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A good learning and development program is the single largest culture-carrying component of an organization. Alexi Robichaux, Co-Founder & CEO at BetterUp, speaks about how L&D programs and organizations today have made headway in embracing more innovative technologies, and have adapted to the changing workforce by focusing on leadership capabilities that address complexity, engagement, and integrity. Prior to BetterUp, Alexi was the Director of Product Management at VMware, where he led product and design teams in building enterprise collaboration software that earned Gartner’s “best in class†distinction. Alexi holds a BA degree in political science and non-profit management with Summa Cum Laude distinction from the University of Southern California.
Let’s start by briefly introducing BetterUp. In a sentence, what is BetterUp and what’s it’s unique value proposition?
BetterUp is a mobile-based leadership development platform that brings personalized coaching to employees at all levels of Fortune 500 organizations.
As a leadership development thought leader, what was your DevLearn experience like? Which trends caught your eye?
I started BetterUp after suffering from burnout in my career. Overnight, I became a young executive, with people twice my age reporting to me, asking me for answers to questions I didn’t yet know how to answer. I eventually quit my job to take time to focus on my personal health, during this time I thought a lot about how my experience must be similar to many others in my position. If I were in high school, or at the top of the career ladder, I would have been given a coach. But mid-level managers are frequently left to outdated career workshops to build the skills needed to thrive in today’s workplace.
We founded BetterUp in response to the gap in the learning and development industry for solutions that offer personalized, measurable learning at scale. By leveraging technology to improve and scale the coaching experience, we’re able to offer this effective learning method to all employees of an organization – not just the C-suite. Not only does BetterUp’s proprietary technology offer a more tailored and personalized learning experience, it is significantly more convenient than traditional coaching.
It is said that learning and development programs that are successful are integrated. Do you provide ways for companies to continue learning after they receive traditional training like a workshop?
Through a holistic, science-based methodology, BetterUp coaches develop new leadership behaviors and mindsets that enable high performance in an environment of accelerating change. Our programs focus on integrated learning, increasing an individual’s knowledge of a specific skill, as current programs do, but taking it a step further by helping the individual apply their newfound knowledge and receive quick feedback. BetterUp’s platform can also augment traditional programs, like workshops, to provide that “long-tail†of behavior change through follow-up coaching and skill development. The virtuous cycle of learning, application, and feedback is where sustained behavior change takes root.
Each BetterUp member is matched with a certified coach through an algorithm, whom they meet with virtually via video or phone chat for weekly 30-minute sessions. Guided by one of several tracks chosen by the user, the coach provides virtual, bite-sized resources and other exercises to support the individual’s particular needs. Coaches track their progress with in-depth dashboards, giving companies a measurable ROI that is supported by scientific and behavioral research. With the technology interface and its ability to augment the live coaches, coaching can be both more affordable, more convenient, and more readily accessible than traditional coaching.
How are you seeing Chief Learning Officers and CHROs adapt to changes in corporate training and talent development?
Chief Learning Officers are eager to find the right solutions to equip their workforce with the skills needed for tomorrow’s economy. Companies spend millions on corporate development training programs, but many still fall short of delivering measurable behavior change. We recently held our inaugural Shift conference that brought together leading Chief Learning Officers and Chief Human Resource Officers to discuss the importance of developing imagination, meaning, and purpose in the modern workplace. **With the modern workforce in the midst of transformation, many organizations are reimagining their innovation strategy, enabling their employees to bring their whole, authentic selves to work**. With this new freedom, employees need a new mental model of work, where imagination, purpose, and belonging prevail.
How do you know when a leadership development program or a learning solution is effective?
The success of learning and development programs are traditionally measured with saturation (how many employees use it) and satisfaction (did they like it) metrics. We measure three layers of success at BetterUp: (1) saturation and satisfaction, (2) business impacts, and (3) behavioral outcomes. BetterUp’s Whole PersonTM model was developed by a team of behavioral scientists and positive psychology experts to measure improvement in 25 specific skills including “Growth Mindset†and “Trust†which are crucial to success as an emerging leader. These skills are measured and tracked with in-depth dashboards through the BetterUp platform.
How should learning and development be organized to meet the needs and expectations of millennials?
A commitment to coaching is one of the best ways you can lead a millennial-strong workforce. A recent Gallup pollOpens a new window explained how millennials have a deep desire to make their lives meaningful through work. Coaches foster performance through a personalized approach and get to know people as a whole person. Learning and development programs should be personalized, engaging and provide ongoing feedback to meet the needs of millenials.
How does leadership development fit into the overall employee experience or future workplace experience?
Meaningful work and human development are the focal points of what employees want and the centerpiece of a well-crafted employee experience. Leadership development has evolved from being billed as another company “perk†to an essential and required element for developing and retaining employees. **For learning and development programs to succeed in a measurable way, organizations must support a culture of growth and change**. Trainees need to have the support of their peers and bosses, aligned objectives, and sufficient resources to practice new learning for sustained behavior change. Training programs can lead to measurable results, but only with additional support to drive lasting behavior change.
What would be your advice to someone starting their career in organizational development or learning and development?
Spend as much time immersing yourself in the business as possible to deeply understand their needs and what drives success. Using an agile metaphor, view yourself as a “product manager,†crafting experiences that deliver specific outcomes and business value to the product owner.
Gain a functional understanding of the exciting emerging world of psychology and neuroscience related to human performance and fulfillment. Research fields like positive psychology, behavioral economics, and positive organizational behavior. These academic fields are discovering new truths of human functioning and performance and can serve as a powerful resource for you as a human capital leader. We are learning more and more each day about what makes us tick and how we best perform; many paradigms in business and “best practices†are already antiquated and to stay at the edge is to be at the intersection of these emerging fields of research and practice (business).
Big conventions and gatherings often give a glimpse into the future. What is your take on the future of corporate L&D?
**Corporate L&D is at the precipice of change because it has to**. The corporate training market in the US alone tops $130 billion, yet many of these programs fail to deliver the transformative change required of organizations today. Meaning and purpose is emerging as a key theme for the future of learning and development and was a focal point at our inaugural Shift Conference in January.
What questions are your buyers asking you? How is that impacting BetterUp’s roadmap? Are there any new features or upcoming upgrades that you’re excited about and would like to give us a sneak peek into?
BetterUp customers, which include global brands such as LinkedIn, Lyft and Deloitte, find measurable value in our learning development platform. We often receive unsolicited feedback about both the quality of our coaching and the ease of the experience. We plan to continue to invest in our dashboard and reporting capabilities as well as apply greater support to specific use cases requested by customers.