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At kdc/one, learning is more than a support function—it’s a driver of business performance. In this episode, kdc/one’s Director of Learning and Development Sharron Northern shares how she’s building a global strategy that simplifies complexity, aligns with business goals, and creates real demand for development.

Show Notes:

kdc/one’s Sharron Northern focuses on simplifying systems, focusing on leaders and creating meaningful learning experiences to drive engagement and performance. Her top takeaways include:

• Start with what leaders care about. Align learning initiatives to real business priorities to quickly build trust and demonstrate value.
• Create a “pull” for learning—not just push. When learning solves real problems, leaders actively seek it out, increasing engagement and impact.
• Simplify to scale. Breaking down complex systems and focusing on clear priorities enables global organizations to move faster and more effectively.
• Integrate learning into performance systems. Embedding development into performance management ensures learning is reinforced, measured, and sustained.
• Design for engagement and application. Interactive elements like role play, peer discussion, and even gamification—when used intentionally—drive retention and behavior change.

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Transcript

Susan Cort: [00:00:00] At kdc/one, they're building a global strategy that simplifies complexity, engages leaders, and fuels performance. 

Sharron Northern: There's just been such a hunger, is the word that I've been using recently when I've, when I've given org updates. There's just really a hunger for development, people development, as well as leaders are really engaged and h- wanting to have not just conversation, but the right kind of conversation with their teams.

Susan Cort: That's Sharron Northern, director of learning and development at kdc/one. She joins d'Vinci's Angeline Evans and me to share how she's aligning L&D with business priorities, building trust with leaders, and creating real demand for development across a global organization - next on Powered by Learning.

Announcer: Powered by Learning is brought to you by d'Vinci Interactive. d'Vinci's approach to learning is grounded in 30 years of innovation and expertise. We use proven strategies and leading technology to develop solutions that empower [00:01:00] learners to improve quality and boost performance. Learn more at dvinci.com.

Susan Cort: Joining me now is d'Vinci client solutions consultant Angeline Evans, and our guest, Sharron Northern, director of learning and development at kdc/one. Welcome, Sharon. 

Sharron Northern: Hi, Sharron. Hello. Thank you so much for having me. I feel really special to be invited. 

Susan Cort: Aw. Well, we are so glad you're with us. Can you start out by telling us a little bit about kdc/one and also your role and your background?

Sharron Northern: Sure. So I'll start with my background. So I've spent over 20 years in the talent development space, um, lots of different roles as a learning leader, um, primarily with consumer packaging companies. And I would say I have a very unique skill set as a simplifier, and so I've often found myself in roles where I've had the privilege of taking something that is pretty complex, a complex system or a, a complex process, [00:02:00] and figure out how to simplify it so that, um, employees can really understand, you know, new ways of working and, and, and things like that.

And so that background has brought me to my current role, which is the global director of learning and development for kdc/one. 

Susan Cort: And tell us a little bit about kdc/one and how you work with companies. 

Sharron Northern: Great. So kdc/one is a, partners with brands from really all around the world to do two things. The first one is manufacture consumer products.

So think of us as your external supply chain, um, for companies. So for example, we work with some large companies who have laundry detergent on shelves that are, you know, probably in many of your homes. Um, and we manufacture for them. Um, we also may help them with new formulations for, um, a detergent that they want to, to innovate in that space.

And then the second business model that we have is really providing [00:03:00] innovative solutions to those same kind of brands. And so innovation solutions would be, again, formulation, but also with product and packaging solutions. So for example, um, I work for the Scented and Living Solutions division, and we focus on air care, we focus on laundry products, um, as well as pest control.

And then our other division is called the Beauty and Body Solutions, and there we manufacture lipstick, shampoo and conditioner, and deodorant, for example. 

Susan Cort: Probably lots of products that are in our homes, like you said. 

Sharron Northern: Absolutely. 

Angeline Evans: That is super exciting, and that really covers the gamut of many household products that I'm sure all of our listeners can relate to.

So it sounds like you stepped into a somewhat brand-new L&D role and had a blank slate there. What was your first move to build a strategy aligned to this business? 

Sharron Northern: Well, I am a huge fan of the McKinsey Maturity Framework Model, called the Academies [00:04:00] Model. I don't know if you all are familiar with it. I see you shaking your head there, Angeline.

