Speaker 2 (00:05.41)

Welcome back to Learning Matters. I'm Doug Wooldridge, your host. And today I'm very excited to chat with our guest. She's got 15 years experience in human capital management, talent strategy, and process improvement. She's won multiple awards for excellence in HR leadership, and she's learning director at US Bank. Dasha Crosby, welcome to the show.

Thank you Doug for having me. That intro gave me the boost that I needed today. you.

Awesome. Well, today we're going to go over some of the biggest questions and most exciting changes in the world of learning and development. So I'd like to start with this. What strategy matters most in learning and development today?

It's a tale as old as time. You have to understand the pain points that your learners have to develop a solid strategy. And it's any strategy. It's not just learning. It's any business strategy, any strategy as an entrepreneur or whether you work in a corporate setting, understanding what barrier points, are, like what's preventing someone from accessing and using the product that you put out, right?

Definitely.

Speaker 1 (01:20.246)

And also understanding what's preventing someone from seeing the value in the product that you put out. understanding your customer pain points, your learner pain points is critical to developing a really solid strategy in addition to understanding the root cause of those pain points, right? So a lot of the times we hear, I just don't have time. It's like, I don't have time to learn. It's too many priorities.

Well, why do you have so many priorities? Well, you know, the administration at my school is telling me this, or my manager and executives are telling me this. Okay, why are your managers telling you that these are the priorities? And how are you working with your team to set expectations with your leaders, set expectations with the people who you are privileged to lead and prioritize this and see the value in it, right? So.

Those are some of the most critical parts of strategy and developing strategy and learning. But most importantly, it's critical for us as learning professionals to stay on the cutting edge of everything in our industry and continue to upskill ourselves and lean into technology. I always say I'm a lifelong learner. Most people who I know in the learning space are lifelong learners. We just love it. We can sit in a classroom, sit.

and watch micro learnings, it's just what we love to do. So continuing to upscale ourselves is critical as well.

Definitely. And has that strategy always kind of been at the forefront of your mind of the love for learning or was there like an aha moment that led you to this having that be the most important part of your strategy?

Speaker 1 (03:06.518)

Yeah, it's a great question. I'd say that hasn't always been a part of my strategy early on. And this, I learned this lesson the hard way you go into discussions and you understand the value and you believe in it and you just automatically expect somebody else to. Right. So it's like, of course, this is amazing. You should, I think it's amazing. You should think it's amazing too. And you should see how it helps you. Right. but.

Communicating in a way that the person on the other understands is critical. So not communicating in the way that I want to be communicated to, but being able to articulate this strategy, articulate the value of learning in a way that resonates with the audience and the person you're influencing. So in my space, with business partners, they want to understand

how is it going to impact their strategy? They want to understand how is it going to continue to improve employee engagement? Of course, how is it going to influence revenue generating activity? It's really important to communicate in the way that others communicate to get that strategy across. Understanding learning is not a check the box activity. I love that.

Yeah, it's not we did it. Check. You know, we have our list and we knocked it out, which is very common, right? You to have to be in compliance. We have we have we all have people we answer to. Right. And so just just understanding that was a big moment that, you know, learning is not something that you just go in and say you did. It is a journey and it is a process and it is something that continuously keeps you.

on the cutting edge of innovation. keeps you, if you maintain that curiosity mindset, there's nothing but growth there. And really being able to ask how might we versus we should do this is a critical, those are the aha moments that I've had. again, lessons learned hard.

Speaker 2 (05:20.074)

Yeah, I think just the ability to step into the learner's shoes for five minutes while on the process of doing just the initial analysis side of things just allows you to be like, okay, well, I know we're starting here, but our end point is the learner. So how can we make sure that they have success in learning? are there any best practices that you that you try to focus on while thinking of the learner?

during those analysis and design phases.

Absolutely. And that's another piece that a lot of folks don't understand is there are phases to how we create learning experiences. And I can't tell you how many times folks come to you like, I can do learning. I'll go in front of a class and teach them how to do this. But there's so much information that we have now and research that we have available to us now that says lecturing is not the best way that.

that a lot of people learn. A lot of people learn from experience and exposure to different content and exposure and experience to different ideas, right? And so education being a critical part, but being that, you know, a smaller part of how we learn and then understanding that there's a whole army of people who are experts in this field that are there to help you create that experience, right? And not all of us are experts in everything.

I like public speaking. Can I facilitate? I can, but I prefer to lean on my peers, right? Who are really great at that. I love the consulting space and we also have instructional designers that are on the cutting edge of technologies and platforms and those folks are, they're important and critical to creating and learning experiences across the industry. So just even being able to help.

