How do you continuously reinvent L&D while working with the same stakeholders and navigating constant change? In this episode, Avinash Chadarana, Global Learning & Development Director at MCI Group, shares the realities of leading L&D over the long haul—building from scratch, overcoming challenges like budget cuts and COVID, and evolving with a geographically dispersed remote team. We dive into the biggest shifts in L&D over the past few decades, the ongoing challenge of moving stakeholders beyond just training requests, and how AI is shaping the future of workforce development. Avinash also shares his principles for staying relevant and ensuring his team does the same. Take your L&D to the next level Take advantage of thousands of hours of analysis. Hundreds of conversations with industry innovators and 25+ years of hands-on global L&D leadership. It's all distilled into one framework to help you level up L&D. Access the L&D Maturity Model here - https://360learning.com/maturity-model KEY TAKEAWAYS Develop an intrapreneurial culture to encourage employees to generate innovative ideas. Ask what we are here to achieve, not what we are here to deliver. Make sure everyone knows what success looks like. Empower performance. Leverage localised generative AI. Align learning and development initiatives directly with business outcomes. Join the dots for stakeholders so they truly understand what L&D can do for them. BEST MOMENTS “Lead by outcomes, not by hours logged.” “See what's coming up and stop being in reactive mode.” “With AI we have gone past that point of fetishization or it being novel. We're hearing actual success stories.” GUEST BIO Avinash Chandarana is a visionary global L&D leader with over 25 years of experience shaping workplace learning. As Global Learning & Development Director at MCI Group - a leading global engagement and marketing agency - he founded the MCI Institute in 2008, transforming employee development for 2,500 staff across 60 offices in 31 countries. A recognised Fellow of the Learning & Performance Institute (LPI), Avinash combines human-centred design with cutting-edge technology, including AI, to optimise learning experiences and drive business impact. A true global nomad, his career spans the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with successful projects in 33+ countries. Beyond leading L&D, he is a sought-after speaker, facilitator, and moderator, holding credentials from MIT Sloan and INSEAD in neuroscience, leadership, and management. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avinashc VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D. CONTACT METHOD  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective https://360learning.com/blog L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

L&D has long been focused on behaviour change—but what if that’s the wrong goal? In this episode, Carl Binder challenges conventional wisdom and makes the case for shifting our focus from behaviours to work outputs—the measurable accomplishments that drive business results. Carl explains why this approach is more effective, how L&D teams can correctly identify and measure accomplishments, and what it takes to implement this thinking at scale. He also shares practical strategies for redesigning onboarding, leveraging non-training interventions, and aligning managers to focus on performance outcomes rather than just competency models. For L&D professionals looking to elevate their impact, this conversation offers a roadmap to making learning more business-critical, measurable, and effective. Take your L&D to the next level Take advantage of thousands of hours of analysis. Hundreds of conversations with industry innovators and 25+ years of hands-on global L&D leadership. It's all distilled into one framework to help you level up L&D. Access the L&D Maturity Model here - https://360learning.com/maturity-model KEY TAKEAWAYS When you focus on results, L&D delivers. There is no incompatibility with focusing on work outputs and changing behaviours, one leads to the other. Competency models are too subjective. The relationship between organizational results, outputs and behaviour is dynamic. When managers focus on what needs to be produced, providing feedback to change behaviours is easier. Each individual should have a performance map. Ask yourself if this training were successful what is it that I expect the participants to be able to produce? Stop asking what skills they will learn. This simple change in language is powerful. Fully map your processes. Use the Six Boxes® model. BEST MOMENTS “Figure out the purpose before you define the behaviour.” “Don´t just spray and pray.” “Behaviour might change but accomplishments are typically more stable.” “There is a “the emperor has no clothes” problem here.” Carl Binder Bio Carl Binder is a leading expert in performance improvement and the founder of The Performance Thinking Network. With a background in behavioural psychology and decades of experience in organisational learning, he has helped businesses worldwide shift their focus from behaviour change to measurable work accomplishments. Originally a student of B.F. Skinner, Carl has applied behavioural science to real-world business challenges, developing practical frameworks for performance mapping, onboarding, and enterprise-wide capability building. His work empowers L&D and business leaders to drive tangible results by focusing on what truly matters—performance outcomes. https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarlbinder/ http://www.performancethinking.com/ YouTube Channel (“Performance Improvement Insights”): www.PerformanceThinking.tv Study Guides for YouTube webinars: https://bit.ly/CarlStudyGuides  - Fluency Based instruction research and applications: www.Fluency.org - Performance Consulting certification program (“Performance Thinking® Practitioner Program):  https://www.sixboxes.com/Virtual-Practitioner-Program.html CONTACT DAVID L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home https://twitter.com/davidinlearning https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

As generative AI continues to evolve from novelty to everyday adoption, its transformative potential for Learning & Development is becoming increasingly clear. In this episode, Sean Bengry, a senior L&D leader, shares his experiences and insights on harnessing AI to drive impact and innovation in our field. Sean discusses the pivotal moment that revealed the power of generative AI, offers jaw-dropping demonstrations of its current capabilities, and explores its applications in personalised learning and talent development. From enhancing human understanding  to redefining L&D’s core aims, this conversation is packed with practical examples and forward-thinking strategies. With actionable advice and a look at the industry’s leading AI adoption, Sean provides a roadmap for L&D professionals ready to embrace this game-changing technology and rethink what’s possible. See the full agenda for L&D Week March 3rd to 6th and register for free today at https://360learning.com/l-and-d-next/2025/ KEY TAKEAWAYS AI can create content that is designed to specifically appeal to and engage with each person. A lot of what we do is gathering data from one place, reworking it and sharing it for application. AI is very good at this e.g. Notebook LM podcast feature. Most people have still not explored how AI can help them to do their L&D job. You can use voice and your camera to interface with AI. Tell AI to take on personas to explore, test and get feedback for your ideas. There are ways around any issues related to putting your business data into AI. AI enables you to get down to the micro level and create content to close very specific skills gaps. Be curious and start small. BEST MOMENTS “AI provides real impact.” “It was a new mode of content synthesis that I had never seen before.” “The more data you can put in there around who a person is … the more AI can personalise that learning information.” VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home Sean Bengry Bio Sean Bengry is a senior Learning & Development leader with a passion for driving innovation and leveraging cutting-edge technologies to empower organisations and their people. Currently the Director of Learning Transformation & Technology at DaVita Kidney Care, Sean leads strategic initiatives to enhance talent development and organisational growth. At the forefront of L&D transformation, Sean is known for his forward-thinking insights and ability to inspire action, helping organisations navigate the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly evolving learning landscape. Connect with Sean via: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbengry/ ABOUT THE HOST David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin L&D Maturity Model: https://360learning.com/maturity-model/ L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective Blog: https://360learning.com/blog L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home

Starting your career in L&D can be exciting and daunting. Where do you start? Which skills are important? What pitfalls must you avoid? Especially in these times when the whole profession has shifted and digital approaches are transforming the practice. In this episode, Lexie Hockaday (Junior L&D Product Manager) explores her own journey and development, alongside her line manager, Anne-Marie Burbidge (Head of Learning & Development). KEY TAKEAWAYS There are many ways into L&D. Not everyone has to do a learning apprenticeship. Spend time out in the business building up your understanding of how things actually work. Focus on what the business is trying to achieve so that you can deliver effective training. Follow up on your trainees to ensure that what you offer is delivering results. Digital resources enable you to curate content, constantly update it and deliver training fast. Learn to utilise the data you can extract from the tech systems you use. In many cases, light solutions e.g. a short how-to video is the answer, rather than a full-blown course. BEST MOMENTS 'One of the beauties of learning and development is you can come in from any number of routes.' 'I always start with what´s the why, what are people and the business trying to do? ' 'Keep the end-user, the human, the person at the heart of everything you do. ' 'I see learning and development as part of the overall employee experience. '    VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUESTS Anne-Marie Burbidge Bio Anne-Marie is Head of Learning & Development at Utility Warehouse, a UK-based multiservice utility provider, and draws on 15 years experience of running L&D teams. Anne-Marie is keenly interested in Agile principles and understanding how data can help us, using a range of tools and approaches to understand what's really going in order to grow capability and confidence effectively. Lexie Hockaday Bio Lexie is Junior L&D Product Manager at Utility Warehouse and - at the point of recording - is studying on the CIPD Level 5 Qualification in Learning & Development.   ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Is a Learning Culture essential if an organisation is to realise the potential of its people or is it, perhaps, a false nirvana? In this episode, it is explored when and how it becomes possible to develop a Learning Culture, we bust some myths around it and seek to empower L&D to begin it’s progression right now rather than wait for the perfect conditions - because those will never arrive. KEY TAKEAWAYS A learning culture has tended to mean that companies believe their learning departments or content is adequate. However, these are merely provisions. A learning culture is the point at where people can access learning at any time with no barriers to entry, and where access is encouraged. Before we develop a learning culture, it's essential to switch the conversation from learning performance and results, and not delaying the progress by thinking we have to change the culture first. No CEO will ever lose sleep over how many people have not completed courses. We need to be using measurements and metrics that business managers understand. BEST MOMENTS 'It is literally the lifeblood of the company' 'That is not a learning culture - that is a provision' 'I believe there is so much more than people completing courses and happy sheets' 'We're seeing much more of a "need to have" than a "nice to have"'  VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST A multi-award winning Learning leader with experience of heading up international Learning & Talent functions. Having worked across different organisations and sectors, Dr Hannah Gore has in-depth - as well as hands-on - knowledge of what it means to successfully align L&D with business outcomes and select the most appropriate approaches in order to make a demonstrable difference. Now a consultant, lecturer and Board Director at the eLearning Network, Hannah is an influential figure in L&D, helping to promote Learning Cultures as a way of achieving real results. You can follow and connect with Hannah via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahgore/ Twitter: @HRGore Website: https://drhannahgore.com/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Sukh Pabial recently conducted some research to understand the impact of COVID-19 - and subsequent restrictions - on L&D. In this episode, the results of this research are shared and explored in order to help understand where we are now and where we, as a profession, should prepare to go. KEY TAKEAWAYS The furlough scheme saw to it that many jobs were saved, but for those in L&D, if robust remote learning methods were not implemented, then a huge proportion of workforces could not be developed while furloughed. The shift to remote development has been significant. 85% of workforce learning is now done digitally and virtually. Everyone who pivoted from their original existing L&D strategy and content delivery, to one more focussed upon needs and priorities, created a huge contrast to the way things worked previously – an as-and-when framework. From a professional capability perspective, the shift to digital and virtual has been transformative. BEST MOMENTS 'The overall finding is that 85% shift to virtual’ ‘This has left a huge population who cannot access skills development’ ‘I think our “solutions” are so insubstantial that they require support from elsewhere’ ‘This has allowed them to make the shift they wanted to make’  VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Sukhvinder (Sukh) Pabial is a senior Learning & Organisational Development leader who, as CLO of Challenging Frontiers, actively works to progress the thinking and practice of L&D. Sukh’s interests lie in L&D strategy and consultation, innovation in business, positive psychology and emotional intelligence. Sukh is an occupational psychologist by education, and has extensively studied the fields of positive psychology and emotional intelligence.  Twitter @sukhpabial LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukhvinder-pabial-01113b1b/ How Has COVID Impacted L&D? Research Results: https://challengingfrontiers.com/impact-covid19-ld Website: https://challengingfrontiers.com/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Design Thinking is an emerging trend in Learning & Development but one that can easily be misunderstood or misappropriated - but it can also be incredibly powerful. In this episode we dive deep into what it is, how it can help L&D and how to use it.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Approaching problems from the perspective of the user, and being informed by data, is a way to solve real business problems. Design is not one single thing, but a collection of choices that come together to create a better experience. In order to best understand how to create design as a way of thinking, we must conceive of it as an investment in time and understanding. Far too many people jump upon buzzwords in order to make it seem as though they are being proactive. But this is the root cause behind the misconceptions that are keeping L&D in the past BEST MOMENTS 'We should be saying design... as a way of thinking...' 'Design is an approach that people can use to solve big problems' 'Change can't travel throughout our profession because of the mis-branding' 'If we understand the thought behind the problem, we don't need a piece of e-learning'  VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUESTS Danny Seals is Director of Design, Experience & Innovation at GP Strategies and the purpose of his work is to create impactful change through using good design. He pulls from various design disciplines and mindsets such as human centred design, design thinking, service design, system thinking and experience design.  You can follow and connect with Danny via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyseals/ With a background in the engineering and aerospace sectors, Tim Brind understands ROI and how to add value; an approach that combines performance consulting with human centred design to ensure the production of innovative, user-centric learning experiences and creative problem solving. You can follow and connect with Tim via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-brind-81707513/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

