Meet Jayson Maxwell, Six Flag's Corporate Director of L&D

Jayson Maxwell is the Corporate Director of Learning and Development at Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. He received his undergrad at Arizona State University, and his Masters of Science at the University of Denver.

In this Q&A from the 2017 Corporate Learning Week, he discusses his role in the L&D industry, initiatives in Organizational Change Management, accomplishments and more. Check out his full interview to learn more.

CLN: As Head of L&D at Six Flags, what do you get most excited about in your day-to-day role?

Jayson: I believe I'm the most excited when I'm interacting with our leaders and frontline folks on the ground. Being at the corporate level can create executive dissonance so I strive to be on the ground working with our teams to better serve our Guests and Team Members.

What do you think is the biggest leap forward in the L&D industry in the last 5 years?

Technology is by far the biggest leap forward and while still in its infancy, to see virtual and augmented reality enter into the learning space really expands our innovative approaches to the transfer of learning.

What was your biggest accomplishment in your current role?

My biggest accomplishment so far in this role was integrating mobile tablets into the on-boarding process. By creating a blended learning experience in the classroom using gratification, mixed reality and audio/visual components, we have increased the engagement, retention and recall strategies. 

You’ll be focusing your talk around organizational change management. How can learning and talent teams be better at spearheading change management initiatives?

Assuming the change initiative has been aligned with business need and implemented by senior leadership, learning and talent teams can assist in the execution by creating communication and awareness programs to facilitate the change. Alignment of workforce strategies and high impact actions will ultimately drive change outcomes.

What are you looking forward to the most at Corporate Learning Week?

Networking and learning from others. I absolutely love being inspired by other experiences, thoughts and approaches to learning.