Speaker 1 (07:13.634)

someone understands there's a whole army of us that, and we have so many different skill sets, but we're working together to create a really impactful experience for you as the learner or for your team, right? If you're looking to upskill your team.

And yeah, I think there's something to be said about how the community aspect of the learning and development field is so important to getting to that point of where the learner is actually taking in something, having an incredible experience and enjoying it and sees the true value in them taking the time out of their day to learn something new. how do you measure success and demonstrate the ROI to stakeholders?

And not just like the C-suite folks, but the learners as well, for them to have full buy-in to the time that they have to develop or the time that they have to spend working on this training or the amount of money for the C-suite folks to put forth to make this training happen.

It's ROI is such a huge question, right? And being able to communicate like, what is the return on the investment that I'm making in our learning partners? What am I getting back from this? Right? it's an important question. We have to answer it. The most important thing in communicating ROI is starting with the first question you asked and that strategy and being able to say, this is what we've set out to do.

here's how it's aligned to your business and speaking your language, right? And here's what we plan to measure as a part of the activities or the solutions that we bring to you. And this is critical in the strategy as well as being able to say, need access to that data to let us know if we are moving the needle. And in order for us to be successful in...

Speaker 1 (09:12.906)

and co-create this phenomenal strategy to enable you. And that's what we're here for is to enable, right? Enable our business. Being able to say, you know, what barrier points do we have to access that data? And let's talk about how we remove those barrier points and talk about what, you know, what partnerships do we need to make sure that they're clear too.

that in order for us to show you ROI, we have to understand the data. We have to have strong data analytics. And that's another arm of learning that we have is data analytics and program evaluation. So that's critical to being able to communicate and share ROI.

That's the beauty of living in 2025 is that you have so many options now of data points that you can gain while the learners are going through the learning. Why waste any of that? You have to take every piece of that data and try to make something out of it so that you can showcase these are the points that we can do better at or these are the things that we're excelling at.

Absolutely, absolutely. I will play in data all day. It's a skill set. Like even being able to storytell with data is a skill set, right? And understanding how do you put, in Brene Brown's words, like the soul behind the data, how do you bring in more of the stories and put a face to the data is really important as well.

Yeah. With that in mind, are there any top trends that you're focusing on here in the future for our industry?

Speaker 1 (10:55.586)

Yeah, so, you know, of course AI is revolutionizing every industry. you know, the thing that I think about the most is how is it going to improve and enhance the speed in which we can get content to people, the accuracy in which maybe we can personalize the content more so that

As a learner, when I'm accessing this information, it's saying my name and saying, are the skills that we're about to work on today. I I have apps for exercise and it's replacing personal trainers, right? Because I can just go on an app and it's like, hello, and here are your goals based on all of the health information that you've provided.

But so I'm really looking forward to seeing how AI is enhancing that experience in terms of speed to market, personalization and content and thinking about it in a way of possibilities versus fear. Because there is a very genuine fear, right? That these things are going to happen and my job will not exist anymore. And I think the way I've reframed it is,

these things are happening and my job will be better because I won't have to do the things that are administrative or the things that would normally take me five hours, I can do in five minutes because now I can really focus on data analytics or now I can really focus on creating a really strong strategy. And so I look at AI as a personal assistant. Yeah. Yeah.

I think that's where it's at its strongest. Making sure that we're keeping on tabs of things that sometimes get put to the back burner and then also taking those things and taking care of them for us.

Speaker 1 (12:39.488)

Absolutely.

Speaker 1 (12:52.494)

Mm-hmm. And I have lots of tasks that it can take in my personal life. Just create my grocery list, go pick up, you know, do the logistics for the week with all the kids. So I have a whole list of things that I can have a hand do.

Definitely. And what about things like VR and AR? Have you had any chance to play around with those?

Yeah, so I'll tell you that that that is something that I would love to heavily invest in just and I think about it, you know, the immersive experience, the immersive learning experiences that it offers and just how, you know, in a global economy, we may have we do have the possibility of immersing ourselves in a culture, maybe before we visit it, maybe before we we we, you know, consider

you know, having our business as a part of that culture, like we can go and immerse ourselves in it, understand communication styles, understand, you know, business norms, and just not even from a business perspective, just even as a better human, right? Like if I want to understand the lived experience of someone else, I can put on, you know, these...

these pretty cool goggles or I'm downplaying it, but I can put this on and really understand how someone who doesn't look like me or who doesn't come from where I come from experiences the world. It's mind-blowing, gives me goosebumps just thinking about it right now.

