.
I've earned the designation of Master Trainer from ATD and am currently pursuing SHRM's SCP (Senior Certified Professional of HR) credential.
My business acumen is complemented by associate degrees in both accounting and business management as well as certifications as a Change Management Specialist (CMS) and Six Sigma Lean Professional.
I believe effective learning solutions must measure ROI/ROE to gauge their organizational impact. Performance data and metrics should be analyzed alongside learner and stakeholder feedback to create a continuous feedback loop that drives a dynamic and iterative learning cycle.
Combined, these credentials establish me as an expert, able to envision and implement talent development interventions that transform mere mortals into performance superstars.
Budget management and P&L responsibility for organizations from start-ups to established international companies.
Comfortable with annual budgeting processes, expense controls, vendor selection/management, and contract negotiations.
Talent development represents a significant investment for organizations with an average spend of $1,220 per employee in 2022. This makes ROI/ROE calculations critical to assess organizational impact and prioritize future interventions that will have a positive effect on the bottom-line and growth.
A life-long student of cognitive and positive psychology and learning processes, I'm passionate about helping organizations realize competitive advantage through strategic talent development programs. Research shows that stronger talent development initiatives lead to stronger financial performance; a result everyone wants.
Design of an organization's learning strategy and interventions can be critical to its long-term success. I specialize in leading innovative learning solutions that will engage employees at all levels and challenge them to help cultivate a learning culture.
Developing teams and leading them to success can be tough. From the inception of start-ups and in the formation of newly created departments, I've built teams from the ground up and successfully taken on the leadership and development of existing teams.
In all instances, I'm fortunate to have a core group of talented individuals who have chosen to work with me at multiple organizations. Wherever I move, I bring access to a gifted and capable candidate pool spanning L&D, sales, sales operations, coaching, and quality control, among other key functions.
Why do so many leadership development programs fail to deliver long-term results? There are three primary reasons: 1) lack of upper management involvement and sponsorship; 2) failure to connect to organizational objectives; 3) they're treated as a "one and done" activity.
Leadership development is a long-term objective that should align with corporate values, be designed to ferret out high performers with leadership potential, and challenge current leaders to become increasingly more effective in their roles. If your current leadership development efforts don't seem to be working, we should talk about them.
Not all organizational designs are created equal. In fact, some org charts continue to maintain positions that are ineffective or lack strategic purpose.
Experienced with a variety of org structures, job analysis, job design, enrichment, and enlargement approaches, I'm equipped to help ensure that all roles in the organization are creating value or supporting the creation of value.
Does your team love your performance management process? Most managers indicate their performance management process and/or system is ineffective, time consuming, and full of outdated performance feedback. A forward-thinking approach is the only way to ensure your team is getting relevant, actionable feedback.
Learning and development initiatives play an integral part in the performance management process -- when used wisely. If your L&D and performance management teams aren't in lock-step, you need a leader who can bring them together. If you're nodding your head as you're reading this, rest easy: I can help.
Despite its importance in the workplace, many managers and leaders lack effective coaching skills. The majority of companies neglect to develop managers' coaching skills leaving countless performance improvement opportunities on the table.
I leverage a variety of coaching models to help new managers develop impactful coaching skills and executives continue to hone theirs.
Virtually all corporate initiatives involve some measure of change, yet many organizations neglect to effectively manage its impact during training interventions. As a certified Change Management Specialist (CMS), I design comprehensive learning solutions that include change management considerations, optimize impact, and maximize job transfer.
Engaging employees and engaging them as learners are similar but distinct functions with equal importance. Engaging employees as learners creates the environment of a learning organization -- a cultural trait that fosters innovation, continuous learning, and constant improvement.
Learning programs must be designed to engage even the most resistant learners across modalities. Whether in-person or virtual, instructor led training (ILT), microlearning, LMS modules, or AI-based, learning solutions have to meet learners where they need it, how they need it, when they need it. I approach learning and training from a blended perspective to achieve desired organizational outcomes.
The days of considering the "gift of gab" as the singular qualification for a successful sales pro are over. It's a corporate failure that most sellers receive very little -- if any -- sales training once hired.
The solution? Define your organization's sales process and language. Map it. Train sellers to use it. Provide coaching on its application. Ensure the organization's support functions understand it for a fully aligned sales strategy. Repeat.
