Meet the Team: Marcus & Keri

Get to know Marcus Hitzberger, Head of Client Solutions, EMEA, and Keri Bennington, Head of Global Client Solutions, as they share how they got involved with L&D and WDHB! Learn about some of their favorite parts of thejob, plus a fun game of ‘This or That?’

Transcript

Mountain or beach? Morning or evening? Theater or cinema? Boats or plane? We’re like total opposites, right? What originally got you interested in working in learning and development? You know, I sort of fell into it. When I got into business school, I was really interested in all of the components that come together to make an organization work well. 

So I worked for the business school at the University of North Carolina and then I had partnered with Experience To Lead and we had this sort of understanding around the importance of experiential learning and application, and being able to transfer what you learn into actually being able to use it. At least you had some sort of a structured approach. I mean, for me it was a total sidestep. I just wanted to change jobs and I Googled keywords like innovation, traveling, technology, exploration, and all of a sudden, I ended up finding WDHB. 

What’s your favorite thing about the job? I love it when you see the individuals’ impact and how they transform inside of an experience, and then they go and do something different. I love the autonomy to suggest crazy stuff, crazy ideas to clients and then come up with new things outside of the box. We’re innovative, we’re not afraid to try new things, we’re not afraid to challenge your leaders in new and different ways and and make them get a little uncomfortable. I think that’s a good thing.

We have this amazing network of exchange partners and experiences and all of that sort of culminates and combines to bring a wealth of knowledge in a way that we can bring value to your organization and to your leaders. Yeah, I think the same. I also have the feeling like nobody else can beat the motto, “The world is our classroom’’ because once you consider that the learning is out there, every encounter, every discussion becomes a learning opportunity and something that allows you to grow and become a better manager and a better leader.

Top 3 Points Made

From the video transcript, the top three points made are:

1. Diverse Paths into Learning and Development (L&D): The speakers discuss their unique journeys into the L&D field. One speaker mentions falling into L&D during business school, with a focus on the components that make an organization work well, leading to a partnership with Experience to Lead. The other speaker describes a less structured approach, having stumbled upon WDHB through a Google search using keywords related to innovation, travel, and technology.

2. Favorite Aspects of Working in L&D: Both speakers share what they enjoy most about their roles in L&D. They appreciate seeing the transformative impact on individuals who participate in their programs and the autonomy they have to propose innovative ideas and challenge leaders. They value the opportunity to think creatively and push boundaries to help leaders grow and develop.

3. Philosophy of Experiential Learning and Continuous Growth: The speakers emphasize the importance of experiential learning and the application of knowledge, with the motto “the world is our classroom.” They believe that every encounter and discussion is a learning opportunity, contributing to continuous personal and professional growth. This approach reflects a broad and dynamic view of learning, where real-world experiences play a crucial role in developing better managers and leaders.