How has your career changed over the years?

I transitioned from teaching college to instructional design. I now work as an instructional designer at PEMCO Insurance.

At work – what do you get lost working on?

Rabbit holes of many kinds, but making a job aid really sucks me in (geek alert!)

If you could choose any mentor, who would you choose?

My current boss, Curt. He is patient, wise, encouraging, recognizes small contributions, and is full of humor.  That is an unbeatable combination, and I'm learning to pay it forward.

What is the best career decision you ever made?

Completing the Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Masters at Boise State University – it gave me the confidence, and breadth of knowledge I sought and showed me how to work as part of a team.

What is something about you that not many people know?

I started a podcast (nordicontap.com) where I tell Nordic folktales and interview cool people.

Tell me about your membership with ISPI BABS

I joined ISPI BABS four years ago to connect with my friends from the BSU OPWL program, grow in my field, and learn collectively with others. I enjoy being an ISPI BABS member because it keeps me connected to performance improvement ideas and the people who believe in them when I am sunk in a work world that may not see its value.

What advice would you give to a new ISPI BABS member?

Volunteer if you have time.  I've been able to do some of the coolest things as a volunteer that no one would actually hire me to do (because I don't have the degree, the experience, etc. etc)

You can connect with Eric on LinkedIn

Tell me about your career

For most of my career I did instructional design and evaluation for organizations, sometimes as an employee, sometimes as a contractor. Now, as CEO at 5-Star Performance Solutions I teach 5-Star Instructional Design Certification programs based on M. David Merrill's First Principles of Instruction, as well as Lean Process Improvement Certification workshops. In addition, LeRoy Maughan, a former Covey Leadership Facilitator, and I teach a 5 Precepts of PEOPLE (Positively Energizing People, Leaders, and Employees) Leadership program.

What skills have you found vital in your career?

The ability to discover, implement and teach best-practice instructional, performance-improvement, and leadership strategies.

What is the best career decision you ever made?

To get a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences

Who/what inspires you?

M. David Merrill and his First Principles of Instruction.

At work - what do you get lost working on?

Studying performance improvement and leadership development models.

What is something about you that not many people know?

I am a semi-professional photographer and have photographed many weddings.

What has been your oddest or most fun job?

Testing Program Director for the USDOT Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Developed and did test item analysis for 24 pairs of certification tests for public safety officers. One set of tests was for Criminal Interdiction of Truck Drivers hauling drugs or drug money.

What are you currently reading?

Atomic Habits, Outward Mindset, Performance Improvement Pathfinders

Why did you join ISPI BABS?

I joined ISPI BABS 2 years ago because of the outstanding leadership, members, and programs. I also had the opportunity to present my 5-Star Course Design presentation. I've really enjoyed getting to know some of the members, as well as enjoying the valuable programs. I would recommend that new members take advantage of the valuable programs, network with the members, and share their expertise.

You can connect with Max on LinkedIn

You can connect with Fred on LinkedIn, Twitter, or at IntegratedHuman.Consulting

Hi!

I’m Fred. I’m a designer at heart, and I appreciate systems thinking and advocate for human-centered approaches. 

Tell me about your career

I consult on strategic initiatives, project management, and instructional design through my firm, Integrated Human, LLC.

How has your career changed over the years?

Immensely. After 15+ years in service and labor industries, I obtained a Bachelor’s in Entrepreneurship and decided to be a university professor. I completed a doctorate in Instructional Design in 2014, which provided a practical foundation and helped me appreciate systems thinking and ill-structured problem-solving.

I then honed my craft in higher education and began leading and supporting large-scale initiatives around instructional quality assurance and technology integration. I cut my project management teeth on those initiatives, and recovered a complex campus-wide data analytics implementation initiative worth over $300,000 as the capstone. 

After ten years, I finally got the chance to work in a limited-term full time professor position. It was truly a calling, and I received awards, great teaching reviews, and helped a lot of people. Unfortunately, the market for faculty careers is atrocious, and people often sacrifice a lot (too much in my opinion) to obtain and keep them.

My contract ended at the initial peak of the pandemic (May 2020). Hiring was frozen across industries, so I began freelancing and consulting, and loved it! I created my firm and haven’t looked back. Working for yourself provides unparalleled freedom and agency.

One challenge (to me) with freelancing in Learning & Development is the dominance of eLearning focused projects. I prefer more strategic work, such as analysis or design and implementation, so I took on a full time client and explored a number of other paths with macro-level emphases. As a result, I added or improved a range of skills and completed several certifications around ROI analysis, course review, and project management. I also shifted my freelance work toward project management.

I’m always chewing on new ideas and appreciate the constant flow of change.

It leads to exploration, which provides experience and competence in a breadth of areas. My advice to others is do what makes sense at the time, and don’t be afraid of changing directions. In the end, you will be surprised that you were following the same thread all along.

At work – what do you get lost working on?

When I write I become fully immersed. Framing ideas, adjusting information flow, and nudging concepts around is enrapturing. I also love strategic challenges, so converting blank canvases or tangled balls of yarn into streamlined solutions is rewarding AND among the most valuable things we can do for an organization.

What inspires you?

I am inspired most by people who can be authentic in the face of the rest of the world. Those who aren’t afraid to challenge the norms, question our operating assumptions, be colorful, or crack a joke when everyone else is tense. Those are the people who change the world.

Where is your favorite place to be?

It’s really hard to beat the beach. When my family and I go it feels like its own little place that lets us step out of everything and connect with the world in a different way.

What could you talk about for 30 minutes straight?

Anyone who knows me might ask what I won’t talk about for 30 minutes straight! I enjoy thinking about design and systems immensely. For me, project management checks those boxes right now. 

Why did you join ISPI BABS?

I joined ISPI BABS to network with others engaging in performance consulting, and find opportunities to mentor and be mentored. I would recommend attending meetings and finding ways to network with others in the chapter. Share feedback. Lead the charge when you can. Lean into becoming a performance improvement nerd, and attend the ISPI annual conference if you ever get the chance! Most of all, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and try new things! That is the best way to learn!