The digital skills gap within L&D has been called out as one of only 4 areas that could be critically holding back organisations and unless we recognise this and develop ourselves then we’ll continue to be part of the problem rather than those at the forefront of addressing it. In this episode, we discuss the difference between what L&D perceive to be digital and the opportunity that it actually presents.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Having the right mind-set is a prerequisite of success. You can't succeed in digital initiatives without a good mindset as it limits your chances. L&D has taken a long time to warm to themes of remote development, but this thawing of attitudes has been greatly sped up by the impact of lockdown. Remote is now seen as the norm, and so L&D has begun to fully embrace the possibilities. We do not necessarily make the most of the connection theme. We tend to think of it as being connected to a system, or connected to an instructor, but while they are important, this is limiting. It is incumbent upon us to measure success not in the number of clicks or downloads of software, but the success and penetration of ideas and learning. BEST MOMENTS 'Part of it's about how you organise. Part of it's about how you take decisions' 'L&D is starting to warm to these themes now' 'It's been a huge area of growth, and I don't think it's going to stop' 'These are themes from my working history that I still think are very valid'  VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Myles is an experienced consultant, senior manager and general manager of online and digital business in the private and public sector. He has a particular depth of experience in digital transformation, leading the development of digital and online learning and products in the corporate and education worlds with extensive experience of digital learning strategy, managing implementation and digital product strategy and design. You can follow and connect with Myles via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myles-runham/ Twitter: @MylesRun Blog: https://mylesrunham.com/blog/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

As podcasting grows, in terms of listeners and the number of podcasts available, the opportunity for internal use in organisations is also growing. This has been an area that many in L&D have been experimenting with as a new channel and another modern way of sharing messages and insights. In this episode we explore examples of what’s working well in some organisations and tips for getting going with podcasting.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Podcasting is one of the fastest-growing areas of content development. They are swift to deploy in service of a defined need. If seeking to deploy podcast content, we should always aim to experiment rather than launch as a new commitment. This can lead to the feeling of wearing a millstone. Podcast listening is up 40% over the last three years. At Podbean alone, over 100,000 podcasts were begun in 2020. There is no gatekeeper for the world of podcasting, allowing for a surfeit of creativity. This also allows listeners to tune in to more specific niches. BEST MOMENTS 'A lot of people found their creative vibe during lockdown' 'See if it gets you the results you seek, and not just some attention' 'More Americans listen to podcasts every week that attend religious services' 'Podcasts really foster independent creation'  VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Shannon works with podcasters and organisations running internal communications and training podcasts, to support their efforts and address their needs. In addition Shannon run community outreach: interviews, social media, events, collaborations, and sponsorships. She also speaks at podcasting and employee development/training/HR conferences on various aspects of podcasting. You can follow and connect with Shannon via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonmartinwrites/ ‘Podcasting for Learning and Development & Internal Communications’ LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13872219/ Podbean Blog: https://blog.podbean.com/  ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

If addressing Skills Gaps was as easy as plugging in a new platform filled with categorised content then L&D wouldn’t be recognised as part of the Skills Gap problem rather than addressing it. Yes, that’s right, Organisational Learning is deemed under-skilled at addressing ‘broad-based re-skilling efforts’. So how did we get here and how do we sort ourselves out? These questions - and many more are explored in this episode.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Training and learning are different things. We are creating a flawed system through our own educational institutions. We are taught the basics, but not taught how to apply these lessons. The industrial strategy council has highlighted that five million workers could become acutely underskilled in basic digital skills by 2030. Skills gaps are impacted both positively and negatively by more factors that many realise, including the political landscape and economic requirements of any given territory. Approximately, we spend 44 billion pounds per year on L&D, and yet the returns do not seem to be worth the investment. BEST MOMENTS 'We're not addressing a skills gap - it's just keeping a nice chat going' 'We can't just go out and recruit to make this business successful - we're going to have to grow some' 'As a learning profession we have turned the other way' 'What is the outcome that we deliver, year on year, for that spend?'  VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 Industrial Strategy Council ‘UK Skills Mismatch 2030’ Research Paper - https://industrialstrategycouncil.org/uk-skills-mismatch-2030-research-paper UK’s Digital Skills Gap Poses Risk To Economic Recovery - https://news.microsoft.com/en-gb/2020/11/23/uks-digital-skills-gap-poses-risk-to-economic-recovery-research-reveals/ ABOUT THE GUEST Simon is a modern and experienced Executive-level People Leader who has delivered meaningful commercial Change and Transformation via appropriate Learning, Organisational Development and Talent initiatives. Simon has a varied history and experience of working in different sectors and economic climates. From start-up to large multi-national companies, including NBC Universal, Fujitsu, Sonnedix and NatWest / RBS.  You can follow and connect with Simon via: Twitter: @simon1gibson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simongibsonlearning/  ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

So here we are again, like so many countries around the world, in Lockdown. But as we’ve learned over the past year, this does not mean that business completely stops and many are finding innovative ways to continue operating and certainly preparing for the next phase: Post-vaccination. In this episode, we get to hear from three successful and innovative L&D leaders about what’s happening in their teams, how they’re preparing for what comes next and their hopes for the future. KEY TAKEAWAYS For many, previous lockdowns were seen as something of a holding pattern, a case of keeping heads above water. Now, operations are seeking to grow during lockdown. There is a huge value in bringing people together and holding a conversation around a table in order to share perspectives and experiences. There can never truly be a digital substitute for this. Experimentation and creativity have become the most productive way of re-shaping the work environment. It has made us realise that collaboration is the key to moving forward. The key to keeping our people motivated is to make sure that our values and our purpose are being effectively communicated and embraced. BEST MOMENTS 'People want to feel valued. They want to feel like they're working towards a unified purpose' 'L&D hasn't changed. This has just challenged us to make it even better' 'It all started with recognising that this is unusual, and that no one has all the answers' 'That creation of blended learning is very much what we're pushing for' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUESTS Eva Adam Bio Eva Adam is Learning Design Lead at Philip Morris International providing innovative solutions that help the company to achieve its strategic objectives. Eva leverages digital solutions and Experience Design to achieve real business results and successfully brings employees and stakeholders along with digital transformation. You can follow and connect with Eva via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-adam-25947787/ Alice Collier-Niblett Bio Alice is a thoroughly modern L&D professional with a background of leading with digital solutions and bringing her team and organisation along with her. Previously at ASOS and now with Monzo, Alice is a member of a team that operates in a way that is leading-edge and aspirational for many: Data-driven, performance-focused and agile. You can follow and connect with Alice via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-collier-niblett-849154b8/ Sean Cooper Bio Sean is Learning Demand Design & Delivery Manager at Drax Group, having previously been L&D Manager at Jet2. He is a forward-thinking, outcome-focused L&D leader who uses data, experimentation, Agile principles and digital-first solutions to affect the way the work is done and desired results. In recognition of this, he and his team at Jet2 achieved the Silver Award at the Learning Tech Awards. You can follow and connect with Sean via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-cooper1982/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Induction is common to all most all organisations. What’s also common is getting it wrong. Hours spent delivering slide after slide after slide with no intention of preparing attendees with the information and know-how that will impact their working. This was the case for Ross Stevenson at Trainline.com and this was the reason he decided to do something different - and do something that works. KEY TAKEAWAYS L&D must be seen as absolutely integral to any organisation, so that all of our people recognise the importance and value of developing and growing. By making the learning experience employee-centric, instead of merely convenient and topic-centric, we can all make the difference required to welcome new starters and prepare them for performance. Far too many organisations still deliver "Death By Powerpoint" presentations, but we all know that this does not work effectively any more. Video content is a fantastic way of creating engagement, and far more attractive to people than simple paperwork that is often ignored. BEST MOMENTS 'I'm the A to Z of L&D' 'If we invest in people we can help people grow and have high performing teams' 'To make sure that we provide people with a real value-add experience touches on a human and a digital element' 'It's about not having a finite approach, and looking at an infinite approach' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Ross is Senior Learning & Talent Development Manager at Trainline.com, having previously been Digital Learning Manager at Tesco. He is an advocate of progressive L&D practices that impact individual and organisational performance.  
 In addition, Ross is author of the Steal These Thoughts blog and podcast. 
 You can follow and connect with Ross via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rstevensonuk/ Twitter: @_Rsvenson Website: www.stealthesethoughts.com ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

We’ve discussed the principles of Digital Marketing and its application to L&D in previous podcasts but this one is slightly different. Satoshi and the team at SwissRe have up-skilled themselves and experimented with both the approaches and tools of Digital Marketing to get closer to employees and create a compelling Digital Learning offering. KEY TAKEAWAYS Too few L&D professionals see the overlap between L&D and digital marketing when it comes to efficiently influencing behaviour. The main challenge for democratised learning is how people can find the most relevant content in the moment of need. We recognise things as learning needs based on minimal observation, or even because of our preference, but these things are not real needs. They are assumptions. The principles of marketing can be used to enhance the learning experience. Effective marketing is used to nudge a user along a funnel and towards a proposed end goal. It's the same with learning. BEST MOMENTS 'We put a lot of emphasis on the learning experience. We wanted to be more digital and personalised' 'We have to find ways to promote the right content through digital channels' 'It's so much about education, but it has to start with them' 'We don't have a crystal ball to predict the skills of the future' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Satoshi is Learning Experience Lead at SwissRe and is passionate about learning and emerging technologies. Especially how technology can help to build the most impactful learning solutions and provide everyone access to knowledge at anytime, from everywhere, in the moment of need. You can follow and connect with Satoshi via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/satoshi-probala-7a546097/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