Having led this process at multiple organizations, I understand how complex and how critical the sales process can be. Even more critical is the successful onboarding and continual upskilling and development of the salesforce in an ever-evolving competitive landscape.
While I firmly believe there's nothing I cannot do, there are few areas in which I excel. They include:
I'm experienced with a wide variety of technology, including. but not limited to:
· MS Office Suite (all versions)
· LMS Systems (Cornerstone, etc.)
· ATS Systems (Modern Hire, etc.)
· HR Platforms (SuccessFactors, etc.)
· Salesforce and other CRM Systems
· AI-based Performance Coaching Platforms (Brainshark)
· Virtual Training Platforms (Zoom, Teams, GoToMeeting, Google Meet, etc.)
Highly effective organizations require visionary talent and organizational development leadership that is broad in perspective, merging organizational strategy and stakeholder engagement disciplines to achieve common goals and deliver impactful performance results. In my career, I have done just that
Throughout my professional history, I have earned a sterling reputation for achieving exceptional results while directing training and development initiatives across billion-dollar organizations. I offer a successful track record of developing strategies that transform cultures and dramatically improve organizational performance.
Built Learning and Development (L&D) team for LTL sales force from scratch. Led initiatives to enhance onboarding and continuous development for 400+ sales professionals across various levels within the $774M Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) business unit. Drove measurable business outcomes by establishing targeted training programs. Collaborated with sales leaders and cross-functional teams to assess performance metrics, identify skill gaps, and tailor development plans. Created blended learning environment, integrating, virtual, in-person, elearning, LMS modules, and microlearning solutions. Fostered culture of accountability through performance coaching.
Accelerated individual performance with game-changing tools: Utilized DiSC, psychometric exams, individual development plans (IDPs), and quarterly sales training curricula. Leveraged Brainshark, a learning management system (LMS) that uses artificial intelligence (AI) in tandem with facial and vocal recognition capabilities to analyze sellers' and customer-facing personnels' messaging to customers and provide real-time feedback for optimized training, adoption, and delivery.
Transformed LTL sales organization by devising standardized sales methodology, establishing New Leader Assimilation Program, introducing performance management interventions, and continually refining programs to address ever-changing market challenges.
• Achieved 95% certification of sales force within <4 months of building an entire sales methodology training and certification program.
• Reduced new seller time to productivity from 124 days to <98 days through optimized onboarding processes.
• Identified and stopped 30% of sales force from quoting incorrect prices, resulting in significant customer experience (CX) improvement.
• Recognized as “A Player” for 3 consecutive years through performance evaluations and nominations from peers and C-suite executives.
• Successfully trained 35 sales leaders how to effectively coach and manage underperforming team members.
• Defined proprietary B2B sales methodology across entry-level, national, international, and enterprise sales channels.
• Improved CX ratings by 8 points in 90 days, partnering with operations leaders to improve sales processes at critical hand-off points.
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• Increased employee retention by working with HRBPs/leadership to enhance career mobility paths and succession plans.
• Inspired employees by showcasing behaviors of successful sellers and sales leaders. Created knowledge, skills, abilities, and other traits (KSAOs) profiles of top performers for study.
Endorsements:
“I needed someone who could empathize with the Account Executives and the challenges they faced in the field, but also drive accountability and performance through the C-level leadership and everyone level in between. I got that and more when we brought Lana onto the team. Lana showed up from the first day in the role with a level of professional grace and enthusiasm that I have rarely encountered in my career.” – Julia N., Former VP, XPO Logistics
“Dedicated, brilliant problem-solver, generous co-worker, accomplished and respected leader. These are just a few of the ways that I (and others) have described Lana. Our industry is fast-moving and often unpredictable, but Lana was completely at ease with the pace and nature of the work. She strives to deliver detailed and accessible training no matter the circumstances and knows exactly what’s called for in any situation.” – BJ C., Former Colleague, XPO Logistics
"I had the privilege of working for Lana Adams in the sales learning and development team at XPO Logistics. During her time leading our team, she demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, was a strong motivator, and consistently acted as a solution catalyst.
Lana's ability to identify and address training and development needs within the organization was exceptional. She worked closely with department leaders and employees to understand their unique challenges and provided tailored solutions that elevated the skills and knowledge of our workforce." - Holly H., Former Direct Report, XPO Logistics
Led the onboarding, training, and continuous development of 200+ call center account executives across 9 Google AdWords and Waze promotional programs. Managed team of 6 trainers and 5 quality assurance sales coaches. Oversaw implementation of instructional design and adult learning methodologies to enhance sales performance, coaching effectiveness, and leadership development. Certified sales managers through Emblaze’s Accredited Inside Sales Manager (AISM) program.