Angeline Evans: Yep. 

Sharron Northern: Um, and so I really use that model to perform a, you know, end-to-end gap analysis on our division. I love that model because, uh, Dr. V- Nick Van Dam, who is the creator of it, it's a practical model. Um, and it's a model where you can easily distill, like, what is the true priorities, things that you know you really can go after.

And so I use that model to create a three-year plan- 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm ... 

Sharron Northern: that was focused on leadership development as well as how do we automate our training qualification systems. 

Angeline Evans: And how did you, I mean, something I think most of our listeners... How did you position, you know, learning to your business goals and s- help your leaders see it as a driver and not j- not just as a support function?

I think that's something a lot of organizations face. You know, learning is a support function, not necessarily a driver towards your business goals. 

Sharron Northern: Yeah. Yeah. And [00:05:00] we are very much working to change that, right? But I agree. It's a ongoing challenge no matter, you know, how modern or mature our organization is.

We all just grew up, and it goes back to elementary school, right? 

Angeline Evans: Yeah. 

Sharron Northern: Learning is training, and training is, you know, very linear. Um, but now we're, we're understanding that learning and learning impact is as dynamic as the learners themselves and not necessarily static key performance indicators. And so, you know, I really try my best to, to educate our senior leaders on just how dynamic it is and think about it not as black and white as, you know, what's gonna be my return on investment from that standpoint.

But what I would say in the most practical answer, Angeline, is it's all about building trust with your key stakeholders And the soonest... My goal is always to, as quick as possible, figure out what they care about, and then make sure that my learning [00:06:00] solves those problems and gives them solutions for what they care about.

Angeline Evans: Yes. 

Sharron Northern: And once you get those kind of quick wins, right, then it becomes, "Oh, now that I know you can do this for me, what else can you do for me?" 

Angeline Evans: Yeah. And 

Sharron Northern: they kind of listen different than what they would if I would've went in leading with my agenda. 

Angeline Evans: Yep. That's absolutely right. You're able to show what's in it for them right away.

Sharron Northern: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. But also show that sometimes the w- they're speaking my language, they just aren't necessarily using the same terminology, right? 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm. 

Sharron Northern: So they'll say things like, "You know, people are really important, and I want to, you know, know people c- can grow here." And I'm like, "Yes, that's called development."

Angeline Evans: Yes. Yes. And businesses that put the emphasis on that can really see much greater success than those that don't and, and don't realize the importance of it. 

Sharron Northern: Yeah. And that's another thing I would say that I've been so happy about joining kdc/one is, um, our division president, as well as our CHRO, they are [00:07:00] truly strong advocates, and they really believe that learning is a way to, to really grow the business- 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm

Sharron Northern: and prepare the business for where we're gonna be in the future, which is one of the reasons they invested in this role, right? 

Angeline Evans: Right. Right. 

Sharron Northern: And so that's so refreshing to not have to come in and try to influence that mindset. They, they already are s- strong sponsors of the work and really believe in the business value of it.

Angeline Evans: So starting your strategy with people leaders and focusing on what matters to them, and engagement and performance and development, what impact are you seeing so far? What ripple effects did you see as, as you started building that traction across the organization? 

Sharron Northern: All of the ripple effects. Um, so I would say, first of all, you know, there is a pull.

Um, you know, we talk about the push and the pull of learning. Like, I've been in roles where I've been pushing it out, right? I've been, you know, doing, focusing on the marketing and, and focusing on the numbers and how many people [00:08:00] have went through the training, and trying to convince leaders why this training matters and all of that.

The ripple effect has really been a pull, to the point where our leaders are wanting to move faster than what I can at this point. Because, you know, we are new, and we do have to, to pace ourselves and meet them where they are, meet the learners where they are. You can only change behavior so much, right?

And so as... even though I have so much to give, I'm like, "No, let's, you know, pace ourselves. Start here, practice, apply this, and then we can layer on down the line." But there's just been some, such a hunger, is the word that I've been using recently when I've, when I've given org updates. There's just really a hunger- For development, people development, uh, as well as leaders are really engaged in h- wanting to have not just conversation, but the right kind of conversation with their teams.

And so they want guidance on that, right? They're like- 

Angeline Evans: Yeah ... 

