Kristina Cole is the Director of Learning and Development at Go Auto, one of Canada’s leading auto groups. She is responsible for driving employee training, leadership development, and the overall learning strategy. Kristina develops programs to promote growth, foster a culture of self-improvement, and prepare employees for greater roles within the organization. With experience across various dealership functions, she works to align learning initiatives with business goals and enhances the employee experience through mentorship and innovative development solutions.
Can you walk us briefly through your leadership role as Director, Learning and Development? What are your key responsibilities and areas of focus?
My role as Director of Learning and Development is centered on building programs that actually move the needle. I’m responsible for designing and delivering training for every level of the organization, from onboarding and sales training to leadership development and fixed operations. A big part of my job is connecting the dots between learning and performance. That means staying close to operational leaders, requesting and listening to feedback, and continuously evolving our programs so they reflect the objectives of both the organization and evolving needs of our customers. The goal is to create learning experiences that are actionable and aligned with career growth.
I also play a key role in our performance management strategy. That includes designing and implementing competency-based reviews and structured goal-setting processes that support both individual growth and business objectives. Our reviews aren’t just check-the-box exercises. They’re built to spark meaningful conversations between leaders and team members about strengths, opportunities, and the path forward. When people understand what’s expected, how they’re doing, and what success looks like, they’re far more engaged and empowered to perform at their best.
Everyone has a role to play in development, and when we involve our entire team, we create a culture where learning is expected, celebrated, and deeply connected to success.
Learning and development can sometimes be seen as “nice to have” rather than essential. How do you measure the impact of L&D programs on business outcomes?
That perception changes when L&D is tied directly to measurable outcomes. We look at performance trends, retention data, customer experience scores, and even profitability to evaluate the success of our programs. For example, we can track how a dealership performs based on the level of engagement in training and performance management. It’s often reflected in both performance and our customer service index.
We are a “promote from within” organization. It’s not just about numbers. We also measure impact through upward mobility. Who’s getting promoted, who’s stepping into leadership, and whether we’re equipping people with the tools they need to succeed faster and more confidently. Our entire executive team is committed to that and offers mentorship for up-and-coming leaders.
How do you balance foundational skills training with the need to develop advanced capabilities, especially in high-turnover or fast-growing environments like automotive retail?
It starts with building a strong baseline. We’ve built a structured onboarding experience through our Learning Management System (LMS). New hires are introduced to the Go Auto way from day one, blending digital learning and in-person orientation, with in-store mentorship and on-the-job training to ensure they’re set up for success early.
Sales training is held monthly through the efforts of the store VPs. They are tasked with becoming a functional expert on a topic of their choice. They then prepare themselves and materials for these training sessions. This is being done to support the growth of our sales teams and the facilitating VP. Leadership involvement ensures that the topics being presented are important and relevant to our stores.
As team members grow, we use performance data and manager insights to identify those ready for the next level through a nomination process. From there, we offer development paths, and formal mentorship programs like our GM and Service Manager Mentorship programs. These initiatives help us grow leaders from within and support internal mobility across our dealerships.
We also invest in soft skills development like communication, relationship building, emotional intelligence, and personal accountability. We know these are just as critical to long-term success. Training at Go Auto is about developing the whole person, not just the role they’re in today.
How do you identify hidden talent—those quiet high-potential team members—and give them a path forward?
Some of our strongest leaders didn’t raise their hands, they just quietly crushed it every day. We look for patterns of consistency, initiative, influence, and adaptability along with our core values of being a trustworthy team player who is happy to help. Then we create opportunities for those people to stretch. Once they’re on our radar, we make sure they know there’s a path forward and that we’ll support them every step of the way.
What advice would you give to organizations looking to strengthen their learning culture while still focusing on performance and results?
Visibility and accountability are key. Make development visible. Showcase internal promotions, highlight peer-to-peer mentorship, and recognize learning as a competitive advantage. Provide engaging, relevant training that people actually want to take part in and build systems that reinforce learning as part of the employee experience, not an add-on.
It also comes down to relationships. We work closely with leaders across the organization to keep a constant flow of two-way feedback. That partnership helps us stay aligned with real business needs and ensures our programs are always evolving. At Go Auto, growing people is at the core of our mission statement. Everyone has a role to play in development, and when we involve our entire team, we create a culture where learning is expected, celebrated, and deeply connected to success.