Speaker 1 (14:29.742)

I think my husband will be on board too and making that investment because he's gone to the Apple store and he's mind blown. you know, I did this and it felt so real. it's just, it's really amazing what we'll be able to do from the comfort of our own home or our office and what we'll be able to learn.

Definitely. And do you see any challenges that we have in this community kind of embracing these emerging trends?

Yeah, for sure the fear, right? And I mean, we've seen this, we've seen the technology revolution, industrial revolution, and we've seen, you know, we've been, either our parents or grandparents have been a part of some extraordinary revolution in how we do work. And there's always that fear that somehow I will be eliminated in this transformation. And so just being able to lean into that fear and again, embrace that,

curiosity mindset and ask ourselves how might we and what are the possibilities versus I'm going to resist this thing until it's no longer an option. And then we get left behind. And so you think about some of the big companies that, like a Blackbuster, right? That they were on the cutting edge. I used to go to Blackbuster every weekend and pick out a movie. It was the highlight of my weekend. And then all of a sudden,

We're getting these little DVDs emailed to our house through Netflix or mailed to our house. So there's so many examples of why we need to embrace possibilities and ask ourselves how we can constantly improve and rely on new technology. there's an amazing book called Unmasking AI and is by Joy Balamwini and she is

Speaker 1 (16:28.096)

She calls herself a poet of code and I love that. But she just really dives into making sure that we understand why the human aspect is so important in a world of machines. she does it much more justice than I do. So educating ourselves again, why learning matters is educating ourselves on on what these things are. Right. And not relying on other sources to tell us like, you know, embrace your own

your own brain and go and find out what these things are on your own. Research them, use your ability to critical thinking and really lean in to say, yes, my role or my position may change and I'm ready for it and I'm open to it. And I'm going to use this to help get my kids ahead of the game and get my nieces and nephews ahead of the game.

because things will change for them too. So just the end.

I want to go back and talk a little bit about access, accessibility as a whole, something that you've mentioned a couple of times. How do we make sure that while we're developing learning programs, no matter how big or small, that accessibility is at the forefront of our minds?

That's a great question. And it's something that you would think is just, everyone has access. Whenever you're creating something, like, of course, when I put this out, everyone's going to have access. Everyone's going to come to it. And again, any industry we're supporting, whether it's in a corporate space or education, higher education, you're just going to assume that when you put it out there, they will come. And I love the saying.

Speaker 1 (18:20.878)

And there's opportunity for us to think about, you know, what are some of the barriers, again, that people may have? And it could be, you know, maybe there is a visual or hearing barrier, right? And so how do we make sure that we're including things that no matter how the learner, no matter how we learn, that it is accessible in a way that if I am hearing impaired, have the tools to still.

access this and get the value that I need from this content. Environment is very important too. So when we think about access and environment, are there environmental barriers to learning programs and content? Again, whether you're sitting in an office space, maybe I've had people share with me that.

There's too much happening around me and I cannot focus on this piece. And so even being able to consider, you need to have dedicated spaces in an office setting where people are going in a quiet room and they're able to focus and dedicate time to their own development, which is giving you an investment and a return on your investment as an organization. So access is so important. And it's like that thing sometimes that

we miss is, you know, it's great. I love that we built it, but what are some of the things that would prevent someone, right, to being able to use this and it prevent our whole audience, not just one, you know, demographic of our audience, but think about, you know, all the different ways people learn, all the different ways we were created, right? So in all the, you know, so just taking advantage of,

curiosity again and just asking ourselves how can we make sure the right access is there for people to learn is important.

Speaker 2 (20:17.038)

Definitely. And I think that just makes better training overall. Having inclusive training gives us the ability to play in worlds that we're not necessarily used to and embracing other cultures that we're not necessarily used to. So, yeah, I'd like to get into some more personal side of things. So tell me about you. Take me back to to little Deja days. What led you to become the learning director at US Bank?

Yeah, well, this is a great I love talking about my hometown. So I love this question. So born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Northeast Ohio, which is near Cleveland. And shout out Lebron James and shout out the whole James family. That.

Shout out to Ron James.

Speaker 2 (21:05.646)

you

very much shaped who I am today. know, Northeast Ohio, Michigan area, it's all, it's very much focused on the auto industry. you're thinking like, you know, tires, cars, you know, just really hard working people and just the most down to earth and most. So I say that to say.