Sharron Northern: am I doing this well? Am I, am I connecting back to the business [00:09:00] well? And so that's really been fun. It's been fun to, you know, coach and mentor in that way. 

Angeline Evans: I bet. And I'm sure, I mean, you clearly seem very well-positioned coming from that simplifier perspective and the need for pacing, because it is easy to wanna jump all into something like that.

Sharron Northern: Yes. Yes. 

Angeline Evans: Um, so kdc/one is mostly European-based, and you have facilities across multiple countries, so I'm sure the career growth journeys often require global mobility. So what does that multinational footprint do to shape your approach to learning, to leadership development, long-term career pathways, all the things?

Sharron Northern: This has been a really fun new space for me. Based on my background, this company is truly multinational, and they have a legacy of moving key talent around the globe for both short and long-term team assignments. Um, and so that's, that's already been in place and, and really successful. So where my role can really [00:10:00] benefit and kind of expand is equipping these leaders as they move with diversity awareness and knowledge of local ways of doing business so that there is a faster assimilation to working in these new cultures, right?

And so being proactive about how do we get them up to speed on what it means to work in this different country or in, in this different part of the, of the company. 

Angeline Evans: What does that look like? Do you mind breaking it down even in a little bit more detail for me? 'Cause that is a, I'm, at least a few of our listeners that are dealing with similar global organizations, but those that aren't and, you know, they might not really have any insight into what that, what's involved in teaching someone to get up to speed on another culture like that to do business.

Sharron Northern: Part of it is really understanding what is unique about our locations. 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm. 

Sharron Northern: And again, that simplifier coming in, right? How can we really think about it as a structure, and structure and process? How do structure and process show up differently at [00:11:00] our plant that's in Trento, Italy, versus the plant that is in Monterrey, Mexico, right?

Um, a- and the how part of it, really focusing on the how part of it. There's also a little bit of how do we recalibrate on how to lead in this new environment? And so, you know, in one environment that might be more hierarchical, it's okay for the leader to just come in and kind of set the expectation and everyone will follow.

But in another culture, you know, that same new process, the leader may need to make it more of a, a social and interactive kind of expectation, right? Not just setting the standard, but really taking some time to have conversation with the team on what does good look like, and what support do they need, and, and things like that.

And so making sure that the leaders understand that on the front end will again, will help them, you know, assimilate really faster than maybe thinking they're doing the right thing and [00:12:00] then getting frustrated when they receive that feedback that it's not working. 

Angeline Evans: That makes sense. So you mentioned that technical training has always been in place, but your focus now that you're in this role is really moving the organization from good to great.

Can you talk a little bit about what that shift looks like in practice, and how you're redefining what great might mean for leaders at kdc/one? 

Sharron Northern: So I don't believe in inventing unless I absolutely have to. And so I went back to the academies model for what does great look like, because it clearly spells out, you know, from a level one to a level five best in class organizations, what they're doing in these different categories.

And so one area that, that I'm focused on again is, is the technical training when it comes to using, um, AI and making personalized learning experiences. And so right now, um, we're at a level two, developing. We have multiple platforms that we've experimented with. We haven't really brought them to scale yet [00:13:00] for multiple reasons, and so it really limits the amount of access that our employees have to standard documentation for both technical learning and even, I would say, leadership training.

So, you know, as I looked at that model, moving from just a two to a three is how do we invest in one platform, for example, and really run multiple exper- uh, experiments to determine if this is a really, you know, viable solution more for the long term to decide if it scales. It's important to keep it agile, right?

Because you don't wanna test something for too long if it's not working, but I do think we're in a space where we may be experimenting with too many things, right? Yeah. And so it's hard to, to determine what really will work for the long term. 

Angeline Evans: And is there anything, like any unique approaches you're taking as you've been working with senior leaders and VPs to train them and just coming in with that fresh perspective?

Sharron Northern: So h- I, I believe that [00:14:00] people learn in a fun environment, and that they learn when experiences are really fun and interactive, and that's one of the ways they, they remember, right? It, it triggers their memory. I really try to use bringing fun into the learning environment as a way to, uh, be a catalyst, if you will, for changing behavior.

So I'm gonna be honest, I've been bringing gamification into learning way before it was tagged, you know, gamification or companies came out with a lot of the digital solutions. I love that now we have ways to do it faster and do it smarter and have it even more engaging. But I do think sometimes, you know, taking it back to the basic is, is still, is still really important as long as you consider your audience.

