The worldwide talent development community is diverse. Our members bring a wealth of experience and insight to their work. We're spotlighting their stories.

Dayna Nota has been a member of ATD since 2013. Here's her story in her own words.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I have been working in T&D for about 14 years. I have been fortunate to train employees at companies such as Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Wilton Brands, Liberty Mutual Insurance, and currently am the Manager of T&D at Magid Glove & Safety. Over the years I have been able to practice facilitation, instructional design, e-learning, and currently manage the training function. At Magid, I was hired as their very first trainer - 68 years into their history! I have been able to create an onboarding program for new employees and start offering on-site training to employees across the organization! I develop the training by partnering with subject matter experts and management throughout the company. Our team’s most recent success was launching an LMS and we are now able to create and provide e-learning to our field employees.

What are your personal and/or professional goals?

Professionally I would like to continue to find ways to add value to the company and show how training and development has positively impacted the overall results. I would like to continue to partner with SME's here to learn more about how T&D can help individual departments (as well as the overall organization) to meet their goals. I want to grow the T&D department as well!

What challenges have you had to overcome in your career?

Challenging participants in training classes was one of the first major challenges I faced as a facilitator. Over time, I became more confident addressing participants. In general, I am always looking for ways to improve measuring the results of training. Because there are so many factors that contribute to success, it's hard to pinpoint the impact that training had, but I'm going to keep trying!

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve gained or experienced during your membership with ATD?

I think having a support system of people that I can reach out to when I have questions has been the most valuable part of being an ATD member. I also enjoy taking advantage of the development opportunities for me. Attending workshops, certification courses, and webinars has helped me sharpen my skills!

Could you share any professional tips, specific to talent development, that you have picked up along the way?

Relationships have been key for me! Taking the time to learn about what the company and individual departments do before forcing training on them has been a very important lesson I have learned. This has allowed me to earn credibility which takes time to build! Learn what people need before making suggestions; then work as a partner to help them meet and exceed their goals!

What’s a common misconception you see when it comes to talent development?

People commonly ask me, "What are you doing when you're not training a class?" This leads me to believe that many people don't realize how much work and time goes into creating a training course before the facilitation!

Do you have any advice for people looking to further their careers?

Take risks! Be willing to take some chances in order to make training fun and engaging for the participants. I have come up with some outlandish activities to help participants retain information - some have worked and some haven't - but I'm always glad I tried something different!

What is your personal definition of talent development?

Creating an atmosphere of high-performing employees that are engaged and excited to hit the ground running and reach their goals

How do you stay motivated?

I am motivated by always having new projects to work on. I'm fortunate that I get to work with all departments in my company so no two days are the same! It keeps my work new and fresh all the time. I’m also motivated by seeing people succeed in their careers.

How do you find meaning in your work?

The most meaningful thing that I find in my work is when I am able to see the positive results that training has on a person/department/organization. When I have seen employees I've helped to develop get promoted - that is very meaningful to me!