In a world where skills gaps are widening and job demands are evolving at unprecedented rates, understanding how to gain a "skills advantage" is critical for organizations to stay competitive. In this episode, Anish Lalchandani, author of The Skills Advantage, delves into his insights on bridging skills gaps, building resilient teams, and preparing organizations for the future. Anish walks us through his approach, discussing how the right skills strategy can shift a team from good to exceptional and position L&D as a driver of business transformation. Whether you're a leader looking to upskill your team or an L&D professional aiming to create a sustainable skills strategy, this conversation is packed with actionable insights. KEY TAKEAWAYS The established approach to L&D is no longer enough. L&D needs to go beyond business alignment and take the lead in equipping our businesses to thrive in the future.  You don´t have the wrong people, they have the wrong skills. Employees need to be convinced that upskilling benefits them and the business.  A huge proportion of executive transitions fail, and we need to address this. What is going on in the market and industry helps you identify future skill needs. Use technology to help with your data analysis and become more agile. When you demonstrate impact, you get permission to do more. BEST MOMENTS “The established approach to L&D is no longer enough.” “Reskilling is a long-term game, start now.” “We need to hold ourselves accountable to actual upskilling and not just providing learning.” “You don´t have the wrong people, they have the wrong skills.” “The risk of relying on firing and hiring is extraordinary.” Anish Lalchandani Bio Anish Lalchandani is the author of the book ‘The Skills Advantage: A Human-Centered, Sustainable and Scalable Approach to Reskilling’. Having held leadership roles at leading firms like A.P. Moller Maersk (current), General Electric, Standard Chartered Bank and other organizations, he has developed extensive expertise in Talent, OD, Leadership and HR Strategy. In addition to being a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, he is also a certified professional coach and mentor to start-up founders. Several publications, including Economic Times, Thinkers360, LeadersHum and HRD, rate him as one of the top influencers in HR and the Future of Work. You can follow and connect with Anish via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishlalchandanichro The Skills Advantage Quiz: https://form.jotform.com/240295107435453 The Skills Advantage Book: https://www.anishlalchandani.com/book VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home ABOUT THE HOST David James  David James is the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning and a highly respected voice in the Learning & Development industry. With a focus on harnessing technology to drive impactful learning strategies, David is recognised as one of the top 10 global influencers in the L&D space. His expertise lies in helping organisations modernise their approach to workplace learning, ensuring measurable results and business alignment. David is the host of The Learning & Development Podcast, which has amassed over 500,000 downloads and ranks in the top 1% of podcasts globally. With nearly 30,000 LinkedIn followers, he continues to shape the conversation around L&D innovation and best practices, drawing on his deep experience, including his time as Director of Learning, Talent & Organisational Development at The Walt Disney Company. CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin  L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective Blog: https://360learning.com/blog L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home

As the last episode of 2020, we pause for reflection, summarise some of the learning from 26 episodes so far and look forward to next year. The first episode of 2021 will be released on 5th January. KEY TAKEAWAYS Many priorities from the world of 2019 were put aside in the wake of the COVID pandemic. It has forced us to re-evaluate what's important, and how we work in the world of today. Emerging trends have had a chance to shine in the new working landscape, including agile, experimentation and digital resources. Things have accelerated almost ten years in the space of a mere few months. Expectations of L&D have allowed us to modernise solutions at a never before seen pace. BEST MOMENTS 'We talked through the opportunities for L&D as organisations needed to adapt - and fast' 'We're moving fast to address the emerging needs of employees' 'L&D should become more proficient in its use of data' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

It’s a comparison that provokes strong reactions from L&D professionals who see mostly distinctions between Digital Marketing and Workplace Learning. But both seek to be where people are looking for answers to their questions in order to influence their behaviour, via education and prompts. Not only does L&D have more in common with Digital Marketing than we’d like to admit but Marketers have also been on a journey we’d be wise to follow. We explore all of this and more in this episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS We are competing for the attention of our people. There is a significant amount of noise in the world right now. The key is to prove the value of learning experiences, and start to build trust in order to win that attention back. There is a huge transformation occurring that has meant a powerful learning for marketing forces, who are able to use this to adapt and evolve as impacts are required to be proven. Far too often, we zero in on the sinister, and some would say intrusive side of digital marketing, instead of looking at the grand opportunity to provide the help that people so clearly crave. Data must never be treated as absolute, but as a tool to help us hypothesise. Data does not mean everything. It merely helps us to gather an informed perspective on proposed outcomes. BEST MOMENTS 'We are in an attention economy' 'It is at that point of need that we have the biggest opportunity to influence' 'The biggest thing is understanding your audience' 'The best decisions I make are based on data' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Ashley has extensive experience of building Marketing functions and is an expert in Marketing automation, search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing. Ashley is a Marketing Consultant delivering Marketing skills and solutions for L&D and learning technologies. Branding. Strategy. Original, lead-generating campaigns. Copywriter and storyteller. HubSpot expert; enablement coach. You can follow and connect with Ashley via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashsinclair/ Website: https://www.maas-marketing.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

DESCRIPTION L&D is as renowned for not knowing the impact that interventions have as the training that's delivered. For some stakeholders and organisations it’s enough to know that training took place but that’s becoming less and less the case. In this episode, Kevin brings his experience of investigating learning impact via his latest ebook: The L&D Detective Kit For Solving Impact Mysteries. KEY TAKEAWAYS Impact is the extent to which training and learning is activating performance and business goals. The aim of the book is help L&D teams to help measure how training and learning are activating behaviour and performance. Before trying to solve a problem or measure the impact, we must use the impact standards in order to ascertain whether or not it was designed for impact at all. There are six questions designed to define this. We must seek to challenge the ingrained L&D approach, by where a set schedule for training is established, but also the expectations of stakeholders, who see development in a more analogue way, by returning to the question of “What is the business goal?” We must build training and learning solutions with intention, with purpose and specificity, for activating performance in business goals. It is not enough to simply reserve training time and assume that it is enough. We are better to narrowly focus on communication skills that the business has identified as critical. BEST MOMENTS ’This is my way of giving back to the L&D community’ ‘You don't want to put too much work into something and then find that it wasn’t designed for impact’ ‘If all we’re talking about is providing more water-cooler moments, then we’re diminishing our value’ ’The greater opportunity is when we are investing in employees in a way that helps them achieve business goals' VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Kevin is the Learning & Development detective, solving the mystery: “What is the impact of learning?” He does this by investigating how learning activates performance and business goals. He is also author of the eBook, 𝘓&𝘋 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, in which he shares the secrets to his success. for investigating and measuring impact.  You can follow and connect with Kevin via: Your free copy of The L&D Detective Kit For Solving Impact Mysteries:  https://kevinmyates.com/l%26d-detective-kit Twitter: @KevinMYates LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmyates/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevmyates/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevmyates/ Website: https://kevinmyates.com/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

As organisations adapt to the challenges of COVID and Lockdown, L&D has adopted the essence of Agile by responding quickly to emerging needs, working closely with those expected to perform differently and being accountable for enabling performance and results.  This has been necessary to play our part but there’s more we can do to develop ourselves and extend our value further. In this episode, Natal breaks it down for us to experiment further with Agile. KEY TAKEAWAYS HR have found themselves on the front line of leading business response to the pandemic. They are not only shaping the future of care for our workforce, but also leading the charge in terms of development and how this is implemented and deployed. The syntax of agile can overwhelm, and in some cases cause us to refute altogether, as the learning curve can sound too steep. If we simply return to the core elements and mindset, it is far easier to implement and understand. Agile is a way of working that has already proven successful in transforming not just functions, but entire organisations. It is far more than a buzzword, and far more effective than micro-learning. Agile is intimately linked with digitalisation. It comes from software development and accelerating so many of the digital products we have in our lives. We cannot separate agile and digital. BEST MOMENTS ‘All eyes on HR!’ ‘What do people need to solve, what are the problems they face, and how do we help them get better?’ ‘It’s the end of the operating model as we know it, and I think that’s a great thing!’ ’The opportunities of what we can now do with connected learning in a digital space is so amazing' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Following over a decade working in senior HR, Talent and Organisational Development roles, Natal Dank is now a leading figure in Agile HR and People Experience. Natal heads up learning, coaching, and community at PXO Culture and is seen as a pioneer in the Agile HR movement. In 2016 Natal hosted the first Agile HR Meetup in London with the aim of building a community of like-minded disrupters, which has since grown into a regular event held across the world from Sydney to Paris and online. A year later she co-founded the Agile HR Community and has recently published the book, Agile HR. Now, through PXO Culture, Natal is focused on defining modern HR for the 21st Century.   You can follow and connect with Natal via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataldank/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NatalDank Website: https://www.pxoculture.com/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Transitioning to a senior leadership position can be hugely challenging as experienced managers enter unchartered terrain. Without understanding quite what to expect, professionals are thrust into the most challenging of circumstances and many of them will fail.  In this episode, insight is shed onto this transition, with stories, tips and advice from one of the world’s most renowned CLO’s. KEY TAKEAWAYS We must recognise that the building blocks of any successful learning begins with being great business colleagues and partners. A more product-centric approach weakens the strategy. Delivering learning well is of primary focus. We must also consider the potential impact of this learning, and then tell this story in way that demonstrates value. We must consider capability building so that we can source initiatives, externally or internally, in order to meet the needs of the business. Saying yes to any request has almost been seen as validation by learning professionals. But we should never be afraid to say no. We must make each decision meaningfully, and for the good of the business. If we recognise that it is not, we must not compromise. BEST MOMENTS ’The focus starts always with the business’ ‘Don’t be afraid to say no’ ‘First and foremost we must always be aligned to the business’ ‘Being agile is at the core of our being able to grow our business for the future' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Kimo Kippen is a thought leader, speaker and advocate for life-long learning and talent development. A native of Hawaii, Kimo was Chief Learning Officer at Hilton, recognised by CLO Magazine as Chief Learning Officer of the year - 2015, and former VP of HR at Marriott International. 
 You can follow and connect with Kimo via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimokippen/ Website: https://www.alohalearningadvisors.com/ Email: aloha@pobox.com ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Learning Games have been popular in L&D for a number of years but whilst the number of games designed and launched for organisational use has been significant, whether they’ve achieved what they’re designed for is another matter. So what does it take to design Learning Games that affect performance and results - and when is it most appropriate? We explore these questions and much more in this episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS Learning games are still very basic, not user-centric, and not even considered to be game-centric. People seem to expect that the addition of leaderboards or the like are enough to create a lasting, impactful experience. Games must be designed around business objectives. We must clearly and initially identify the problem we need to solve before thinking about how to use games to get there. We must design for success. Why are we looking at learning, and what can we do to design true innovation into the learning experience we hope to offer? Games help with specific needs, and aid in a targeted way. For maximum effectiveness, they must be deployed en masse, and if no other type of learning will suit the audience and need. While many L&D budgets are low, it is simply not good enough to produce something lacking in quality and effectiveness. It must meet expectations.  BEST MOMENTS ‘In learning game terms, we’re still in the Pong era’ ‘It’s really hard to build a game that gets any kind of traction’ ‘What does success look like? What is it that you want your learners to do differently?' ‘Games are not a silver bullet’ ‘Game learning is incredibly effective if done well' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Deborah Baird is Learning Design Lead at Philip Morris International as well as a Game Learning Producer and Lecturer. A self-confessed game fanatic, Deborah combines her passion for Learning and Gaming to produce solutions that solve real business problems. 
 You can follow and connect with Deborah via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gamelearndebs/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