And so with my current, uh, our current new leadership training, uh, we do have play as part of the design, and initially I was very hesitant 

Angeline Evans: Right ... 

Sharron Northern: uh, to ask. 

Susan Cort: Yeah, but I think, like, you know, you obviously didn't [00:15:00] put gamification in for gamification's sake. Like, you made sure it was tied to your strategy to engage the learners and- 

Angeline Evans: Yeah

Susan Cort: yeah. 

Angeline Evans: There's intention. Sometimes your audience, even if you know it is in their best interest and it is gonna make it more memorable and help retention, some folks just take themselves more seriously, right? So, like, you just, you need to know your group. 

Sharron Northern: Yes. Yes, and that would be my advice, you know, is really to trust your instincts, um, especially for our experienced practitioners that are listening.

Like, trust your instincts. You know what works. You know what doesn't work. Um, because I was new to the company, I also went to what I call my, my personal board of directors that I've developed with the company, which is leaders from a lot of our different locations and with various tenure. And I pitched the idea to them and said, "You know, what would you think if during the training we played this game?

It's called Match Game." And, you know, they gave me really great feedback. Um, [00:16:00] I even had them give me some feedback on the matches themselves to make sure that they were translatable, you know, across different languages and things like that. Um, so I would definitely recommend doing that as well, and then if you really are new to this, I'd say start with a icebreaker, right?

Something that's only 15 minutes or so. Um, and if that experience goes well, then you can expand it to, you know, a full 45-minute, hour-long activity. 

Angeline Evans: I, I wanna echo your, um, messaging there 'cause we have supported clients, um, who are also, you know, larger organizations and training senior leader groups, and infusing this in-person sessions with things like icebreakers and energizers and very practical games that tie the content to their reality, and it has been very successful.

Even though folks might be nervous at first to implement it to see how it's received, it's always received very well for the most part. So I, I'm on board. 

Susan Cort: Can you share an example of a, a recent training program that [00:17:00] you've done and how it, how it really helped your learners evolve? 

Sharron Northern: So our most recent one is, like I said, we have a leadership expectations training where, um, we are introducing seven new behavior expectations that we have of our leaders.

For example, building relationships, communicating clearly, creating accountability. And we partnered with Gallup. I'm sure you all are very familiar with Gallup, to create this content and, and to leverage their research, um, on, on leadership development and really how you, how you kind of grow your leaders in this space, um, for this particular training.

And so... And then we also have embedded it back into our performance management process. We're changing the how portion of our performance rating to now these leadership expectations. So not just saying, you know, this is what we're expecting of you, but now there's a what's in it for them, right? 

Angeline Evans: Nice. It's part of how they're gonna be measured for their results.

Sharron Northern: And I think that's a really [00:18:00] important tie-in when we talk about learning as a strategic partner, um, is to make sure that, you know, you really go back to the systems that, that give your employees the, the guidance and the true north of, of, you know, how, what the expectations, how the expectations are going to be evaluated.

Um, so I was really glad that that happened. And so in the training, of course, we talk about defining each of these expectations. We have assessment for them to understand where they are current state and where they need to go in the future. Um, but we also did role plays- 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm ... 

Sharron Northern: Right, where we had them actually use the new language, um, in real scenarios that were submitted from our employees, right?

I didn't make them up. The, our employees submitted these as things that had just happened the, in the, within 30 days, um, of when we first start rolling out the training. Like I said, we did, um, the Match Game for, for more of a bringing some levity, um, to the training as well. And then we also did a lot of [00:19:00] peer-to-peer conversations where I gave them, um, an open-ended question to discuss with a peer.

And the reason we did peer to peer is so that, you know, people felt a little bit more comfortable being vulnerable. Like sometimes even if you have a group of four, there's one person who's like, "Great, there's four of us, I can talk less." But when you're only on a team of two- Yeah ... right? Feel a little bit of that pressure to, to contribute, um, and have your, your partner's back in that moment.

So those are a few examples, Susan. 

Susan Cort: That's great. 

Angeline Evans: And it sounds like your feedback was positive. Is that correct? What were folks saying? 

Sharron Northern: Oh, my goodness. The feedback has been phenomenal. It really has. Um, I don't take credit for this. Like, it, there's a team, um, here that, that really helped pull this all together.

