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As Ollie's Bargain Outlet continues its rapid expansion across the United States, learning and development plays a critical role in preparing leaders at every level to succeed. In this episode of Powered by Learning, Navia Lee, Senior Manager of Training at Ollie's Bargain Outlet shares how her team supports more than 670 stores through leadership development, scalable training programs, and a growing culture of learning.

 

Show Notes: Navia Lee from Ollie's Bargain Outlet share how their leaders build capabilities in team members. Her insights include these key points.

• Leadership development happens in everyday moments. One of Ollie's key leadership messages is "Build riders, not dependents." The focus is on helping leaders move beyond simply providing answers and instead develop critical thinking, judgment, and capability in others.
• Training must be practical, scalable, and immediately applicable. With hundreds of stores and rapid growth, Ollie's prioritizes learning experiences that can be used right away. Content is intentionally concise, focused, and designed for real-world retail environments.
• Ollie's University is creating consistency across the organization. The company's new learning management system provides foundational training, role-based learning pathways, reporting capabilities, and sustainment tools that reinforce learning long after formal training events conclude.
• The most effective leadership programs prioritize application over presentation. Programs like Rising Stars have evolved from presentation-heavy sessions to blended learning experiences that combine self-paced learning, real-world assignments, peer discussions, and facilitated debriefs.
• AI is helping a lean L&D team move faster and smarter. Navia's team uses AI to streamline course development, create engaging content featuring Ollie's brand characters, analyze survey feedback, and increase efficiency—all while maintaining responsible governance and data security.
   

Learn more about Ollie's Bargain Outlet

Powered by Learning earned Awards of Distinction in the Podcast/Audio and Business Podcast categories from The Communicator Awards and a Gold and Silver Davey Award. The podcast is also named to Feedspot's Top 40 L&D podcasts and Training Industry’s Ultimate L&D Podcast Guide.