A Day in the Life of a Manager of Learning and Development at SoulCycle
A Manager of Learning and Development at SoulCycle requires "really skilled communication," the ability to simplify "complex ideas into digestible chunks," and strong facilitation skills. Success in this role also demands a blend of strategic thinking and attention to detail, coupled with empathy to tailor learning experiences to individual learner needs and circumstances.
Communication, Facilitation, Empathy, Strategic Thinking, Detail-Orientation
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Samuel Gonzalez
Manager of Learning and Development
SoulCycle
SUNY Hunter College
N/A; Bachelors of Arts
English, Writing & Education
Sports & Fitness
Human Resources (HR)
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) are crucial for conveying complex information in a digestible manner.
2. Strong facilitation skills are needed to effectively lead learning experiences and overcome potential stage fright.
3. A balanced approach combining strategic thinking with attention to detail is essential for creating beneficial learning experiences tailored to the learner's specific needs and circumstances. Empathy is key to understanding the learner and adapting accordingly.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
There are quite a few skills that are really necessary for folks in learning and development. The first, and perhaps most important, is to be a skilled communicator.
This means you have to understand your audience and how to say things in a way that will make them understand what you're talking about. People most often point to the ability to take complex ideas and distill them into digestible, bite-sized chunks.
For me, that goes hand-in-hand with having great communication skills, both written and verbal. You also need to be a great facilitator. If you get stage fright, that might be something you want to work through to be a great learning development person.
You have to have a balance of strategic thinking and being very detail-oriented when creating learning experiences. It's an all-encompassing experience.
This means you have to think about the learner on the other side to understand their needs. Then, you decide what to put into the learning experience to meet those needs.
With that, you also need a lot of empathy. You have to understand who your learner is and what outside forces might impact their learning. Then, try to create an experience that will be most beneficial to them.