Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Carlson-Hays.
Hi Amber, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Working for a huge corporation was a great boot camp experience to learn the type of leader I want to be and the types of learning experiences I want to develop for others. When I was on maternity leave in 2017 with a newborn baby daughter and with a 2 ½-year-old son at home, I realized that I couldn’t continue to travel for 2-3 weeks every month and that I needed a change.
At this point in my career, there was no opportunity for me to grow with my current company unless I uprooted my family and moved to a new state, which was not possible. So, I was in the age-old conundrum women face of deciding what to prioritize, my family or my career. I chose both!
Having developed training within an organization of over 80,000 associates and having worked for some incredible leaders, I knew that I could make a bigger impact in the world by shifting my focus fully to developing learning for companies that did not have the resources for a full learning and development department. I could help these companies grow while I grew my own instructional design, learning strategy, measurement analytics, and coaching skills within any industry.
Being a learner and achiever are my two top strengths, so I felt confident that I could help others build engaging learning, no matter the audience. I dove in headfirst working for my longest-standing client whose audience is engineers and chemists for a niche manufacturing technology process. This was a huge shift from my previous audience of sales professionals in the healthcare space.
But from my knowledge of learning design and focus on collaborative consulting, I helped them develop what they needed and continue to serve this group. Before starting my company, I had begun the process of completing my master’s degree. During this same time, I had two children and started a business, so it took a little longer to graduate.
In 2020, I stood at my kitchen counter in my cap and gown and attended my COVID-19-related virtual graduation (since no one was offering in-person matriculations at the time). It was an exciting milestone and I continue to seek learning opportunities to contribute to my personal and professional growth. I’m planning to kick off the Ph.D. journey in 2024.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t all been “rainbows and ponies” (as one of my favorite mentors would say). There have been many lessons I have learned as an entrepreneur and small business owner. One lesson I have coached others through, and still battle myself from time to time, is the self-doubt that comes with running your own business.
While many people experience self-doubt in their jobs when working through a new project, having self-doubt as an entrepreneur can be a death sentence for a small business. How I continue to work through this when it pops up is to remind myself of my sheer will. If I have the will to develop what is best for my clients or to find my next amazing client, then I know I can.
While it might start as a puzzle to determine “how” I will get there, the sheer will of taking the right steps makes all the difference. I am an avid reader and am always pouring myself into books that provide insights, best practices, and recommendations on how to bring out my best self and foster the best in my team so we can exceed expectations.
ARCHway’s team is growing. And I continue to have the will to serve our clients with the greatest level of commitment, personalized dedication, and genuine human connection that makes me love my work more every day.
As you know, we’re big fans of ARCHway Learning Solutions. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
ARCHway Learning Solutions is celebrating 6 years in business and we have had some incredible clients with very engaging and business-changing projects. We’ve saved our clients hours of time in their busy weeks, we’ve helped them save tremendous funds by increasing performance and decreasing turnover, and have delivered learning that helped thousands of employees feel connected to their organization and have the right skills and knowledge to be successful. We thrive on the knowledge that we are making work and life better for those we serve.
We offer a wide range of learning solutions that cover many forms of adult learning experiences within a business structure. Whether we are building microlearning courses, customized company culture videos, interactive virtual learning, knowledge transfer SMS campaigns, unique coaching and mentoring programs, or overall learning strategy, we are tailoring all that we do to the individual needs of each client.
What differentiates ARCHway Learning Solutions is that we are a boutique-style company that understands that all of our clients have different learning needs, performance expectations, and technological knowledge bases and require us to cater what we provide to meet those various requirements.
Additionally, we take pride in our personalized approach where we enter new client companies with a focus on people first! We are in the business of helping level-up people to be more successful and this requires a partnership focus where existing departments or training team members feel supported by our team’s efforts. We focus first on the people and develop the learning experience that serves the best purpose.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The most important lessons that learning and development companies can learn from the COVID-19 crisis are the importance of people skills. We must excel in seeking to understand others, communicate openly and without judgment, and be adaptable to the needs of others. The other important lesson is the importance of leveraging technology as a tool for collaboration. I have worked remotely since 2010 and have used virtual training for the last 13 years.
The COVID-19 crisis forced businesses and professionals to embrace online and virtual learning and communication experiences in order to function. ARCHway was able to thrive during this time because of my comfort in this online learning space and my dedication to first focusing on people skills before leveling up the skills of others. When a new learning team comes together (in-person or virtually) it is important to immediately establish trust and rapport.
During the lockdown times, I took the extra effort to individually reach out to my learners and clients one-on-one to learn more about their unique needs and get to know them more on a personal level. This helped fast-forward the team-building during group calls and allowed me to better offer solutions that met their individual circumstances.
Teaching my team this people-first approach has helped us solidify relationships with clients and learners which has caused them to reach out to us even after a career or company transition and even initiate new projects within a new organization. Trust and communication are the foundation of team dynamics and of a fruitful learning experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.archwaylearningsolutions.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ARCHWAYLS/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/archway-learning-solution/
Image Credits
Jasmine Perris and David Brinko
