Starting a new job can be both exhilarating and challenging; however, for Kelsa Albert, transitioning into her role at Deckers Brands has been exceptionally noteworthy. As the new Senior Learning Experience Manager based in the London office, Kelsa shares her experiences and insights in a recent employee spotlight Q&A session. She discusses the factors that attracted her to Deckers Brands, her dynamic onboarding process, and the compelling journey that led her here. Welcoming a new employee to the Deckers Brands community is always a thrilling experience and in this exclusive Q&A, we delve into Kelsa’s initial impressions, her vision for contributing to Deckers’ growth and inclusivity, and the unique culture that defines the company. Join us in uncovering the distinctive aspects that make Deckers Brands an exciting and welcoming workplace through the eyes of one of our newest team members.
As a new member of the Deckers Brands team, can you share your initial impressions and experiences? What stood out to you during your onboarding process that reflects our company culture?
What has stood out to me most about Deckers has to be the people. I’ve met so many super bright, talented and innovative people who seem to genuinely care about this business and have the fire in their bellies to drive it forwards. I’m LOVING the energy and I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of this incredible team!
Transitioning into a new role can be both exciting and challenging. How have you found the support and integration process as a new employee at Deckers Brands, and is there a specific moment or aspect that made you feel particularly welcomed?
Each week the London-based PX team try to go into the office on the same day and have lunch together on the beautiful roof terrace that overlooks the hustle and bustle of Soho (weather permitting of course!). It’s been a great way to get to know the team, and such a warm and welcoming environment. There have also been some events outside of the office (such as AOK gardening in South London and a charity quiz organized by the incredible Jane Marshall) which have been great fun and a brilliant way to get to know some of the broader teams. I feel very lucky to have joined a business that has a ‘work hard, play hard, give back’ type of atmosphere.
We’re curious to learn more about your journey before joining Deckers Brands. What aspects of your background and professional experiences led you to pursue a career with us, and how do you see your past shaping your contributions to our team?
I’ve worked in Learning & Development in the retail industry for 10 years, previously working for Farfetch, Charlotte Tilbury, Ted Baker, and Selfridges. I’m a ‘Squiggly Career’ enthusiast and my role is to support others to learn and develop, but I’m a keen life-long learner myself, holding multiple academic qualifications, including an MSc in Organizational Psychology and a Certificate in Brain-Based Coaching.
But how do I see my experience shaping my contributions at Deckers? One of the most significant discoveries in my career so far is the power of positive psychology. Positive psychology is a scientific approach to studying human thoughts, feelings, and behavior, with a focus on strengths instead of weaknesses. When applied to careers and learning initiatives, this looks like building individuals, teams, and businesses up to be the best they possibly can. I’ve seen the huge impact this can have on an organization’s overall success, and I hope that one of my key contributions at Deckers is helping everyone to lean into their superpowers to support our thriving business.
Choosing an employer is a significant decision. What factors drew you to Deckers Brands, and how do you see our company aligning with your personal and professional values?
My personal values are very important to me. Outside of work I spend lots of time with family & friends and volunteer my time to mentor young people from minority groups. I feel it’s my duty to do what I can, since I didn’t grow up with much myself. The more I learned about Deckers through the interview process, the more I felt like I had found my place. During my job search, I found lots of interesting roles in exciting companies, but none that could match Deckers on culture and values – underpinned by an ambition to see our business flourish.
As a Senior Learning Experience Manager, you bring a unique skill set to the role. Can you share how your past experiences and expertise have prepared you for the challenges and opportunities you’ll encounter in this position at Deckers Brands?
One of the things I’ve learned in my career is to think of learning experiences like products. Many big tech companies use the Design Thinking process when developing a new product (like the invention of the smartphone, for example!) and I think this way of thinking can be really helpful for developing learning experiences too. The Design Thinking process involves empathizing with the customer to find out what they really want or need, spending time to properly define what the problem is, coming up with as many ideas as possible, and prototyping or experimenting before going ahead with a big launch. By applying this way of thinking in Learning & Development, I’ve found that learning can be truly aligned with what people and business leaders need, rather than coming up with fabulous ideas that potentially miss the mark. I hope that utilizing this approach will help develop even more meaningful learning experiences for people.
Being recognized with the Black British Business ‘Rising Star’ Award is a remarkable achievement. How do you see your award-winning journey contributing to your role here, and how can it inspire other new employees within our organization?
It’s such an incredible accolade, I’m still pinching myself, to be honest! Someone I worked with about 10 years ago commented on my LinkedIn post to say something along the lines of ‘Kelsa you’ve always been there, and I’m so glad people are recognizing it now’. This really meant a lot to me because I have spent the last couple of years changing my approach to my personal career development. I heard the little saying “Success is as easy as P.I.E.: Performance, Image, Exposure”. For most of us, our job performance is always a high priority. What I hadn’t considered is my image; How do people see me and what are they saying when I’m not in the room? Neither had I considered my exposure; I’m working super hard, but how much of that do people know about? Following this period of reflection, I started to take some small steps towards building my image and exposure for example, I did some part-time lecturing and volunteered as a CIPD South London Branch committee member. Over time this started to build up both my confidence and the strengths people began to know me for, which I think contributed to winning the BBB Award. So, if there’s anything someone could take from this, perhaps it’s to consider how their success P.I.E is weighted and make small incremental changes over time (however uncomfortable they may feel to begin with!).
Deckers Brands operates on a global scale. How do you envision your cultural background and experiences enhancing the diversity of perspectives within our team and contributing to the global fabric of our company?
As a mixed-race woman who grew up in a working-class family, in a multi-cultural part of London, it’s important to me to create spaces that not only feel inclusive, but where structures and processes are as free from bias as possible. From a learning perspective, this means looking at career development opportunities at Deckers and ensuring access to them is fair and equitable.
What specific goals or aspirations led you to pursue a career as a Senior Learning Experience Manager, and how do you see this role aligning with your professional ambitions?
My main goal at Deckers is to help our business succeed by ensuring people have the right knowledge, skills and behaviors to support our strategy and growth. My ambition is for Learning Experience to be a highly valued asset by every Deckers employee and to create the conditions where every individual can own their career development and prosper.
As someone who has recently joined Deckers Brands, what advice would you give to other new employees navigating their first few weeks with the company, especially those who may be looking up to your achievements and experiences?
This is an AWESOME place to work – you can genuinely ‘come as you are’ and there’s no catch! Deckers to me feels like a People business, so get out there and build as many connections as you can because the relationships you build will likely be your biggest asset.
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