Proving L&D Impact With Data and Metrics with Jason Berry of Nolan Transportation Group
This episode of Learning Leaders Spotlight features a conversation with Jason Berry, Director of Talent Management at Nolan Transportation Group. Interviewed by Leighanne Langford of TrainingPros, Jason shares how L&D leaders can prove impact with data and metrics, scale training through leaders, and build credibility by “selling” learning in the language executives care about.
Jason oversees leadership development, succession planning, the annual review process, and also new-hire onboarding and sales training, covering the full gamut of learning-related work at Nolan. With a background in sales, he brings a practical perspective on stakeholder alignment, internal influence, and measurement, especially as organizations push L&D to demonstrate ROI beyond “smile sheets.”
Throughout the episode, Jason reflects on the evolution of L&D: the move toward proving business value with metrics, the rise of AI as a content-creation accelerator, and the growing need for smaller L&D teams to enable leaders to deliver and reinforce training. He also shares career lessons on mentorship, networking, and building an internal brand that creates opportunity.
From “They Liked It” to Measurable Impact:
What Leaders Expect Now
Jason describes one of the biggest shifts in recent years: L&D is increasingly expected to prove its value “on paper,” not just through feedback surveys. At Nolan and across the logistics industry, that means looking at data such as time-to-ramp, retention/turnover, and differences in outcomes for leaders who have completed leadership programs versus those who have not.
He notes that a sales background helps here: whether you are proposing a program, asking for budget, or aligning stakeholders, you’re always “selling something.” Comfort with metrics and outcomes makes it easier to communicate with executives and demonstrate that learning can be a real contributor to performance and revenue.
Smaller Teams, Bigger Reach:
Designing Learning Leaders Can Deliver
Looking ahead, Jason expects L&D functions to stay lean. Instead of large teams with many trainers, he sees a model where a small core team builds frameworks, tools, and content. Then equips operational leaders and managers to deliver key messages and coach day to day.
At Nolan, his team structure reflects that reality: one L&D professional and two sales trainers reporting to him, supporting training even when hiring volume is high. To scale, the team leans on sales leaders and managers—effectively turning them into “contracted trainers”—so learning is reinforced where work happens instead of always requiring time off the floor for classroom sessions.
He also notes the post-COVID shift in delivery: virtual training surged, and now organizations are finding a healthier balance. While remote options remain valuable for speed and access, Jason sees a renewed appetite for face-to-face learning and the connection that comes from being in the room together.
Learning Trends Shaping the Future – What Learning Leaders See Coming Next
AI as a Practical Accelerator for Lean L&D Teams
Jason points to AI as an obvious and fast-moving change in the L&D landscape. For him, the immediate value is speed: AI can take significant time off the initial content-creation process, helping smaller teams build, iterate, and support the business without needing a large headcount.
He also observes a broader talent shift: less emphasis on job titles and more emphasis on skills people bring to the table. In practice, that pushes organizations to think in terms of capabilities (what someone can do and how they can contribute), rather than relying solely on hierarchical labels.
The Career Skill Jason Swears By: Build Your Internal Brand
When asked about the most important workplace skill today, Jason highlights the ability to network and advocate for yourself, especially for professionals who want to grow inside an organization. He encourages people to “humbly promote” their work and create visibility through cross-functional projects and relationships.
One practical tactic he shares: keep your leaders in the loop. Jason is a strong believer in CC’ing or BCC’ing your manager on initiatives and strong work product, so they can advocate for you. As he puts it, your leader can’t “brag about you” if they don’t know what you’re doing.
Where Jason Learns: LinkedIn, Communities,
and Real-World Examples
For industry news and fresh thinking, Jason relies heavily on LinkedIn. Not just the platform, but the specific leaders and practitioners he follows. He also values learning that comes from everyday examples, noting that even non-L&D podcasts can provide leadership lessons and perspectives worth applying at work.
He also stays connected through professional communities, including The People Collective in Chicago and the Executive Club of Chicago. Jason frames these groups as a two-for-one: opportunities to learn from speakers and peers while also growing a network and building a recognizable internal and external brand.
Mentorship That Shaped His Leadership Style
Jason shares that some of his most impactful mentors weren’t necessarily in his exact career path. One early mentor, a director-level HR leader at a prior company, helped him develop as a people leader, especially around not taking employee behavior personally and learning to lead with perspective and maturity.
He also calls out his current boss as a model of empathetic leadership. Jason describes learning from his boss’ transparency, openness, and willingness to show care for the team, an approach Jason has been able to emulate in his own leadership.
From Sales to L&D: Coaching as the Through-Line
- Measure outcomes, not just experience. Tie programs to ramp time, turnover/retention, and differences in performance between trained and untrained groups.
- Get comfortable “selling” learning. Executive alignment improves when you speak the language of metrics and business impact.
- Design for scale by enabling leaders. Build content leaders can deliver and reinforce, especially when L&D teams are small.
- Use AI to speed up creation, then add the human layer. Let tools accelerate drafts and development work so you can focus on context, application, and stakeholder needs.
- Build your internal brand on purpose. Create visibility, join projects, and keep leaders informed so they can advocate for you.
Topics and Tools Mentioned
Closing Reflection
Jason Berry’s perspective highlights a practical reality for today’s learning leaders: expectations are rising while teams often stay lean. The path forward is to connect learning to outcomes leaders can measure, and to build systems that make development scalable, especially through manager-led reinforcement and coaching.
His comments on AI land as pragmatic: use it to accelerate the work, but don’t confuse speed with impact. The real differentiator is how well learning teams align with the business, communicate value, and help leaders turn training into day-to-day habits. And as delivery continues to rebalance after COVID, choosing the right mix of virtual and in-person learning remains part of that strategy.
Ultimately, the episode reinforces that L&D influence is built the same way sales credibility is built: understand what decision-makers care about, communicate in their terms, and follow through with evidence. For learning leaders, that means pairing strong programs with strong measurement and building the relationships and visibility that keep development work funded, adopted, and sustained.
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