So many people talk about where L&D is going but who’s actually doing it? Brian Murphy is.  In this episode (recorded prior to lockdown), Brian explains his approach to L&D, how it focuses on - and seeks to address - performance, his "from courses to campaigns" approach and the journey he’s taken with his teams and organisations. KEY TAKEAWAYS Thinking about the profession through a business lens, and being more marketing oriented, has allowed us to see the elements of L&D that require adjustment and upgrading. We cannot hope to implement the same strategic development across a business that stretches across many divisions. The culture of certain departments will be drastically different, and therefore require a unique approach. Informal learning is a huge part of how we learn and develop. We assimilate information far more effectively through exposure to others, and through experiences. We must seek to learn and understand the language of the people that we are trying to support, and what they are trying to do. Beginning from a place of data helps us to realise the critical points of failure. BEST MOMENTS ’There’s never been a better time to be in L&D’ ‘We want people to actually be ready, and what is it that you can do to help us?’ ’Sometimes we mythologise our own abilities and products’ ’The right answer is the right answer' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Brian is an experienced and award-winning L&D leader with a reputation for innovation and achieving results. As Head of Learning & Leadership at Citi, Brian achieved the Gold Award for Innovation In Learning from the LPI (2017) and the same standard for Best Use of Social & Collaborative Learning Technologies from Learning Technologies (2016). Now at AstraZeneca, Brian is Head of Learning Transformation.   You can follow and connect with Brian via: Twitter: @bnmurphy14 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murphybrian1 ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Not many in L&D recognise the opportunity to automate L&D administration, compliance and entire digital learning journeys, saving enormous amounts of time as well as guiding employee performance.  But what does it take to get to this and how do L&D teams take advantage of this opportunity, especially during these tough times? We explore all this and more in this episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS The most rewarding and satisfying results come from helping organisations get to a better place in terms of improvements in culture, performance and communication. There is a low expectation of what learning and development offers. It can be seen as a perk of sorts, which has led to a perceived “dumbing down” of the profession. Spend less time trying to work out what solutions there are out there, and more time understanding the performance problems in your organisation.  One of the main advantages provided by smart technology has been building user insights into any campaign, allowing us to move away from “content play” to a real dialogue. BEST MOMENTS ‘One of the biggest challenges for organisations is data’ ‘It’s about predefining a route that you want people to take’ ’Those conversations are what gets me out of bed in the morning' VALUABLE RESOURCES New eBook: Digital Learning That Works Harder (So You Don't Have To) - https://www.looop.co/digital-learning-that-works-harder/ The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Mike Collins is a pioneering and influential voice in L&D, having been Senior People Experience Specialist at River Island and in the Learning Transformation team at Direct Line. You can follow and connect with Mike via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/communitymike/ Twitter: @Community_Mike ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

As things have changed in recent months, Learning & Development Leaders have had to adapt too. Whereas before the People Development Strategy could have looked like an incremental build on the existing situation, it now has to speak to equipping people to adapt and perform in extraordinary circumstances. In this episode, Jilly Julian talks about this in the context of Legal Services.   Jilly Julian Bio Jilly is Senior L&D Business Partner at Horwich Farrelly, having previously head People Development roles at MAG (Airports Group), The Co-operative Group, PZ Cussons and Capita.   You can follow and connect with Jilly via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jilly-julian-71024110/ Twitter: @JillyTats

When Sean Cooper took over L&D at Jet2 he was given a blank sheet of paper to redesign it but to achieve real business outcomes. By believing that he could this with digital-first, rather than classroom-first, and by adopting a data-driven and Agile approach, he transformed L&D, achieving more than he thought he could - and was recognised by the industry.  KEY TAKEAWAYS The traditional form of eLearning is not engaging. Many are simply clicking through until they reach the end with the aim of taking the test so that they can tick a box. They are not truly learning this way. The aim is not to create a single bank of information that is irrelevant to many users. It should be an entirely bespoke resource that fits each worker and their unique journey through business. Not every form of learning has to be set in stone. By making small, incremental changes, even in terms of ease-of-access, we slowly change the face of learning and development for the user. By solving problems that are truly important to the organisation, it becomes important to stakeholders or the individuals we are seeking to influence. BEST MOMENTS ’eLearning: that’s not learning to me’ ‘You need to employ this quickly, otherwise you’ll lose what you’ve learned today’ ‘Where I’ve now seen my passion is looking at the blend; the classroom and the digital’ ‘By challenging whether you need to bring people together for the delivery, you create something that is so fit for purpose' VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Sean is Learning Demand Design & Delivery Manager at Drax Group, having previously been L&D Manager at Jet2. He is a forward-thinking, outcome-focused L&D leader who uses data, experimentation, Agile principles and digital-first solutions to affect the way the work is done and desired results. In recognition of this, he and his team at Jet2 achieved the Silver Award at the Learning Tech Awards ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Stepping into a new L&D leadership role is challenging, and establishing both yourself and your team can be even harder. It’s not just about filling gaps—it’s about aligning your vision with the business’s needs and building a strategy that delivers tangible results. In this episode, Sam Allen, Global Head of Learning and Development at Ideagen, shares how he has navigated this journey, from understanding the company’s culture and expectations to creating an L&D strategy that drives real performance. Sam talks about the key steps to establishing yourself in a new L&D role: how to build trust with stakeholders, identify the right learning needs, and bring your team on the journey. If you're a new L&D leader or looking to reposition your team, this episode offers real-world insights into how to take L&D from a function to a business partner. KEY TAKEAWAYS Work really hard to understand where the business you have joined is going. Identify the decision makers and sit down with each one to find out what their priorities are and where they are heading. To do this you need an effective way to take notes and analyse what you learn. Assess how your team currently performs. Make it clear to everyone what your approach to L&D is. Acquire the right tools for your L&D team and for your stakeholders. Set up self-serving learning resources that enable departments to fill skill gaps themselves. Break skills content down to enable truly targeted learning. Establishing yourself is about creating a strategy that truly drives business impact. BEST MOMENTS “How capable are the team members within that organisational structure?” “Build credible relationships with stakeholders.” “Create content where there are gaps.” Sam Allen Bio Sam Allen is the Global Head of Learning and Development at Ideagen, where he leads the company’s L&D strategy to drive performance, capability, and career growth. Before joining Ideagen, Sam was the Interim Head of L&D (Central Functions) at Cazoo, where he established the central L&D function, delivering leadership programs and automating onboarding and compliance. Before that, Sam founded Insightful People, partnering with businesses to deliver strategic L&D projects. He also held senior L&D roles at Whitbread, developing management teams, and at Argos, where he led the L&D strategy for IT, Digital, and Marketing, supporting around 500 colleagues and delivering high-potential and leadership development programs. Throughout his career, Sam has been committed to transforming L&D into a strategic driver of business performance. VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home ABOUT THE HOST David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin  L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective Blog: https://360learning.com/blog L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home

The consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have been dramatic and far-reaching. Many organisations and even industries have faced existential threats. But the situation has also provided L&D with huge opportunities. In this episode Robb Sayers explains how these opportunities have presented themselves to him and how he sees L&D progressing from here.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Lockdown has allowed certain activities in development to be brought forward, with the aim of increasing engagement, and investment in skills and capabilities. People aren’t always interested in how they learn. They simply want to learn. By improving their skills, they make their jobs easier and more intuitive.  It is our role in L&D, to look at the landscape as we return, and do our best to provide disruptive thinking. We must talk about the things that we do not wish to return to. Fundamentally, onboarding should be condensed to two objectives:  To help someone feel as though they’re welcome and that they have joined the right organisation To help that person achieve efficiency in their role at speed The biggest learning we’ve all taken from 2020 is that the world can change in an instant. We will walk forward from this period with a greater ability to be ready for change. BEST MOMENTS ‘We learn most when we’re muddling along’ ‘If you change the context in which people operate, everything else changes’ ‘People want the stuff that’s going to help them when they need it’ ’The world around us has changed, and therefore you have to adapt' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Robb is UK Capability Lead for Viiv Healthcare, having held various People Development roles at GlaxoSmithKline, including the position of Director of Learning Capabilities. You can follow and connect with Robb via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-sayers-1b896225/  ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Too many L&D teams still only expect their digital offering to supplement face-to-face and drive engagement as an end in itself. But that’s no longer enough. The opportunity now is to influence performance and therefore results. Peter Manniche-Riber challenges himself to do this and in this episode he shares the method he uses to have a different type of conversation with stakeholders and build solutions that make the difference. KEY TAKEAWAYS Far too many people are still focused upon how learning and development can be restricted, limited and measured. The task ahead is to better educate stakeholders about true people development. Many in the L&D sector are generally anxious about actually leaving our environments in order to find out what people need. But by doing so we can better identify solutions. There is a shift from learning objectives to performance outcomes. We need to encourage discussion about what people should do differently and how we measure this, and what the impact is.  The future of development relies on listening to, and understanding, our people. We can do this by employing  in-house analysis, to find out what people are talking about, praising and unhappy with. BEST MOMENTS ‘My work is not a “tick the box” exercise. It’s about people. It’s about learning’ ‘What do you want people to think, feel and do, on the other side of what it is you want to achieve?’ ‘If you don’t know what people care about, then you don’t know what the solution is’ ‘I haven’t come across one piece of effective e-learning that made a difference' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Peter is Head of Digital Learning at Novo Nordisk and an advocate of solutions that work predominantly for the learner. As a certified Scrum Product Owner, Peter mixes contemporary approaches to L&D to best fit digital solutions. Prior to his current role, Peter was Head of Learning at Kanda and Senior Learning Manager at Siemens Gamesa. You can follow and connect with Peter via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-manniche-riber-5565628b/  ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Having introduced Agile into River Island, Nebel is in the process of doing the same at her current organisation, Roche. Not just into the HR team, where she is Director of HR & Communications, but across the entire employee population. Learn from Nebel’s rich experience of succeeding with Agile in HR and L&D - with real examples - and how you can do the same. KEY TAKEAWAYS Working in an agile space is about breaking things down incrementally, delivering at a pace that suits the business, iterating, and creating effective channels of communication so as to better encourage co-creation. Checking in with your team is a founding principle of agile working, and one of the practices that encourages accountability, creativity in solutions, and the close-knit bonding of teams, no matter how remote they may be. The pace of agile can sometime be daunting for those who have not experienced it. But businesses should always be evolving, and we must never limit progress based upon unfounded preconceptions. Initial development is often so focused towards ensuring that someone can perform the breadth and depth of their new responsibilities, but making sure that we engender a feeling of excitement, creativity and comfort, is far more important in the initial phase. Agile can be introduced to a cautious environment by introducing small elements at first, and then building upon these slowly. Focus on impactful solutions that will demonstrate effectiveness. BEST MOMENTS ’There’s an element of discipline in the way you work with agile’ ’The biggest impact that I’ve observed is how it brings people together’ ‘Find the advocates and build your army’ ‘Unless you listen to feedback, how can you ever know what the solution needs to be?’ ‘Agile brings a level of curiosity' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 Natal Dank: @nataldank Agil8 Scrum Master Training: https://www.agil8.com/training/certified-scrum-training/certified-scrummaster/ ABOUT THE GUEST Nebel is an award-winning HR leader with a track record of building Agile HR and L&D teams that deliver real business value. Currently Director of HR & Communications at Roche, Nebel spent more than 4 years at River Island where she led the Talent team before becoming Head of People Experience. Prior to these roles, Nebel was also Head of Learning, People & Performance at Virgin Holidays. You can follow and connect with Nebel via: Twitter: @BrightonBelle39 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nebel-crowhurst-2999648/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

The consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic have been immediate and far-reaching. L&D teams have had to move quickly to respond to very real, and very urgent needs. But what could this mean for our profession in the mid- to long-term? And to what extent are there opportunities for L&D? KEY TAKEAWAYS COVID’s effects have not just been on a business and economic scale, but also on a personal level. We have had to deal with issues pertaining to business, staff, and ourselves. The strain has been unprecedented. There have been challenges, but also obvious benefits to the new way of working. It’s a case of capturing these benefits and ensuring that putting them into practice ensures we do not slip into less efficient ways of working. Needs are emerging constantly, and prominently, for many workers, and they need to be swiftly addressed. These challenges need focussed, creative thinking, and rapid delivery. There is a real opportunity for L&D professionals now to spend more time in discovery, to become more fluent in thinking in the same ways as data scientists, in order to deliver more targeted solutions. It is incumbent upon us to provide inspiration, empowerment, and the agency to think more creatively in terms of identifying developmental needs. BEST MOMENTS ’There’s no competitive advantage to be gained from COVID’ ‘We’ve been able to move at pace and provide people with what’s needed’ ‘Leading with digital solutions can meet people where they are’ ‘Classroom solutions have been thrown at poorly-defined problems for far too long’ VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 Ben Chambers LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benchambers/?originalSubdomain=uk  Ben Chambers Twitter - https://twitter.com/benchambers99 ABOUT THE GUEST Ben Chambers leads the Business School at Grant Thornton and is responsible for learning, talent and performance, having held senior positions at GSK and Tesco, amongst others. He is also founder of the Talent and Leadership Club, a collaboration group for talent and leadership professionals that has been going for over ten years now and has around 500 members. ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Serena Gonsalves-Fersch is conducting extensive research, as part of a doctorate, on the future of our profession.  In this episode, we explore Serena’s findings so far, how these findings map to Serena’s considerable experience and what the future of Learning & Development could mean for all of us. KEY TAKEAWAYS There are a remarkable number of opinions on what L&D should and could be doing. However, when you’re working in the sector, and beneath the expectations of internal stakeholders, the experience is radically different. When you are in a startup or hyper-growth organisation, it requires a completely different approach and way of thinking when it comes to how we can best effect business change. Learning is an ever-evolving pursuit, but so too is the methodology of learning itself. We cannot hope to advance our knowledge, if the practices do not evolve with us on a personal level. We should never be afraid to experiment when it comes to learning. Even if we fail, we have learned a lesson.  Recognising the difference between an individual’s learning requirements and their personal attitudes and approaches, is key to discerning the real needs. By mislabelling a personal issue as a learning issue, essentially offer complicity. BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s easier to start from the bottom up, and look at how we build’ ‘In a smaller organisation, the critical path seems more obvious’ ’The human race would not have survived if we were not constantly learning’ ’There’s no such thing as an L&D emergency' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Serena Gonsalves-Fersch is an experienced L&D leader with 20 years in the profession, having worked at IBM and KPMG, amongst others. With your most recent role as Global Head of Learning at Cloudreach. You can follow and connect with Serena via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serena-gonsalves-fersch-flpi-a23589/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Organisations have moved quicker than they could have ever predicted in light of the current crisis, and L&D teams within these organisations have had to do the same.  Sarah Allen and her team at AXA UK are an example of how quickly things changed, and how swiftly an L&D team needed to respond in order to meet changing needs. So what did that mean - and what will it mean from here on out? KEY TAKEAWAYS The insurance industry has a responsibility to protect customers during normality, and to support customers when life hits hard. L&D’s role in insurance is to enable teams to be at their best during this time of support. Connection to teams, especially those working remotely now, is crucial to determining the needs of managers facing the problem of how to motivate, and get the best out of their teams. Working digitally has accelerated the deployment of the four guiding principles: agile mind-set, digital-first, design once-deploy often, and outside thinking. The question now is which parts of this new normal should we embrace, develop, and incorporate into our new way of working, and which parts of the pre-COVID world we can, and should, leave behind. BEST MOMENTS ’I’m excited to be in a profession where I can see that we only have an opportunity to add more value’ ‘We’re doing a lot more listening than talking’ ‘It makes you wonder what we were so scared of before’ ’There’s going to be a lot of “new”, moving forward' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Sarah is Head of Learning, Talent & Leadership for AXA UK, having risen through the ranks of the L&D team at AXA Investment Managers. You can follow and connect with Sarah via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahnelsonallen/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

The current crisis has changed plenty, some will last well beyond lockdown and some will pass. One thing for sure is that organisations will want to make up for missed opportunities, when restrictions are relaxed, and businesses will want to make up for lost revenue.  We can anticipate an unforgiving period in the short- to mid-term and L&D will be under greater scrutiny to make a significant contribution. To this end, we can expect a hastening of some emerging trends in L&D, such as the pivot from a ‘learning’ focus to affecting performance and productivity more reliably, in order to achieve results. This is explored with 3 experienced L&D leaders: Kevin M. Yates, Gemma Paterson and Alice Collier-Niblett.  KEY TAKEAWAYS The current situation has reversed many long-held expectations around the capabilities and benefits of programme development, and has helped to accelerate plans to overhaul current development strategies. To understand the effectiveness of any training, we need to understand our deliverables from the outset, instead of focusing on the format or appeal of the courses themselves. No matter what our working environment looks like, there is still the need to measure results and impact. The challenge is in working out how to measure results remotely. We can’t hope to know about the driving motivations of our workforce, and the areas in which they wish to improve, unless we are the centre of that world alongside them. In order to ensure that we’re advancing in the correct manner, the first ingredient to be considered should be the people themselves. Do we have the right people, and the right mix of people in order to achieve that goal? BEST MOMENTS ‘We had to change, we had to adapt. And as a result, we’ve been able to help a lot more people’ ‘Perpetual data should be a desirable state’ ‘We need to now be contextualising what performance means at home’ ‘Move away from creating a course, and move toward creating impact’     VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUESTS Kevin M Yates Kevin’s expertise is answering the question, “Did training work?”, with facts, evidence, and data. His work is global and multi-industry. He's a sought after subject matter expert and international speaker. 
 You can follow and connect with Kevin via: Twitter: @KevinMYates LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmyates/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevmyates/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevmyates/ Website: https://kevinmyates.com/ Gemma Paterson  Gemma has been leading teams to develop, manage and market digital products in learning, talent, social media and marketing for over 10 years. As Head of Technology & Innovation for Learning at Aviva, Gemma leads a team to deliver commercial outcomes through innovative approaches to learning, talent and organisational development, with a focus on the digital transformation. Using innovation, technology, storytelling and experience design her ultimate aim is to deliver real business results.  You can follow and connect with Gemma via: Twitter: @GemStGem LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmacritchley/ Alice Collier-Niblett Alice is a thoroughly modern L&D professional with a background of leading with digital solutions and bringing her team and organisation along with her. Previously at ASOS and now with Monzo, Alice is a member of a team that operates in a way that is leading-edge and aspirational for many: Data-driven, performance-focused and agile. You can follow and connect with Alice via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-collier-niblett-849154b8/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

As the world copes with the Coronavirus pandemic, L&D departments are adapting to lead with digital solutions, to engage a remote workforce and influence their working. In this episode, Alice talks about how she’s been leading with digital solutions, in her current and previous roles, and how she uses data, experimentation and a campaign approach to achieve real results. KEY TAKEAWAYS The new way of remote working is forcing innovation in digital learning through, which is a huge opportunity for L&D professionals to implement long-planned methodologies. We need to look at the problems before we attempt to fix them, analyse the data to see if the issue is authentic, evaluate the issues impact on people, and using our skills to ascertain the best way of making a difference. Every organisation is different. They are the composites of values, beliefs and core drivers, influenced greatly by the cultures we establish. They are as unique as a fingerprint. People will always approach challenges from their own perspectives, and through their own filters. It is the job of L&D to guide and engage people in doing so. L&D must always recognise that there are inefficiencies in any organisation, and unless we engage appropriately and at speed, we will only ever make peripheral differences. BEST MOMENTS ‘We have to be a little more thoughtful about what we’re trying to do’ ‘It’s about developing an experiment that will move the needle’ ‘You need to refine that part of you, otherwise this organisation is going to eat you up!’ ’We should be thinking about designing for performance first'    VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Alice is a thoroughly modern L&D professional with a background of leading with digital solutions and bringing her team and organisation along with her. Previously at ASOS and now with Monzo, Alice is a member of a team that operates in a way that is leading-edge and aspirational for many: Data-driven, performance-focused and agile. You can follow and connect with Alice via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-collier-niblett-849154b8/ 'Supporting People During COVID-19: Working In Sprints' Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/supporting-people-during-covid-19-working-sprints-collier-niblett/?trackingId=dsrrK3dMwZjYtPXHlThPJA%3D%3D ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

It’s a strange and worrying time for us all at the moment and the role of L&D will need to adapt in response.  But will it be enough to send people to the online content we had before? Well, if it wasn’t before, how can it be the case now? Many of the changes we were beginning to see in our profession are likely to be required more quickly (data-driven decisions, performance-focused and user-centric digital solutions) as we seek to make a meaningful difference, remotely.  In this episode of the podcast, we’ve invited an experienced panel, Bob Mosher, Adam Harwood and Barbara Thompson, who will share their insights, alongside their challenges, hopes and fears. But, overall, we’ll be exploring the big opportunity for L&D to step up and achieve more. More than we might have hoped we could with the limitations thrust upon us. KEY TAKEAWAYS Businesses, having poured their energies in to developing new, remote ways of working, are now focussing on the processes and systems needed in order to be able to open their doors when the lockdown is over. Adaptive, responsive and iterative services within companies are helping remote workers the most. Many are rising to the challenge and are becoming highly productive. Content aggregation is something we will need to be open to, rather than curation. This will involve a whole new understanding of methodologies. Be there at the moment of need to influence the moment of apply, because that moment in order to ensure that people are fulfilling their requirements according to organisational expectations. Now is the time for e-learning, as well as other approaches, to find their proper place in L&D. It is up to us to regard the landscape and decide where they fit in this brave new world. Disruption allows us to innovate. The future of L&D must be people-based. We must start by listening, and subsequently addressing the needs of our teams, instead of pre-supposition and technology-based solutions. BEST MOMENTS ‘I’ve never seen so much dialogue about L&D, what we can do, what we can achieve’ ‘From now on, we make sure we pull up a chair and join the conversation’ ’The new normal is being created right now’ ’Too often we have pivoted on content - and it was always context’ ‘Disruption makes things new again. What might not have been possible, suddenly is’      VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 Adam Harwood Twitter - https://twitter.com/adamharwood26 Bob Mosher Twitter - https://twitter.com/bmosh Barbara Thompson Twitter - https://twitter.com/CaribThompson ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

