Why Learning & Development Belongs at the Business Table:
A Conversation with Sarai Jacko of Fairmont
Learning Leader Spotlight | Featuring Sarai Jacko, Regional Director of Training and Development, Fairmont Century Plaza
Learning & Development leaders have long advocated for a seat at the business table. But earning that seat requires more than delivering excellent training. It means understanding operations, connecting learning to business outcomes, and building relationships with the leaders responsible for performance.
In this episode of TrainingPros’ Learning Leader Spotlight, host Leigh Anne Lankford talks with Sarai Jacko, Regional Director of Training and Development at Fairmont Century Plaza, about how L&D can influence business performance in luxury hospitality and beyond.
Drawing on her experience in hotel operations and learning leadership, Sarai shares practical examples of connecting training to guest satisfaction, making learning accessible to a 24/7 workforce, and staying connected to employees’ everyday experiences.
Quick Answer:
L&D leaders can strengthen their influence by understanding business operations, aligning learning initiatives with organizational priorities, and demonstrating how employee development supports performance. Sarai Jacko of Fairmont emphasizes the importance of connecting training investments to outcomes such as guest satisfaction, service excellence, and colleague engagement. Just as importantly, she believes learning leaders need firsthand experience with the work they’re helping employees perform.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
- Why understanding frontline operations makes L&D leaders more effective
- How training investments connect to guest satisfaction and business results
- What it takes to deliver learning in an organization operating 24 hours a day
- How personalized learning and AI can support different employee needs
- Why adaptability, emotional intelligence, and professional networking matter for learning leaders
Why L&D Needs to Understand
the Business From the Inside
Sarai’s career in L&D began in hotel operations. While working in events, she recognized opportunities to improve training and eventually became a departmental trainer. That experience continues to influence how she approaches learning strategy.
One example is Fairmont’s Lobby Ambassador initiative, which encourages leaders who don’t ordinarily work in guest-facing roles to spend an hour each month greeting and assisting hotel guests. For leaders accustomed to administrative responsibilities, the experience provides something that meetings and reports cannot: firsthand exposure to the realities of frontline work.
They see what happens when guests arrive, how colleagues manage busy periods, and where employees may need additional support. Sarai explains that participating in these experiences provides another perspective and helps leaders become more empathetic when establishing deadlines and expectations. The initiative also gives frontline colleagues additional support during busy periods.
What Can Other L&D Teams Learn From This Approach?
The principle extends well beyond hospitality.
An instructional designer developing training for a call center may benefit from listening to customer interactions. A learning strategist supporting manufacturing employees may gain valuable insights from spending time on the production floor. The opportunity is to better understand the environment in which employees are expected to apply what they’ve learned.
For L&D leaders, the question is worth considering: How much time does your team spend experiencing the work it’s trying to improve?
Listen to the podcast to hear Sarai and Leigh Anne discuss the Lobby Ambassador initiative and the importance of understanding operations firsthand.
Connecting Learning Investments to Business Outcomes
One of the most significant changes Sarai has experienced in her L&D career is the increased recognition of learning as a contributor to business performance. In luxury hospitality, the connection can be especially visible.
Training influences how colleagues interact with guests, respond to their needs, and deliver the level of service expected at a luxury property. Sarai describes how investments in employee development can support positive guest satisfaction scores, favorable reviews, colleague engagement, and ultimately the business’s bottom line.
For L&D leaders, this changes the conversation. Rather than focusing exclusively on training attendance or course completion, learning leaders can discuss the performance outcomes their organizations want to achieve. That might mean improving service consistency, strengthening leadership capabilities, or helping employees respond more effectively to challenging situations.
The important shift is from describing what training was delivered to explaining how learning supports business performance.
Of course, demonstrating that connection requires more than assuming training caused an improvement. L&D teams need to understand which measures matter, establish meaningful expectations, and work with business leaders to evaluate results.
Business Metrics Every Instructional Designer Should Know
Making Learning Work in a 24/7 Environment
Hospitality presents a challenge familiar to many industries: employees need development opportunities, but the work doesn’t stop for training. Sarai supports colleagues working across morning, evening, and overnight shifts. Bringing people together for traditional classroom training isn’t always practical.
Her approach emphasizes flexibility and communication. She works with operational and executive leaders to clarify who needs training, when employees can participate, and what outcomes are expected. Making those expectations clear helps business leaders understand the investment of time being requested.
Sarai also recognizes that employees have different learning needs. For some, mobile-accessible learning through a QR code may be convenient. Others may benefit from an instructor-led experience or opportunities to ask questions directly. As a bilingual learning leader, she has also seen how speaking with employees in Spanish can help them feel more comfortable and engaged.
The underlying principle is straightforward: Effective learning should account for the people doing the work and the conditions in which they work.