But, um, our, our rating on a five-point scale has been consistently a four and a half. 

Angeline Evans: Wow. 

Sharron Northern: Um, and then our net promoter score is right about a 72, um, which as you know is, is really high for, for industry standard But those are [00:20:00] kind of the quantitative. The qualitative, the, the written comments have also been so phenomenal, and that's where I, I've been able to say, "Here's the pool."

Right? Like, it's in black and white. This is what I mean by the pool. They're asking for more time. It was a full-day training. They're like, "This could have easily been two days." 

Angeline Evans: Wow. 

Sharron Northern: I'm hearing, um, "When will we receive a follow-up? When will we receive refresher? When can I bring this to my team?" So our focus has been on people leaders, um, leaders of leaders, and so they're like, "When can I bring this to my team?"

And so that's what I mean by pacing because I'm like first we need to have everyone who's a people leader, you know, speaking the same language and understanding these concepts, and then we'll kind of, uh, domino it. Um, but the fact that, you know, they immediately wanna take it and, uh, to the next level is, is really positive.

Angeline Evans: Yeah. That is so exciting. 

Susan Cort: They want more. That's fantastic. 

Angeline Evans: So what are you most excited to build next at kdc/one? Like, what are you working on next? 

Sharron Northern: What am I working on [00:21:00] next? So, you know, I really believe in monitoring what you're currently doing and reviewing the insights, right? And, and, and that's one of my strength is I'm a, I'm a person who loves input, gathering input.

And so I'm really taking the time to pause and to, to make sure that I'm understanding all the nuances of the feedback that we're receiving. 

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm. 

Sharron Northern: Because like I said, we're all around the globe, and so, um, I d- I wanna be careful not to make too many, um, assumptions and lose an audience, if you will. So, so that, that's one of the things that I'm really focused on.

Angeline Evans: Mm-hmm. 

Sharron Northern: Um, the second one is making sure that all of our initiatives are truly integrated in our performance management process end to end. So when you think about goal setting, when you think about mid-year reviews, when you think about just ongoing feedback, you know, a lot of companies say, "Feedback is always on."

Well, what does that actually look like, right? You know, how do we be intentional about feedback is [00:22:00] always on in this space, um, is, is also really important to me. 

Angeline Evans: Thank you. And, um, I always like to ask, so what feedback would you give someone brand-new in an L&D role? And either lessons learned or just words of wisdom.

Sharron Northern: I appreciate that. I have three things that, that I would say as words of wisdom. So the first is if you're a learning leader stepping in a new role for the first time, especially a role, you know, with a title like director, I, you know, I can't... I'm pinching myself still, you know. I'm a director of learning and development.

Um, remember that you're qualified. You are already qualified to lead, and you already belong. You don't have to think about how do I prove that I deserve to be here. Some of you, this may not, you may not need that advice, but someone, hopefully I just released you from, from that concern. Um, you belong.

Second is seek external insights. To [00:23:00] identify the strengths that are already in the company, but also those opportunities. And those external insights will help you continue to expand your network. Um, and so this is a perfect example of that. And then my third piece of advice is to really meet the culture where they are.

As a new leader, you will immediately see lots of different ways to improve, right? You have that fresh set of eyes, and you may be compelled to just go, go, go, right? Go as fast as possible. And, and it's also an exciting time, so that also is one of the reasons why, you know, you just wanna go, go, go.

But my advice is, in this situation, it's much more important to be the tortoise and not the hare, right? The tortoise and not the hare. So those are my three pearls of wisdom, and thank you so much for inviting me to this podcast. 

Susan Cort: Well, thank you. It was great to see you again and to hear from you. It sounds like you've really hit the ground running in the last couple of months, and kdc/one’s very lucky to have you.

Announcer: Just great insights and [00:24:00] advice. We'll look forward to staying in touch and connecting with you again. 

Angeline Evans: That was excellent advice. Thank you so much. Absolutely. Take care. 

Susan Cort: My thanks to d'Vinci's Angeline Evans and our guest, Sharron Northern from kdc/one, for joining me today. If you have an idea for a topic or a guest, please reach out to us at poweredbylearning@dvinci.com.

And don't forget that you can subscribe to Powered by Learning wherever you listen to your podcasts.