The Learning and Development Podcast Live   It’s a strange and worrying time for us all at the moment and the role of L&D will need to adapt in response.  But will it be enough to send people to the online content we had before? Well, if it wasn’t before, how can it be the case now? Many of the changes we were beginning to see in our profession are likely to be required more quickly (data-driven decisions, performance-focused and user-centric digital solutions) as we seek to make a meaningful difference, remotely. In this special upcoming episode of the podcast, we’ve invited an experienced panel, Bob Mosher, Adam Harwood and Barbara Thompson, who will share their insights, alongside their challenges, hopes and fears. But, overall, we’ll be exploring the big opportunity for L&D to step up and achieve more. More than we might have hoped we could with the limitations thrust upon us. Join us for this live podcast on Apr. 8, 2020 at 3:00 PM BST.  Register here:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1871022850106365453 ABOUT THE HOSTDavid James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.CONTACT METHOD Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

The Talent Fueled Enterprise seeks to provide insight into key disruptors driving an imperative for talent in organizations. The book also provides a fresh perspective on how leaders should consider navigating the evolving landscape of talent management. It challenges the conventional framework for talent management, urging leaders to reimagine how they perceive, nurture, and leverage the people within their organizations.  In this episode, we unpack what this means for organisations, their Talent teams and the workforce. KEY TAKEAWAYS A talent-fuelled enterprise provides a skills deal that works for employees as well as the organization. Talented employees are no longer willing to only serve the business they want to develop skills that also progress their careers. If you don´t give people the chance to learn they will go elsewhere. A talent-fuelled enterprise values and cultivates the entire organization. Identify what makes performance sustainable, adaptable and scalable. Hire for agility, people who learn and adapt. Ongoing transformation has to be part of a company´s DNA. L&D has to start setting the agenda. Developing the workforce of tomorrow is an essential investment. L&D needs to develop itself to be able to deliver a talent-fuelled workforce. Mike explains how in the episode. BEST MOMENTS “The talent-fuelled enterprise is one that's …. going to cultivate, and it's going to celebrate that wealth of talent, that already exists in the organization .” “Skills are the currency of the organization …  it's also the currency of the people themselves.” “Talent is something that we need to rethink.” “It's really about our ability as professionals to be a good business partner and to be curious and to go and study.” Mike Ohata Bio Mike Ohata is the author of the book The Talent Fuelled Enterprise and has a career-long history of transforming Big Four and Fortune 15 organizations through talent frameworks, comprehensive people development, and workforce solutions.  During his 26-year executive career, Mike strategically navigated Microsoft Corporation and KPMG through disruption and challenges, honoured with the LearningElite Gold Award for pioneering exemplary learning and development strategies at KPMG.  The Talent-Fuelled Enterprise was written for leaders who aspire to build a culture that truly embraces continuous learning and a workplace that is based on trust and collaboration.  You can follow and connect with Mike via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeohata/ The Talent Fuelled Enterprise book (discount code for listeners: DJPODCAST30):   https://a.co/d/c2Ppn3N VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ ABOUT THE HOST David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/ Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/ L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

It’s not a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’ L&D fully jumps onboard with Data & Analytics. This is the view of Trish Uhl, who, in this episode, explores how data has already transformed organisations, industries and consumer expectations and why L&D can no longer wait until the hype has passed. L&D is late to the party but the good news is it’s not too late.  KEY TAKEAWAYS What few people in L&D really understand about how data can help their business practice is: It’s not just about having numerate skills It’s about quality, not just quantity Data should be formative, not just used in retrospect We need to have the right perspective in order to understand the urgency moving forward. Data and analytics have existed in L&D for decades. The period we’re in now is not the “early adopter” phase, but the mainstream. In businesses and organisations today, we’re in the largest IT migration in the history of humankind. We’re moving from information processing to cognitive computing. Data is not just for archives anymore, but also for dynamic use that allows us to anticipate. In much the same way that households are now using a more data-centric environment to determine things like energy usage, businesses too, should be using data in a more immediate way to determine direction. People are put off by the fact that data is seen as a monolith of numeracy, when in fact the figures themselves are a small percentage of how data should be translated and used. The first thing we have to do is change our minds about being right. We need to be willing to be wrong. We have to be willing to test and experiment to see if we’re on the right track. The world is moving whether we’re on board or not. Through productivity tools, we can see the data flowing through our business, and see how effective our on-boarding strategies are.  It starts with an assumption or a hypothesis. Ask the question, and instead of looking to previous, perhaps outdated methods of answering it, look to how we can find creative ways to seek out the solution.  If we fail to adopt and create new ways of learning, then how can we hope to implement new ways of working? To avoid it, we need an adaptable learning eco-system. BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s being a “citizen-data” scientist’ ’There is no big reveal at the end’ ’The early adopter phase is over’ ‘It’s no longer about aspiration, it’s about expectation’ ‘We’re putting intelligence into our households’ ’80% is coming up with the right questions of value’ ‘What you’re describing here isn’t the future of L&D, but the present, and we need to grab hold of’ ’This digital disruption requires that people in enterprises adopt new ways of working'   ABOUT THE GUEST Trish is a globally experienced strategist and consultant leveraging data science, artificial intelligence (AI), emerging technology, analytics and evidence-based actionable insights to deliver business value. Her work sees Trish keynote speaking at conferences, teaching workshops and working directly with client leadership teams across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. You can follow and connect with Trish via: Twitter: @trishuhl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishuhl/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

‘To solve real problems requires challenge, and a change in mindset and skillset’ Is L&D really prone to solving problems that are only really problems for L&D and neglecting the real problems that our organisations and employees need addressing? In this episode, the topic is explored and examples given of where L&D are guilty and what we all need to do instead. In this episode, David is in conversation with Rob Moors who has considerable experience in Learning and development and is passionate about connecting L&D professionals with real problems and equipping them with the understanding and skillset to make a difference.   KEY TAKEAWAYS A non-problem is a symptom and in L&D it is still the symptoms that are dealt with. Why do L&D attempt to solve non-problems? L&D measure themselves through how many people apply to do their courses and don’t always align themselves to the vision and organisational goals of the company. How many training courses have been supplied rather than how many problems been solved. It’s about concentrating on what important not what’s urgent. To solve real problems requires challenge and a change in mindset and skillset that L&D may not have. It’s not just L&D professionals who need to change its also a requirement of the stakeholders to change to uncover the real problems. L&D need to be performance partners understanding what they are trying to achieve within and for the organisation. Switching from the language of training to the language of performance is critical if you want to uncover real problems. By understanding what’s really going on and what needs to go on, the blockers and what is actually being experienced by people working in the situation L&D can then influence and do something that actually works. The key actions are; Trust in the positive intention of others – reconnect everyone with the vision and goals of the organisation. Believe in people to help you  find the answers – L&D professionals often only ask other L&D people Understand your team and you are your responsibility -  you need to be your own case study to move forward and develop.   BEST MOMENTS ‘L&D professionals are not intentionally getting up every day intending to be ineffective’ ‘There will be 3 or 4 critical things going on in an organisation at any time and its vital L&D prioritise those’ ‘Look to achieve the greatest value over the greatest number of people’   VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning & Development Podcast    ABOUT THE GUEST Rob Moors Rob has been Learning & Development professional for over 20 years; with large organisations such as Sky, TalkTalk and the NHS, as well as a number of smaller tech security enterprises. Rob’s passion is that of bridging the gaps between training and learning; learning and performance; and performance and people. 
 Rob is now Chief Learning Officer with Learn Do Get. 
 CONTACT METHOD You can follow and connect with Rob via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbymoors/ Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/learn-do-get/ Website: https://www.learndoget.com/   ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.   CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/  

In this fascinating episode packed with thought-provoking content David is in conversation with Guy Wallace, Performance Analyst and Instructional  Architect for Enterprise, Training and Development. With more than 40 years in the field of Learning & Development, Guy Wallace knows that focusing on performance and taking the time to analyse the performance context is essential for making meaningful change. The problem is, he’s been banging this drum for decades and the profession is still yet to fully switch on to this. In this episode, David and Guy explore the current state of L&D, what it’s going to take for the profession to refocus and Guy’s rich experience.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Our clients come to us because they think that the training will solve their problems. They really want to improve the performance impact and they see training and learning as a means to that end. A lot of content is focused on topics. We don’t teach reflecting the performance orientation We don’t look at the current performance state or the variables and the barriers. In Learning and Development, we give the hard work to the learner expecting them to be able to transfer the learning into their context. When you have reviewed and created a gap analysis if you can’t resolve the gaps you need to teach the novice performers what the master performers already know. In a facilitated group process 8-12 subject matter experts along with supervisors, management work together to produce a performance output model and then review what’s missing, what are the barriers. You need to account for what people already know and then provide self-paced content training. Teams that aren’t afraid to ask the difficult questions are those that make the most difference. The more that is explored in discovery and analysis, the higher the chance of doing things that will make an impact. With technology Learning and Development can centralise job/performance aids making them easily accessible and evergreen. The question is do we understand the performance context? do we understand things as a system flow? Learning and development professionals initially learn in the classroom, learning from delivery onwards so it takes time for them to be able to have conversations around performance. A pivot is required from learning focus to performance focus   BEST MOMENTS ‘Learning and Development  will either disrupt or be disrupted’ ‘The research shows that all of us operate on non-conscious knowledge – we don’t even know what we know’ ‘We are opportunity-rich and legacy poor’   VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning & Development Podcast    ABOUT THE GUEST
 Guy Wallace Bio
 Guy Wallace is a Performance Analyst and Instructional Architect and has been designing and developing Instruction/ Training/ Learning and Performance Support content for Enterprise Learning and business-critical target audiences since 1979. In 2010 he was the recipient of ISPI’s Highest Award, approved by two successive Boards of Directors, Honorary Life Member, for his contributions to the technology of Performance Improvement, and for his contributions to the Society. 
 You can follow and connect with Guy via: Twitter: https://twitter.com/guywwallace LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guywwallace/ Website: https://eppic.biz/   ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.   CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/  