My upbringing and the area that I grew up in gave me a really beautiful view of the world and not just one part of the world, but my family represents the majority of the world. so being able to see life even as a multicultural family, right? So I am both, all, I'm black, I'm white, I'm Filipino. There's so many different.

cultures just mixed up in my family and even being able to see the differences in cultures and I say this all the time, it helps me relate to people, it gives me an advantage because everyone I meet literally looks like they could be in my family. So I automatically have just this strong sense of familiarity, right? When I meet people and talk to people and it gave me an advantage to be able

to relate to people in a way that helps them, that helps me, gives me a lot of joy in sitting in spaces where I can be in a group of executives or I can be sitting with a group of call center agents and it's all the same. I mean, I am who I am no matter what setting you put me in.

Speaker 1 (22:55.392)

I treat people the way that they want to be treated, not how I think they should be treated. But the most important thing is that got me to where I am today and prioritizing education. So my grandparents had a strong influence. My grandmother's had a strong influence on my life growing up. And I often think about the things that not just them, but my parents, my aunts and uncles didn't have access to.

and the things that I am privileged to have access to, it feels like I have to pay, I have to do it because, you know, there's so many things, so many talents and skills that the women in my life had, but didn't have access to showcase them and access to make the amount of money that they deserve to make because of those skills. So I just feel like every time I get to...

you meet people like you, Doug, and come on podcasts like these and go to work every day. I am paying homage to them and just, you know, being a, trying to be a good person and just, you know, spread as much knowledge as I can about myself, about learning and the importance of education, because that's exactly what they would want me to do.

I think that's beautiful. What got you into education in the first place?

Yeah, so I actually, I always say I was born and raised in mortgage. I started my career in the mortgage space. And, you know, I think a lot of folks when they come into learning, it's because they get really good at something and then someone asks them to train other people to do it. So that was my introduction. And I was fortunate to have an opportunity

Speaker 2 (24:20.334)

That's it.

Speaker 1 (24:43.276)

to do that and relocate from Ohio to Texas to do that. And it was an amazing opportunity to be able to watch people pick up on a new skill and be excited about it. But the thing that really got me going was seeing people's career grow. I'm like, wow, we taught them something and they got really good at it.

continue to ask us questions on how they could get better at it. And now they're, you know, an executive, right? And so just being able to say you had a hand or a piece in someone's career and their ability to grow, that is what really drives me. And that's what that's what got me into education, minus the fact that I love learning. I love to be a learner. So.

It's a perfect marriage.

It's perfect.

Wonderful. Well, before I get you out of here, I got to ask one last question, which is my favorite question. If you could go back in time and chat with yourself just coming out of college, what advice would you give to yourself? Not really what advice would you give to the younger generation, but what advice would you give to young Dasha?

Speaker 1 (26:02.978)

Yeah, I love that question.

Speaker 1 (26:08.682)

I think the thing I would tell myself first is everything will work out. coming out of college, I actually had my first born in college. And so I spent so much time thinking about our future that I didn't spend as much time in the present as I wish I would have. And I'm trying my best to make that up. And also,

Hahaha!

Speaker 1 (26:37.27)

I would tell myself it's going to actually work out very well. So just being able to reassure myself that and would be perfect and also spend as much time with the people that you love, family, friends. I can't tell you how many times, Doug, I've been a part of teams, it was internal, external teams.

Life changes so fast for people and you just never know what will happen. And so being able to spend time with the people that you love and spend time with doing the things that you love is going to be so important. And sometimes I think we get in our careers and we unconsciously prioritize the wrong things. And just, I would tell myself, keep an eye out for that. And

Do the things you love and spend the time, spend most of your time with the people that you love.

100 % agree. Yeah. Well, before we close this up today, how can people reach out to you?

I am on LinkedIn, so it's the best way to reach out to me, the best way to get in touch with me, Dasha Crosby. I might be the only Dasha Crosby, I don't know. I haven't looked it up, but.

Speaker 2 (27:58.018)

We'll have the link in the description.

Awesome. Thank you for that. And any, you know, I love to connect with people. When you do reach out, if you don't get a reply within a couple of days, do not worry. I try my best to keep up, but the more I can, I can support others, the better.

Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. This has been an incredible conversation. So I really appreciate you coming on the show with us today, Dasha.

Thank you for having me, Doug. I really appreciate the opportunity.

Thank you listeners. If you learned something today or if you had a laugh, tell somebody about the show for us. Thanks again, Dasha.

Speaker 1 (28:37.888)

Awesome, thanks.

This has been another episode of learning matters as always like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and don't hesitate to reach out to us here at TTC innovations to learn more about how we can help you with your custom training needs. See you next time.