Learning and development (L&D) leaders are focused on developing others, which means that it’s all too easy for their own development to fall behind. However, when training professionals invest in their own development, they’re ultimately investing back in the business: It ensures they have the skills needed to deliver targeted training that improves performance and, ultimately, the bottom line.
Melissa Griffin, CPTM, assistant director of education and training at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) understands the value of professional development — and her organization does, too. “I’m fortunate to work for an organization that supports professional development and really places it as an expectation.” As a training leader, Griffin says, “I’m expected to be an expert in my field, so it’s incumbent upon me to continue my own development and make sure my skills are current.”
Here, we’ll explore Melissa’s journey to becoming a Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM™), which later led to her certifying her training team.
Seeking a Strategic Development Opportunity
Having been in the training profession for nearly two decades, Griffin has attended many training programs, conferences and seminars. “At this point in my career, it was almost getting to the point where I was being a little particular, because there are some things that I’m just not getting as much value from because I’m at a later career stage in this role.”
Griffin was seeking a program that would enhance her status as a trusted business partner and validate her expertise. After learning of the CPTM program, she sought to gain buy-in from her supervisor, the chief member experience officer at the NAIC. Again, Griffin’s organization views professional development as an expectation, so Griffin was quick to gain her manager’s support. Sharing the program’s marketing materials also helped make the case for certification to her employer. Griffin officially became a CPTM in June 2023 and has been an active member of the alumni community since then.
The CPTM Advantage: A Focus on the Business of Learning
Griffin says she came out of the CPTM program with valuable information, tools and frameworks. “There is nothing else I’ve found that really teaches an L&D leader to be a good business partner.” Gaining that “business savvy” was “really valuable,” she shares.
To equip learners with a business-centric mindset, the CPTM program is specifically focused on the business of learning. This isn’t accidental: Ongoing Training Industry research has found that the most important process capability of great training organizations is strategic alignment — the ability to align training initiatives with key business goals. This research established the core responsibilities that comprise the Training Manager Competency Model™ (Figure 1), which is the foundation of the CPTM program:
Pursuing Team Certification
Griffin was serving as a Featured Executive (i.e., a CPTM alum selected to share their experience with current participants) during a CPTM practicum when a learner mentioned they were completing the program alongside a few of their team members. This sparked the idea for Griffin to send her own training team through the program.
With five training managers reporting to her, Griffin’s team includes L&D professionals from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. This isn’t uncommon, as there are many unique paths to becoming a training manager.
With three of the five training managers on her team coming from backgrounds outside of L&D, and two managers with less leadership experience than the others, Griffin thought certification would help level-set her team with a shared foundation.
For her team members without a background in L&D, Griffin believed certification would help them learn about the history of L&D and of industry-specific terminology. For her team members with a background in L&D, Griffin thought certification would still be worthwhile because she gained value from the program herself, even as a seasoned L&D leader.
Securing buy-in for team certification:
Getting buy-in to send her team through the CPTM program was “fairly easy,” Griffin says, because she had already been through it and could vouch for the program’s quality and value. Griffin’s manager agreed with her reasons to certify her team, most notably around gaining a “shared vocabulary” and equipping her team with a shared foundation of L&D terms, processes and concepts. “Giving us that opportunity was really supported,” she says.
It was important for Griffin to not only get buy-in from her manager but also from her team members. Fortunately, “it was a pretty easy sell,” Griffin says. Her team heard her speak highly of the certification and thus were interested in the opportunity.
Other Considerations for Team Certification
After gaining buy-in from both her manager and her team members, there were a few other factors to consider, including:
Format:
The CPTM learner experience is comprised of three key steps:
- The Prework: The CPTM prework consists of 10 eLearning modules, which outline the eight process capabilities of great training organizations. When completed as a team, this prework plays a critical role in aligning professionals from diverse backgrounds and experience levels, helping to establish a shared foundation before the practicum begins.
- The Practicum: Once the prework is completed, learners participate in an instructor-led practicum with an expert instructor. Each practicum includes a keynote discussion with a “featured executive” who has earned their own CPTM credential. After connecting with her alumni advocate and exploring options, Griffin chose an in-person practicum experience for her team. Although she was initially unsure whether her hybrid team would want to come into the office three days in a row, they were not only willing but also excited to do so.
- The Exam: The certification exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. To pass, candidates must receive a 70% or higher.
Timing:
When Griffin was deciding whether to pursue team certification, timing was a major consideration — especially given the scale of a “three-year training modernization program project” her team was already working on.
The project was expansive and included multiple facets, from updating technology to having “modularized the content of about 60 to 65 online eLearning courses,” Griffin says. “Name something L&D related, we’ve probably changed it.”
Given all this, Griffin recognized that, “On paper, it would seem like we’re really busy with this project and trying to juggle all these balls in the air with the project and also keep the day-to-day stuff going.” Ultimately, however, the investment in professional development paid off. “The timing was right,” Griffin says. Briefly pausing the project work — which can be fatiguing, especially two-and-a-half years in — to focus on professional development “refreshed” her team, she says.
Stronger Together: Building Team Cohesion Through Certification
Griffin saw the in-person practicum format as a valuable opportunity for her team to come together, build stronger connections and share a meaningful development experience. She communicated clearly about what the experience would entail, having gone through it herself, and asked for her team’s input throughout the process to ensure they felt involved in the decision-making process.
By the end of the three-day session, the impact was clear: When Melissa joined the group on the final day for lunch and a collaborative case study, she expected to find her team at least slightly fatigued from the practicum. Instead, she walked into a room full of energy and conversation. Seeing her team energized and connected — even after three full days of learning — proved just how powerful a shared in-person learning experience can be for boosting team morale and engagement.
Ultimately, certification helped align Griffin’s team around a shared foundation and language that will position them for future success. Reflecting on the experience, Griffin says, “It was a really good experience.” As part of the Member Services Division at the NAIC, she notes, “We have high expectations for service,” so “I know good service when I see it.” With consistent support, clear communication and a true partnership mindset, the CPTM team made it easy for Griffin and her team to focus on what mattered most: growing together — not just as learning leaders, but as strategic business partners.
