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The Frontline Enablement Playbook

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The Frontline Enablement Playbook

Equip Your Deskless Workforce to Power Organizational Performance

ATD (Association for Talent Development),

15 min read
6 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Don’t undervalue a crucial resource. Build an “Enablement Ecosystem” to support your frontline workers.

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9

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Recommendation

Frontline managers can feel as if they’re walking a tightrope: They must get the best from their employees while enforcing corporate directives that often don’t align with the realities of frontline work. To pull off this balancing act, former frontline manager JD Dillon advises establishing a “Frontline Enablement Ecosystem.” This framework includes modernizing training; collecting relevant data; building an empathetic, communal culture; and opening pathways for advancement. If you want to strategize better ways to support your customer-facing employees, Dillon’s inside knowledge can empower you — and them.

Summary

Frontline managers turn corporate strategy into reality.

Many of your customers will never interact — online, on the phone, or in person — with anyone from your company except your frontline workers. Yet businesses often fail to value, enable, and make the most of this crucial resource, their frontline personnel –  including cashiers, delivery drivers, reservations clerks, customer service representatives, and food-service workers.

Corporate executives generally don’t understand the practicalities of frontline work, so the plans and programs that headquarters passes down are often incompatible with or irrelevant to frontline workers’ day-to-day responsibilities. In addition, the frontline managers who must meet organizational goals related to their customer-facing staff members often find that their duties outweigh their budget, authority, and corporate support.

But what can frontline managers do to accomplish the company’s objectives and address their on-the-ground concerns? One solution is to establish a comprehensive “Frontline Enablement Ecosystem.” This framework covers modernizing training, opening...

About the Author

JD Dillon, a frequent keynote speaker who began his career on the frontline, advises companies on frontline enablement across a variety of industries. He is also the author of The Modern Learning Ecosystem: A New L&D Mindset for the Ever-Changing Workplace and the host of LearnGeek on YouTube.

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