How AI Could Make
Workplace Learning More Personalized
Looking ahead, Sarai expects artificial intelligence to play an increasingly important role in L&D, particularly in personalized learning and operational efficiency. She sees potential for AI to support content creation, make learning more accessible, and help employees receive information that better matches their needs. Importantly, she describes AI as a partner to employees rather than a replacement for them. Her perspective reflects an important consideration for learning leaders: technology is most useful when it helps employees learn or perform more effectively.
Personalization doesn’t necessarily mean creating entirely different learning experiences for everyone. It may involve offering different formats, delivery methods, or levels of support while maintaining consistent performance expectations. For organizations exploring AI in L&D, that creates an opportunity to examine where technology can remove barriers to learning without sacrificing the human connection that makes development meaningful.
The Human Skills That Still Matter
Although technology is changing the workplace, Sarai identifies two particularly important capabilities: adaptability and emotional intelligence.
In hospitality, employees frequently encounter unexpected challenges. A long line at check-in, a frustrated guest, or an operational disruption may require someone to quickly adjust their approach. Adaptability helps employees respond to changing circumstances. Emotional intelligence helps them recognize what others need and respond appropriately.
Sarai also reflects on how her willingness to take on different responsibilities during the pandemic expanded her capabilities and helped her remain employed. For learning leaders, her experience reinforces the importance of developing capabilities that help employees navigate change, not simply master a specific process.
Why Learning Leaders Need
Their Own Learning Communities
One of Sarai’s professional development practices is building relationships with other L&D leaders. She recently organized a quarterly luncheon bringing together learning professionals from luxury hospitality organizations. The first gathering gave participants an opportunity to exchange experiences, discuss challenges, and learn from others who understand their work.
Sarai also looks to professional associations, industry conferences, LinkedIn, and her broader network to stay informed. Her approach highlights the value of peer learning. Learning leaders spend considerable time developing others, but they also need opportunities to step outside their own organizations and explore new perspectives.
Two Books Sarai Recommends for Learning Leaders
When asked which books aspiring L&D leaders should read, Sarai recommends two:
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
Sarai appreciates the book’s emphasis on anticipatory service and creating meaningful experiences that go beyond what customers expect. She connects those ideas to the importance of personalization and emotional connection in learning.
Sarai values the book’s exploration of courage, trust, and vulnerability. She also draws on some of its ideas in her own leadership development training.
Both recommendations reflect her belief that effective leadership combines business understanding with genuine attention to people.
Key Takeaways for L&D Leaders
Sarai’s experience offers several lessons for learning professionals seeking to build stronger relationships with the business:
- Spend time where the work happens. Firsthand exposure to operations can uncover challenges that aren’t always visible in meetings or training requests.
- Connect learning to performance. Understand the outcomes business leaders care about and how learning may contribute to them.
- Design around operational realities. Training needs to accommodate employees’ schedules, responsibilities, and different learning needs.
- Develop adaptable, emotionally intelligent employees. These capabilities help people navigate situations that cannot always be anticipated.
- Keep learning from other learning leaders. Professional networks offer opportunities to exchange practical solutions and broaden perspectives.
Listen to the Full Conversation
Sarai’s enthusiasm for hospitality, employee development, and leadership comes through throughout this conversation. Her examples offer a useful perspective for learning leaders in any industry who want to become more connected to business operations.
Listen to the full episode of Learning Leader Spotlight to hear how Sarai approaches learning leadership, operational collaboration, and employee development at Fairmont.
If you're on a cellphone or tablet, rotate your phone to see the entire table.
Episode Highlights:
| Time | Conversation Topic |
|---|---|
|
02:52 |
How Sarai moved from hotel operations into L&D |
|
04:12 |
Why L&D has a stronger seat at the business table |
|
05:52 |
AI and the future of personalized learning |
|
08:31 |
The challenge of training a 24/7 workforce |
|
11:30 |
Why L&D leaders need firsthand operational experience |
|
14:18 |
Adaptability and emotional intelligence in the workplace |
|
15:31 |
Building professional learning communities |
|
18:01 |
Recommended books for learning leaders |
Continue Exploring Learning Leadership
Interested in more conversations about connecting learning to business performance?
Explore More TrainingPros Resources
Need Additional Expertise to Support Your L&D Initiatives?
Does your L&D team have more projects than people?
Many organizations reach a point where their existing L&D team is fully occupied designing and delivering learning while strategic decisions continue to pile up. A contract Learning Strategist provides the expertise to align learning with business goals, prioritize initiatives, develop a learning roadmap, and help your organization make confident learning investments without adding a full-time position. Learn how TrainingPros connects organizations with experienced Learning Strategists.
TrainingPros is a learning and development company that connects organizations with experienced instructional designers, contract facilitators, and virtual classroom producers. We’ve been named a Top 20 Staffing Company by Training Industry and a Champion of Learning by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), recognition that reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality, tailored learning solutions.
To hear candid conversations with senior learning leaders, listen to our Learning Leader Spotlight podcast:
If your learning initiatives require additional support, whether for a single project or a large-scale rollout, our relationship managers can help you find the right expertise quickly and confidently.