A conversation with April Pierce, Leadership Development Manager at Jack Henry
When leadership development professionals consider new approaches, a common question comes up: can group-based learning really deliver results that lectures and e-learning can’t?
At Jack Henry, a financial technology company that has been using peer learning for several years, the answer is a definitive yes. We sat down with April Pierce, Leadership Development Manager at Jack Henry, to understand why they chose peer learning, how they make it work, and what she would say to L&D professionals who are curious but hesitant.
“The most helpful way to solve real challenges is to get leaders together”
For April, the starting point was simple: “We are a firm believer in peer learning. Sometimes the most helpful way to actually solve the real challenges that business leaders are facing is to get them together and for them to talk through their experiences.”
But unstructured conversation isn’t enough. Jack Henry uses data to identify the themes and leadership skills each group needs to develop, then selects focused discussion topics to bring those conversations to a focal point. “We can utilize our data to understand — these are the themes, these are the leadership skills that we need to focus on with this group,” April explains. “And then being able to utilize content which there’s a plethora of different topics you can pull from.”
The result is something more powerful than casual networking: peers from across the business who don’t typically interact come together to have open, honest conversations that build deep connections. “That sense of vulnerability where you do truly make some deep connections that you feel comfortable reaching out for thought partnership or addressing any challenges,” April says, “even after some of our more formal programs wrap up.”
Practice makes learning stick — lectures don’t
One of the most striking distinctions April draws is between transferring information and making learning stick.
“In all of the workshops we facilitate, there’s always an element of practice and it really is a facilitation. It’s not just lectures because that’s not always going to land,” she says. “It’s going to maybe transfer information, but it’s not going to make it sticky. It’s not really going to help them understand how it’s going to impact their role when they get back to the day-to-day.”
This is a critical insight for any L&D professional weighing their options. A well-designed peer learning session doesn’t just present concepts — it requires leaders to actively process ideas, share their experiences, and figure out how to apply what they’re learning in their own context.
Shifting ownership to the leader
Perhaps the most transformative aspect of peer learning, according to April, is how it changes who owns the learning process.
“We’re not facilitating something from the L&D perspective or from the HR lens — this isn’t HR driven. This is really you driven,” April explains. “It allows them to really just own their development, hold ourselves accountable to each other because you’re more likely to show up if you’ve got other people depending on you.”
This shift from L&D-driven programs to leader-owned development has a cascading effect. Leaders who learn through peer dialogue begin applying those same skills — vulnerability, active listening, open communication — in their daily interactions with their teams.
“That vulnerability is going to just continue to show up when you’re talking with your team members, when you’re talking with other peers outside of the group,” April says. “It just kind of creates that ripple effect across other conversations that they’re having.”
What about hesitant L&D professionals?
Many leadership development professionals are curious about group-based learning but worry it won’t work, or that leaders won’t engage, or that it will fall flat. April’s response is refreshingly direct:
“I think that’s normal. That’s the normal feeling for anything that’s different, anything that might be that next step or that growth opportunity or the innovative approach. It’s always the unknown of what if it fails?”
Her advice? Look at the bigger picture.
“If you want to stay ‘this is the way we’ve always done it,’ then probably stay the course. But if you want to think about what does it take to be future-ready as an organization, a lot of it’s going to come down to collaboration across the organization, open communication, making sure that you’re working and operating as one entire organization.”
And if it doesn’t work perfectly the first time? “Iterate. Find a different version or find elements to help support it. But I would say take the risk.”
Connecting peer learning to business strategy
For L&D professionals who need to make the case to skeptical stakeholders, April offers practical advice: start with the business, not with L&D.
“You need to understand what’s the business driving towards. Not just what’s L&D driving towards, but what’s the business leading? What’s their strategy? What’s their initiatives?” she says. “And then looking at those and saying, okay, how does building peer connections, how does developing your leaders, how does this connect to that?”
The link to ROI, she argues, runs through coaching culture: “The stronger coaching culture you have in general is going to increase engagement. It’s going to increase connection. It’s going to increase efficiencies. It’s going to increase productivity.”
And it’s not just about making the business case for the approach — it should also drive which topics you select. “That’s going to be a huge input for the topics you select for those discussions,” April says. “Align not just the ROI points but also the topics with what the business is driving towards.”
The takeaway
Jack Henry’s experience offers a clear lesson for L&D professionals considering peer learning: it works not because it replaces traditional development, but because it adds something traditional approaches can’t deliver — practice, accountability, connection, and ownership.
As April puts it: leaders “are going to get out of it as much as they put into it.”
And for those still on the fence: “Jump in.”
CoachingOurselves partners with organizations like Jack Henry to deliver peer learning programs for leadership development. Our library of 90+ expert-authored discussion guides makes it easy for organizations to launch focused peer learning sessions on topics ranging from strategic thinking to emotional intelligence to managing conflict — with no lectures required.
Interested in learning more? Join one of our free demo sessions to experience peer learning firsthand.