At Carsales, the commitment to learning and development is more than just a corporate initiative; it’s a cornerstone of their success. With the expertise of Elissa Stephens, Learning and Development Specialist, Carsales has cultivated programs that empower individuals and teams alike, blending innovative strategies with a deep understanding of human behaviour.
Shaping the Future of Leadership
Elissa, who brings over 25 years of experience in learning and development, has been instrumental in transforming Carsales’ approach to growth and skill-building. “I look after learning and development across the sales teams, as well as creating programs specifically targeting leadership and core skills training,” Elissa explains.
“It’s an exciting and dynamic environment, and I absolutely love the work we’re doing here.”
Encompassing an impressive and extensive career, Elissa was primarily in the digital advertising space with Fairfax and News Ltd.
One of the standout initiatives under her guidance is the Future Leaders Program. Designed to identify and nurture emerging talent, this program integrates tools like the DISC behavioural profile to help participants understand themselves and others. “Whether it’s leadership or sales, it’s all about influencing,” says Elissa.
The Power of DISC Profiles
The DISC assessment has proven to be a powerful tool in Carsales’ learning arsenal. It enables team members to recognise their own behavioural tendencies and adapt to different environments or challenges. Strategically, they analyse how they’ve used the insights from DISC to modify presentations, emails and their behaviour in front of clients or their team.
DISC is a big part of what we do. People get something out of it both personally and professionally. It’s great to see them use those learnings to better influence our clients and achieve great results.
Beyond group sessions, Carsales emphasises one-on-one coaching to personalise the application of DISC principles. Elissa reflects on her own journey: “Personally, I had no C— conscientious tendencies (analytical, precise and particular)—whatsoever, but I’ve had to adapt for things like spreadsheets. It’s all about building strengths where you need them and applying those skills in real-world scenarios.”
Making Learning Accessible and Engaging
Recognising the challenges of modern work environments, Elissa has championed accessible, bite-sized learning experiences. “Sales teams are often on the road, so we’ve introduced a learning platform that includes podcasts and mobile-friendly resources,” she explains. “This allows our people to access training on the go, whether they’re driving or preparing for a client meeting.”
Carsales has also adopted the 70:20:10 model of learning, which balances formal training with on-the-job experiences and peer learning. “No more two-day workshops,” Elissa asserts.
“It’s about delivering training in manageable pieces, followed by practical activities and reflection.”
Building a Coaching Culture
A key focus at Carsales is fostering a culture of quality coaching conversations. Elissa highlights the shift required for many sales professionals transitioning into leadership roles. “Sales is often a singular activity,” she explains. “Moving into management requires a focus on team success rather than individual achievement. That’s a big adjustment, and effective coaching is essential to support it.”
By equipping managers with the skills to lead constructive conversations, Carsales ensures that learning becomes an ongoing dialogue rather than a one-off event. “Bad coaching can do more harm than good,” Elissa warns.
“Our programs emphasize coaching and quality conversations to set our leaders up for success.”
On the other hand, quality coaching can progress people’s behavioural adaptation and ultimately their career. For example, Elissa emphasised we work with managers on how to read profiles so they can encourage their people to spend more time in spaces that are comfortable and uncomfortable for them. She reflected, that it’s all about developing strategies for each situation.
Elissa also shared that there is an intrinsic beauty when, because of DISC Profiling, people learn to understand the people around them. “When the high ‘I’s’ realise what makes a ‘C’ tick, they say things like, ‘Oh my gosh, they don’t dislike me, they just didn’t want to hear about my dog’s birthday all morning, they were more interested in getting the spreadsheet right!’”. Building on that awareness, Elissa then works with groups to determine how they can use each other’s strengths and skills more effectively.
Lessons for Other Organisations
For those just starting their journey in learning and development, Elissa offers sage advice:
“Be vulnerable and adopt an agile mindset. Measure what works, listen to feedback, and be willing to flex your approach. It’s about designing programs that truly resonate with your audience and deliver lasting impact.”
At Carsales, the results speak for themselves. Through innovative learning solutions, a focus on behavioural insights, and a commitment to continuous improvement, Elissa and her team are not only driving individual growth but also contributing to the overall success of the organisation.
About Elissa Stephens
Elissa Stephens is a highly experienced and qualified Learning and Development professional driven by her love of helping individuals and teams achieve their potential. With over 25 years of experience managing teams, and creating and facilitating learning solutions across large multi-faceted organisations, she has a proven history of successfully empowering teams through coaching, mentoring and achievement of performance indicators.
She brings experience delivering sales, leadership, and core skills programs from design/creation, through to facilitation, and has the proven ability to ensure business outcomes are achieved and sustained using best practice learning methodologies. She possesses a solid understanding of adult learning styles, personality and behavioural profiling, curriculum development, managing budgets and government legislated traineeships.
