Event Recap: Activating the Front Line—Developing Your People in Times of Change
How do top global brands strengthen, support, and empower their frontline teams?
That question brought senior learning leaders from across industries together in Chicago for Activating the Front Line, a collaborative event Socratic Arts co-hosted with Attensi.
We opened the evening with peer-to-peer discussions about the realities of frontline development: what’s working today, where organizations feel stuck, and what bold ideas they would pursue if time and budget weren’t barriers. Participants consistently surfaced themes such as:
Building resilience and confidence
Strengthening psychological safety
Preparing for future skill demands
Finding the right balance of technology in frontline performance
Learning Through Play: Insights from The LEGO Group
Dave Trevaskus from The LEGO Group shared how this fourth-generation family enterprise uses digital tools and an organizational commitment to play to bring learning to life. He helped us explore how play deepens connection, strengthens culture, and fuels long-term performance.
From International Play Day to practical examples of playful learning in action, the session offered a vivid reminder: when learning is genuinely engaging, it sticks.
A People-First Approach: McDonald’s on Frontline Learning
Socratic CEO Holly Christensen Sestak sat down with Lan Tran, Director of Learning Design & Technology at McDonald’s, for an open Q&A around frontline operations and learning at one of the world’s largest employers. Lan shared how McDonald’s:
Creates flexible learning experiences that allow employees to read, watch, or play, based on their preferences
Builds programs that are scalable, accessible, multilingual, and globally-consistent
Secures buy-in for large initiatives by grounding learning in measurable performance outcomes and ROI
Approaches learning as a brand supporter—critical in a frontline environment
Delivered with candor and humor, Lan’s insights underscored a powerful theme: when frontline employees feel supported and prepared, the entire customer experience elevates.
Measuring Impact: A Real-World ROI Story
Holly also spotlighted a Socratic Arts client project focused on a global change management initiative—supporting the implementation of a new mobile ordering app. By redesigning the frontline experience and implementing a targeted digital simulation, the client organization achieved:
Significant reductions in customer wait times
Strong engagement and immediate positive feedback from employees
A clear, quantifiable ROI tied directly to frontline capability: reduced drive-through times for each restaurant location that completed the training event
It was a vivid example of how thoughtful learning design translates to business results.
What We’re Taking Away
Across the conversations, demonstrations, and case studies, one message resonated: frontline teams are the face of every organization; giving them practical, engaging, just-in-time learning isn’t just good L&D practice, it’s a strategic advantage.
We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us and contributed their insights (and stayed to eat an incredible steak dinner!). The energy, honesty, and shared commitment to strengthening the front line made the evening truly special.
If you’d like to explore how Socratic Arts helps organizations build high-performing frontline experiences, we’d love to talk. Select Book a Learning Consultation at the top of this page.