Workflow Learning, Learning In The Flow of Work, or Learning at the Point Of Work? However we wish to call it, guidance and support at the moment they need it is a sure fire way of gaining engagement in L&D solutions and, more importantly, helping people do more of the right things in order to get results. In this episode, Conrad Gottfredson, a true pioneer in this field, shares his insights and experience of this methodology and approach. 
  KEY TAKEAWAYS Workflow learning environments 1 Experience acceleration model The real environment for learning is the workflow and real learning happens when people apply what they have learnt in the workflow. The greatest skill an employee can have is adaptiveness, Its about the transition from formal learning and the reach into the workplace. 2 Flow of work People learn exclusively in the flow of work, this is where we build a digital culture This enables individuals to initiate their learning in the flow of work 3 Gear G – gather online to learn E – expand understanding A – apply what you have learnt R – report back and receive feedback When we build a workforce solution we draw on all 3 of the models. It is around creating an environment where it is seen as a complete solution. You are with them when they need guidance and support the most. The discipline of performance support This is about understanding that when you build an infrastructure that supports people I the flow of work that carries with it the ability to gather data about how they are doing This has opened up our ability to truly measure impact in every way possible If you provide people with what they need when they need it then engagement is the least of your problems. Having performance support infrastructure enables a move towards workflow learning and also supports more formal learning At the heart of the skill set is being able to map the moment of apply, as it occurs in the flow of work. We focus on the point of apply at the work flow level. Once you have a map and you know what it is you need people to do then you can orchestrate the tasks to fit.   BEST MOMENTS ‘You are missing the tools that are needed to measure’ ‘Organisations waste a lot of time searching for the right tools and resources to do the job’ ‘Half of what is done formally could be pushed into workflow learning. ‘You have to know how to design a solution that encompasses all 5 moments of need’   VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning & Development Podcast    ABOUT THE GUEST Conrad Gottfredson
 Conrad Gottfredson has more than 30 years of experience in the field of Learning & Development and holds a PhD in Instructional Psychology and Technology. His consulting work has helped governments, non-profits, and multi-national organisations wisely employ emerging technologies and methodologies to help people achieve personal and organisational goals. Conrad has pioneered methodologies (The 5 Moments of Need) for developing and delivering Workflow Learning to those who need it, when they need it, in the language and form they require.    CONTACT DETAILS 
 You can follow and connect with Conrad via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conrad-gottfredson-84149255/ Website: https://www.applysynergies.com/   The 5 Moments of Need (including White Paper): https://www.5momentsofneed.com/     ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.   CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/  

‘We are not always the best at learning in learning’  David is in conversation with James Poletyllo, Director of the Learning Effect, he has extensive experience in people development and champions the development of the profession and brings challenge to ineffective practice.  Is Learning and Development sleepwalking into extinction?  This is an uncomfortable question to be asking - let alone to be answering - but it’s an important one. One that James Poletyllo explored in a recent article. In this episode, we dive deeper into our experiences of L&D to seek examples of this and where our profession might need to more consciously evolve to stay relevant.  There is a blurring of boundaries as we move into a more connected world and this is an opportunity for L&D to do things differently and in a more agile way, listen in and hear more.     KEY TAKEAWAYS  It seems to be different modes of delivery but the same old stuff.  Sometimes you get excited by and driven by the newness of something regardless of whether it is the right solution.   A good learning professional is really involved in the business and there to make sure the change that is being implemented will resonant with those on the front line who are trying to make it work and it’s not just one hit and will have real value to the business  We are still viewed as not having a real impact on the business  We need to get better at creating an architecture and infrastructure that allows a business to learn and share knowledge more quickly and to impart knowledge and information across the business more quickly.  There is an opportunity to look at things and ask how we can identify learning opportunities in a more agile way?  How can we get solutions out there more quickly?  How can we drive personalisation  How can we really make adaptive learning work  As a L&D professional, we don’t have to know everything but we have to be facilitators of the organisation  A myriad of skills are needed in L&D including engagement, data, curation of content, technology and being able to create experiences that add value.  Get close to what’s important in the business and ask how are you going to create purpose for the learner.     BEST MOMENTS  ‘We should work on being solution-focused to solve problems at the speed  business needs’  ‘Let’s step back and look at what we are trying to achieve’  ‘We can’t just rebrand we have to do things differently’     VALUABLE RESOURCES  The Learning & Development Podcast   Article ‘Ten reasons why learning and development is sleepwalking into extinction’     ABOUT THE GUEST  James Poletyllo Bio  James has almost 20 years of experience in People Development in sectors as diverse as Telecoms, Local Council, Healthcare, and Hospitality, with many of his roles at a senior level. Now, as a consultant, he champions the development of the profession, whilst challenging ineffective practice that seems to be holding us back.  
  CONTACT METHOD  You can follow and connect with James via:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamespoletyllo/  Website: https://www.thelearningeffect.co.uk/  Article ‘Ten reasons why learning and development is sleepwalking into extinction’: https://www.trainingjournal.com/articles/opinion/ten-reasons-why-learning-and-development-sleepwalking-extinction     ABOUT THE HOST  David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  Website: https://www.looop.co/ 

Important Information About The Learning & Development Podcast This is a very short episode announcing that new episodes of The Learning & Development podcast will be released fortnightly for a while with the next episode being with you on Tuesday 21st of January.   ABOUT THE HOSTDavid James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  Website: https://www.looop.co/

“The field of play has evolved for L&D and now includes supporting a dynamic learning performance ecosystem. If the field of play changes, it implies we must evolve and adopt new rules of engagement.”  What Gary is referring to here is the the Point Of Work. In this episode, the point of topic is the Point Of Work, which is broader than workflow learning and an essential area of focus if we (L&D) are to make a real difference in our organisations.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Workflow learning is learning in the workflow where the worker does not have to disengage with the work in order to resolve a moment of need.  The concept of learning in the workflow is one where learning is accessible, but you have to disengage with the actual work to go and find it.  Point Of Work is not necessarily a destination. It’s a discipline. The whole concept is a mind-shift, a strategic re-think of how we are going to approach a dynamic learning performance eco-system.  “Changing the conversation” is one of the key objectives that a Point Of Work assessment is designed to facilitate. It has to start at the top.  The question we should truly be asking is what is that operationally, people-wise, or systemically, might actually be the problem that is preventing your people from doing what they are here to actually do?  If you go down through from a senior leadership position to an individual contributor, you have multiple points of work, and you have multiple perspectives that are influencing those points of work.  The shift from learning to performance is one that comes up more and more these days. In a study, only 26% of respondents said that the ability to support performance was prevalent within their function.  We need to pick the greatest pain-point that we’re dealing with and figure out how to resolve that. What that will then become is proof-of-concept. Conversations will arise from this, which will fundamentally shape development. BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s in the workflow. It’s in the application. There’s no downtime’  ‘Off-task time is required in order to engage in learning in the workflow’  ’No. I want it all’  ‘What is the problem that we are truly seeking to address here?’  ’There was a landmine there of a different kind!’  ‘It starts small and it scales’  ‘Human performance outfitters drives living and learning’      ABOUT THE GUEST Gary Wise is an established Workforce Productivity Strategist and Coach with over 35-years of cross-industry leadership experiences in corporate Learning & Development. During the first 20-years he amassed an impressive string of failures; not failures in team leadership or poorly designed Training solutions, but failures to recognise a blind spot – the myth that Training solutions drive and sustain workforce performance.   During the next 15-years, he postured a reality that Training only promotes potential; measurable workforce performance does not manifest until knowledge workers reach a new ground zero – Point-of-Work  You can follow and connect with Gary via:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garywiseprofilemyca/  Website: https://livinginlearning.com/  ABOUT THE HOST David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  Website: https://www.looop.co/

Each week David has talked to guests about what lights them up in the world of people development across 31 episodes this year.  As a way of wrapping this up for2019 in this episode, he shares a summary of his learning so far and looks ahead to next year.  In 2020 truly understanding user-centricity, human-centred designed will be key and learning what this really is that will be important for every learning and development professional.  By understanding what it is people are trying to do, the experiences they are having what’s required of the organisation then better experiences can be designed in order to improve performance and insight. If we can understand the experiences people have then we can design even greater experiences       KEY TAKEAWAYS  The shift from learning to performance is well underway and it was a key theme for many of the guests on the podcast.  The emergence of data in learning and development that is far beyond the valuation data available previously is a good signifier of where we should be applying our attention.  if we are going to address the primary concerns of our workforce and organisations it’s going to be around performance.  We need to move forward and with the changes to the workplace and work, we need to change the way we work to bring greater impact.  An agile mindset which is working with and for the client understanding what it is they are trying to achieve and iterating this over a period of time to affect performance, output, results and data can be a game-changer for learning and development.  Resources, not courses are both a mindset and a practice and it continues to gain momentum within the learning and development arena.  Learning in the flow of work is learning while you are working it’s not stopping work to learn  You are building your knowledge and incite from where you work and is focused on what you are trying to achieve.  People are already having experiences at work – these may be good, bad, effective, ineffective or largely indifferent and it’s about understanding what people are already experiencing in relation to what they are trying to do and designing Learning and Development experiences that move the needle in the right direction.     BEST MOMENTS  ‘What  does acceptable performance look like and what performance needs to be addressed and what needs to be the focus to understand performance to a greater degree?’  ‘Everyone is now experimenting to see if they can move the needle in the right direction’  ‘It’s not an emerging trend it’s one that’s being embraced a lot more and will help us to affect performance’        VALUABLE RESOURCES  The Learning & Development Podcast      ABOUT THE HOST  David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  Website: https://www.looop.co/ 

"L&D is fast becoming more than just a support function, one that is a strategic partner to the effective operation of any business”: this is a phrase Jeremy McLellan uses in his LInkedIn bio and a great description of the value he brings to his employers.  In this episode, we talk about how Jeremy has evolved his own practice, how he has brought his organisations along with him and achieved real business results. KEY TAKEAWAYS The paradigm shift in technology and its everyday applications has driven change in the way we consume education. The result is that we have adapted our own behaviours to suit this, but business training and development hasn’t yet caught up.   Expectations from our stakeholders, organisations and bosses, are that we run programs based on requests. Jeremy has begun to solve this by blogging, opening discussions and holding conversations. Communication is key.   An effective tool was to role-play the candidate experience with staff members, everything from arriving at the office to the setting of each environment. It even went so far as to include calls and conversations. The feedback proved extraordinarily accurate when real candidates arrived.   We do not tend to acknowledge the actual situations and challenges that people face in the context of their work, then a great deal of effort and credibility loses out.   When development was certificate-based, people saw each session as little more than a step toward their goal, instead of a real and fruitful development experience. Once the certificate was earned, the experience and knowledge was sidelined.   trust is vital between candidates and L&D. We all face resistance due to the expectations of candidate’s prior experiences. It’s best not to force something. We need to go where we’re wanted and needed, and look for the areas that are open to embracing change. BEST MOMENTS ‘Business L&D needs to bridge the gap’ ‘Googling our way through life’ ’There were so many rituals that I thought were bonkers and unreasonable’ ‘When you write something down it frames that thing in your own mind’ ’To try something different in an organisation requires currency’ ‘Resistance can be born out of miscommunication or lack of vision'   ABOUT THE GUEST Jeremy McLellan is Head of Learning and Development Europe at Alvarez & Marsal and previously held the same title at Hudson. As a progressive L&D leader who focuses on performance and results, Jeremy challenges his teams to make the difference that makes a real difference, helping people to do what they’re trying to do better and helping his organisation to more effectively and efficiently achieve its aims. You can follow and connect with Jeremy via: LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/jeremy-mclellan-evolving-learning-b6a12711 ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

