How does a three-person L&D team support 23,000 associates across seven states? In this episode, Chris Chappell, Director of Learning & Development at Weis Markets, shares how servant leadership, clear career paths, and just-in-time video microlearning are elevating the employee experience—and the customer experience—across retail, manufacturing, and logistics.
Show Notes:
Weis Market’s Chris Chappell offers many key takeaways to empower team members to succeed. His top points include:
- Lead as a servant, not a boss. Chris Chappell centers L&D on servant leadership—meeting associates’ needs, anchoring to mission, and role-modeling behaviors so people trust and follow.
- Career paths + strong leadership = retention. Provide clear growth paths and accountable leaders. Weis Markets’ leadership development now spans five levels and correlates with higher engagement and reduced turnover that is 20–25 points lower than retail averages.
- Make learning “in the moment.” Snapshot video microlearning—accessed via QR codes embedded in SOPs—powers fast cross-training (e.g., moving a bakery associate to deli) and reduces friction during call-offs.
- Do fewer things, better. “Ruthless prioritization” keeps work aligned to mission, strategy, core operations, and compliance. The team consolidated ~1,798 courses to ~800 and is rebuilding high-value content for mobile delivery in Workday Learning.
- Build a distributed training network. Centralize standards and content, then empower expert trainers across departments to deliver. Add feedback loops with structured homework and report-outs so learners hold themselves accountable.
Powered by Learning earned Awards of Distinction in the Podcast/Audio and Business Podcast categories from The Communicator Awards and a Gold and Silver Davey Award. The podcast is also named to Feedspot's Top 40 L&D podcasts and Training Industry’s Ultimate L&D Podcast Guide.
Learn more about d'Vinci at www.dvinci.com.
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