Drove performance and skill improvement through individual development plans and targeted training initiatives.
• Boosted sales performance and customer satisfaction through redesigned onboarding/ongoing coaching programs.
• Improved retention and application of training materials by introducing microlearning techniques into the curriculum.
• Enabled swift interventions by developing performance dashboards that allowed early identification of trends and performance gaps.
• Enhanced accountability and measurable results by integrating SMART goals into all training initiatives.
• Significantly improved feedback loop by streamlining sales quality assurance reporting processes.
• Increased program effectiveness by applying instructional design methodologies to revamp all materials. Incorporated diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B) principles into all training and development initiatives.
Endorsements:
"As a leader Lana was one of the biggest influences in my career. Her knowledge in Learning and Development provided structure and strength to programs we had worked on. Lana's career has allowed her to network and accumulate vast recourses that make her not only an outstanding leader, but an inspirer with those around her." - Alex K., Former Direct Report, Infinity
"In my time working with Lana, I witnessed her strategically re-structure a team that had been under-resourced and poorly utilized and transform it into a team that became highly regarded and heavily relied upon at every level from New Hire to CEO. The standards of professional excellence she held herself to and expected of her team created immediate impact and allowed the SD team to be a real force for positive culture change at Infinity." - Sloane M., Former Direct Report, Infinity
Produced CX-focused sales strategies, optimized lead generation and sales enablement, and led annual sales strategy for marketing display manufacturer. Greatly improved competitiveness of clients and company by integrating innovative technologies into displays and strategizing new solutions to track consumer behaviors. Analyzed market trends to optimize product offerings within key verticals, including retail, petroleum, and convenience stores. Hired, trained, developed, and steered team of up to 13 B2B sales professionals. Managed all business administration needs of the POP sales division.
Enhanced product knowledge and sales by introducing educational marketing materials for manufacturers’ reps and partners.
• Successfully directed all salesforce development initiatives, including Sandler Sales Training, The Challenger Sale, and SPIN Selling.
• Exceeded margin targets of 37.9% – surpassing goal of 35.5% – while managing $20M+ annual P&L.
• Improved forecasting by defining key performance indicators (KPIs) to track conversion ratios, average sales cycles, and lead sources.
• Set bold new vision for integrating technology and performance metrics, showcasing return-on-investment (ROI) of displays.
Empowered businesses and franchise owners to optimize operations through personalized consulting and coaching to enhance individual and team performance. Delivered customized training content on various business topics including sales techniques and leadership development.
Greatly reduced employee turnover and improved organizational performance through customized consulting, assessments, evaluation, and selection tools.
• Led training sessions with 300+ participants, conducted in-person and virtual workshops, and spearheaded skill-building initiatives.
• Improved performance and engagement for client sales teams by implementing branded and customized sales training content.
• Accelerated ramp-up time for sales hires by delivering training programs using cognitive psychology and adult learning principles.
Led sales talent development for 250+ franchise locations and 750+ frontline and B2B sales professionals. Drove consistent revenue growth by creating and implementing international sales training programs. Focused on improving conversion rates, enhancing customer experience, and maintaining brand integrity through partnership with franchisees. Developed impactful leadership programs and comprehensive sales training curriculum focused on solutions-based, value-driven, and consultative selling methodologies.
Drove annual corporate sales growth of 18%-20% for 3 straight years and set 5-year vision for national sales department.
• Boosted sales team performance across franchises by defining KPIs, KSAOs, OKRs, and implementing peer-to-peer coaching programs.
• Enhanced lead conversion and forecasting by developing performance metrics and pipeline management tools.
· Established and trained an Inside Sales team achieving a 69% average closing ratio
· Developed and trained the salesforce to leverage value-based and consultative selling techniques and skills
· Created training content and materials to support independent distributors’ knowledge of equipment, installation and set-up, and caregiving protocols with first responders, families, and designated caregivers
· Led the development of all marketing efforts, trade show strategy, public relations, social media, and corporate communications
· Recognized opportunities to partner with retailers specializing in electronic technology, healthcare, and the elderly, opening a new revenue stream for the organization