In this fascinating episode, David is in conversation with Haydn Bratt founder of MINDSET and a personal leadership coach. He works to change the ways people lead so people can express their brilliance in the workplace.  They discuss the changing face of leadership and the different drivers that impact on business today.  The old models of leadership are no longer achieving the results businesses are striving for so what needs to be different and how can it be achieved?  This thought-provoking discussion will benefit any Learning and Development professional listen in and learn.     KEY TAKEAWAYS  Future leadership is about how do we equip the people in our businesses to lead into and master tomorrow.  The world is changing there is a lot of different drivers impacting business today.  The old models of leadership are no longer working or achieving the results businesses are striving for.  There are a group of people coming into the workplace with a completely different set of expectations.  There is rapid growth in technology and this is driving different ways of working.  Knowledge is no longer the currency it used to be and there is a change in the dynamic around how people are working together.  There is an emergence of the need for leadership with an emotional connection.  People want to feel a sense of belonging to the people around them and a connection to the leaders of the organisation.  There is a genuine fundamental foundational need for an alternative way to lead organisations.  As an L&D professional, you need to invest in yourself in the areas you are passionate about.  Become more of a challenger and build your ability to look beneath.  If you are passionate about learning and development first educate yourself about the trends and then start thinking about where your organisation is going.  No organisation fails from a lack of hard work we fail through a lack of quality thinking        BEST MOMENTS  ‘One career in one organisation is gone for many’  ‘They want to feel more than just a number in the organisation’    ‘There are a set of behaviours that have always existed in great leaders over the years and we are now seeing a greater demand for these leadership skills’  ‘There is a fundamental shift in the power dynamic’        VALUABLE RESOURCES  The Learning & Development Podcast   Mindset Leadership website  Haydn Bratt LinkedIn    ABOUT THE HOST  David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  Website: https://www.looop.co/ 

Many of us fall into L&D - and some of us make sacrifices in order to do so. At a time when many of us have faced layoffs and unexpected setbacks, we wanted to spotlight career journeys that had tough times and what our guests did to overcome these. In this episode, I’m speaking with Jennifer Sutherland, Global Leader of Culture, Learning & Development at Trustwave, about her incredible career and the lessons we can all learn from her. KEY TAKEAWAYS Very few people follow a linear path into L&D. This is good because they bring varied business skills to the role. If you do not have any training or L&D experience to put on your resume seek it out. Jennifer shares several ways to do that. Be authentic, especially during presentations, and develop your own style. Listen to feedback but recognise who the outliers are and factor that in before deciding whether to pivot. Take your time when switching roles. Lots of L&D professionals inadvertently end up in a role that is not a good fit for them. Use other L&D professionals as a sounding board and help each other. Understand how humans learn and stay up to date with the research. Stay curious and stay up to date with the tech. Build good relationships with all stakeholders and network. BEST MOMENTS “You created the opportunity that helped you gather the experience that you needed to be taken seriously by those L&D hiring managers.” “Words matter … how you fill in the silence is so critical.” “Frankly, that role was not the right fit for me.” “The career path that I'm on looks bananas, but gave  me all these skills, resources, knowledge, community and networks.” “Create your own sandwich of tech to create what you need.” “The world limits you already. Don't be the one that limits yourself.”   Jennifer Sutherland Bio Jennifer is the Global Leader of Culture, Learning & Development at Trustwave, where she is responsible for driving employee engagement and developing enriching learning experiences. Her team focuses on initiatives such as change management and sales enablement, essential for a dynamic global workforce across EMEA, APAC, and North America. Concurrently, as an Adjunct Professor at Davenport University, Jennifer leverages her expertise to educate the next generation in HR and Learning & Development.  You can follow and connect with Jennifer via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifernsutherland Website: https://sutherlandtalentsolutions.com The Nonlinear Training Career article - https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/spring-2024/the-nonlinear-training-career https://www.toastmasters.org   VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home ABOUT THE HOST David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective Blog: https://360learning.com/blog L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home

More and more, forward-thinking organisations are exchanging traditional hierarchies for networks of empowered teams. These teams are more agile, connected by tech and may only be brought together for short amounts of time. In this podcast, we discuss the importance of measuring high performance in teams and what we need to do to develop them accordingly.     KEY TAKEAWAYS  There are now fusion teams that are brought together for a specific activity.  You are not just part of a set team you are teaming with others.  Our environments are highly complex so it’s important that our definitions of high performing teams continue to evolve.  When a measure becomes a target, it is no longer a measure.  A measure will always help the team to learn more and work out where look for it.  In real situations, the dynamics are continually changing.  We need to understand what we want to affect,  the current state of play and what the priorities are for the people within the team.  When you are in a complex environment you cannot ask the question ‘what’ or ‘how’ you can only ask  - who can I speak to?  Currently, you have to learn the tool first and then use it with the team.  The team has to be able to self-service the data and deal with its environment and the individuals.  To start you can identify the number of teams you have and what types of teams you have within your organisation then look at the environment.  If you are at a point where you are moving teams you can look at a different way of evaluation, one that empowers people.  Find out what you need your teams to be able to do and the environment they need to do it in. What environments need to be created so that teams can be effective.  Start from a place of knowing not a place of assumption.  What teams are currently using as tools are far too slow we have the technology, the people, the knowledge and the science its now about creating the tool that  works in real-time helps us learn on the go  providing the information that indicates progress is in the right direction. People are then in a position to make decisions and performance  becomes a by-product because the team are energised  If people are coming in happy and leaving happy it’s an indicator of positive team energy.     BEST MOMENTS  ‘The answer are everywhere else but in your own industry’  ‘It’s making the world your classroom’  ‘As a team lead, I wanted help to be able to practically support my teams’     VALUABLE RESOURCES  The Learning & Development Podcast      ABOUT THE GUEST  Imran Rehman Bio     Imran Rehman is an organisation and performance specialist, with an expertise in measuring and developing high performance.  Based in Vienna, Imran is a leadership coach as well as co-founder of Kokoro, an intuitive app to measure emotions in teams, in real-time.     CONTACT METHOD  You can follow and connect with Imran via:  Twitter: @ImsRehman  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imranrehman/  Website: https://bekokoro.com/     ABOUT THE HOST  David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  Website: https://www.looop.co/ 

What is Resilience and Why is it such a Hot Topic? Interview with Dr Carole Pemberton, Resilience Expert and Developer of Coaches  There has been a generation who have seen themselves as helicopter parents, watching over their children,  but in reality, they are lawn mower parents, mowing out of the way any obstacles but resilience is the learning that you take from the things that go wrong when obstacles are overcome. All the time spent having adventures and playing with others is important in building resilience and without this learning, it can be challenging for individuals to cope when things go wrong at any point in their lives.  In this fascinating interview with Dr Carole Pemberton a resilience expert, we find out about the role of resilience in individuals and organisations and how L&D can support and develop resilience effectively.     KEY TAKEAWAYS  Resilience is a requirement when working in any organisation as the environment can be subject to constant change.  There is no longer a fixed path through an organisation.  There’s a whole climate that feels less certain and within that in order to work a level of agility is required, you’ve got to be able to flex and adapt.  The situations in which we expect people to be resilient have changed dramatically  The evidence shows that it is less about a particular approach to resilience and more about on-going support.  If we think about resilience as an outcome that is a result of a variety of things  - your confidence, optimism, ability to flex are all contributors to your level of resilience.  It can be helpful to start by asking about the resilience you already have.  Developing resilience is a commitment by the organisation, the team and the individual.  There is something about sharing that helps people deal with problems and challenges.  One of the most important things you can create is a supportive environment where people feel confident about sharing.  Being able to talk with group or peers can leave the individual feeling more resilient and more resourced.  For L&D building in ongoing support and including it as part of training programs alongside the recognition that it has to be an ongoing conversation can be effective in building resilience.    BEST MOMENTS  ‘Resilience can be applied at a team level – are they supportive of each other, does this team notice when something is going well and support each other’  ‘You can start with a conversation and gain a feeling about how things are going’  ‘Most of your resilience comes from the stuff you didn’t want to happen’  ‘Most of the time most of us are resilient’  ‘Sometimes people don’t start a conversation until its almost too late’     VALUABLE RESOURCES  The Learning and Development Podcast  Resilience: A Practical Guide for Coaches  Carole Pemberton website    BEST MOMENTS  ‘The L&D world needs to become much more confident working in these ways’  ‘For people in senior positions, it’s about letting go and trusting in something new’  ‘You need to be where people are and understand why they want to learn in the first place’  ‘There is a recognition now that everything is changing, and it is happening at a pace so beware of certainty’     ABOUT THE GUEST   Dr Carole Pemberton has over 30 years’ experience in helping individuals to have more successful and satisfying working lives. She does this in her work as an executive coach and career coach working with clients across the globe and across sectors. Her doctorate in resilience coaching positions her as having a particular expertise which is supported by her advanced level qualifications in Executive Coaching and Career Coaching.   Carole is an author whose publications offer coaches and managers practical tools for enhancing their effectiveness, based on research and experience.   You can follow and connect with Carole via: Website: https://carolepemberton.co.uk/ Email: carole.pemberton@coachingtosolutions.com ‘Resilience: A Practical Guide for Coaches’ Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Resilience-Guide-Coaches-Carole-Pemberton/dp/0335263747/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425577961&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=resilience+a+practical+guide+for+coaches   ABOUT THE HOST  David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  Website: https://www.looop.co/ 

In an article of the same name, Mike Bedford commentated on a revolution that he’s seeing - and experiencing - in the Learning & Development profession, and encourages us all to get involved.  In this episode, we discuss the revolution, which is a backlash against ineffective practice and maintaining the status quo. KEY TAKEAWAYS Revolution is about change. In terms of an L&D revolution we need to change, but we also need to unite behind a common purpose. At present the L&D industry feels too fragmented, but needs to come together or risk becoming obsolete. Employees often misperceive L&D as the training itself, rather than the functional improvement that results in effective targeting of training needs. Disruption in the sector means breaking the cycle of Order - Content - Delivery. The disruption needs to come from us instead of elsewhere. Telling an evidence-based story, and using effective evaluation is far more valuable to L&D and to their respective parent companies, than any kind of stat sheets or numbers. Mike has adopted a blended approach towards L&D for his organisation. Because many of the workforce are scattered, he rules nothing out. Some development is done remotely or through e-learning, while some is done in-house. They are currently looking at the first six months of 2020 for potential direction. Sometimes, when the training requested by the workforce does not seem a fit, it is Mike’s job to look at the deeper reasons that have led them to ask. The questions asked and the solutions are becoming more bespoke. We need to stop being so entrenched in our preferred methods of delivering our craft. We need to be more fluid and embrace the entire profession. Ask ourselves how equipped we are to hold the right conversations and develop the solutions that will move the needle. BEST MOMENTS ‘It feels to me like revolution is in the air’ ‘We’re in the business of improving performance outcomes’ ‘Disruption needs to come from us’ ‘LinkedIn knows more about you than your HR department does’ ‘People think I’m anti-training, but I’m not’ ‘We’re changing the world one conversation at a time’ ‘We have more things in common than we do differences'   ABOUT THE GUEST At the time of recording, Mike was Head of Learning & Development and Wellbeing at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. He is a self-proclaimed L&D modernist and blogger.   You can follow and connect with Mike via: Twitter: @BeddyMike LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebedford/ Read ‘The L&D Revolution’: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ld-revolution-mike-bedford ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/