Episodes
In 2021, Michelle published her book, The L&D Handbook, aimed at providing practical steps and tools for L&D professionals wanting to move away from traditional classroom teaching but not sure where to start. Since then, the need for this pivot has only increased. In this episode, we explore what L&D can do to make a greater impact in what is likely to be a tough time for all.
Published 05/15/23
Would it surprise you to learn that 40% of executive transitions fail during the first 18 months? These can work out to be expensive failures. So, what can L&D do to ensure a more successful transition? In this episode, Navid Nazemian, author of Masting Executive Transitions shares insights and practical steps that organisations can take.
Published 05/01/23
So far, it seems 2023 has been the year of Chat GPT but what does it mean for L&D? Should you be using it now? Should your learning tech provider be incorporating it into their platform? Does this mean that the robots are coming for our jobs? This episode offers an intriguing glimpse into the future of corporate learning and the transformative potential of generative AI. KEY TAKEAWAYS Generative AI is here to stay. Seek out those who are using it and learn from them. Play with ChatGPT,...
Published 04/17/23
Organisations are facing a skills crisis, and some are more aware than others. But these organisations will find themselves let down by their L&D departments if the market-driven myths around skills development are believed. As Peter Sheppard and David James discuss in this episode, skills can only be developed if they are understood in the context in which they are to be employed. There are no silver-bullet solutions that enable companies to avoid this.
Published 04/03/23
In the final episode of this series, we welcome back Mirjam Neelen, Carl Binder, Teemu Lilja, Fredrik Peterson Herfindal, and Judith Hale to answer your questions.
Published 03/21/23
In this episode, Judith Hale, Performance Improvement expert, and thought leader will be sharing her experience and approach to working with stakeholders and clients to make a real impact on performance and results.
Published 03/07/23
In this episode, Teemu Lilja and Fredrik Peterson Herfindal speak about their pivot to a performance-oriented approach at their organisation, the Swedish company Telia, and how this has led to both incredible business impact and recognition by their colleagues and the industry. Theirs is an inspiring story that started by listening to podcast conversations just like this...
Published 02/21/23
In this episode, Carl Binder talks about Pivot to Performance, and his methodology, and brings this to life with real-life examples. Carl is CEO of The Performance Thinking Network, helping organisations accelerate results through the performance of their people.  A widely published author, keynote speaker, and consultant, Carl began as a Ph.D. student with B.F. Skinner at Harvard, and has spent over 40 years bringing behaviour science into practical, down-to-earth application.
Published 02/07/23
Welcome to series 2 of L&D’s Pivot to Performance and the first of 5 conversations.  As with series 1, Guy Wallace and David James are speaking with esteemed guests about their own pivot from ‘Learning-focused’ practice towards a ‘performance orientation’ that more predictably and reliably, let alone efficiently and successfully, achieves demonstrable results for both employees and organisations. In this episode, Mirjam Neelen talks about her pivot to performance, her approach to...
Published 01/24/23
With global economic uncertainty and hardship, organisations are likely to be making tough decisions in 2023, and if Learning & Development departments are going to survive and succeed, they are likely to be challenged to achieve more with fewer resources. In this episode, David explores his experience of leading L&D at Disney during the post-2008 banking crisis and shares lessons on how he rose to the challenge of achieving more with less.
Published 01/10/23
The market for off-the-shelf content and programmes for the L&D profession is huge. This is despite it equating to next to no demonstrable return on investment. It’s seductive to think we can plug in a ready-made ‘solution’ but what does it really solve? And is our dependency on it going to be our downfall?
Published 12/13/22
John Helmer is the host of two outstanding Learning & Development podcasts: The Learning Hack and Great Minds On Learning. In this episode, John condenses his insights and learning from the conversations he’s led with Donald Clark about the people and approaches that have informed so much of the L&D profession.
Published 11/29/22
Has the role and remit of Instructional Designers changed in the era of Google and YouTube? What needs to happen to counter the vast suite of bad ‘click next’ e-learning? Dr Robin Sargent explores the approaches and skills required for the Instructional Design profession to evolve and meet the demands of the modern hybrid workforce.
Published 11/15/22
By pivoting their approach from a learning orientation to a performance orientation, Fredrik and Teemu have built a reputation for achieving real results. This has led to them being recognised within their organisation, including them being asked to take over the entire Learning & Development function at Telia and Teemu being awarded Telia Reinventor of the Year. As well as this, they were awarded Learning Team of the Year. In this episode, we explore their pivot and the impact this has...
Published 11/01/22
Learning & Development roles can vary greatly depending on the individual’s specialism, ambition, and the opportunities within any given team. But the opportunity to run an L&D department solo is a unique experience and one that brings as much freedom and excitement as it does challenge and resourcefulness. In this episode, Aimee compares and contrasts her experience in L&D teams and her solo role now and provides insights into how to make this successful and a career move of...
Published 10/17/22
We learn how to do Learning & Development in the organisations and sectors we work in but what is the experience like in the US Air Force and Elon Musk’s SpaceX? In this episode, I speak with Matthew Gjertsen, who has done both and learned some important lessons about what really works.
Published 10/03/22
Learning In The Flow of Work - or Workflow Learning - has been a hot topic in Learning & Development in recent years but how does this approach match up with employees’ expectations and what they believe to be effective to meet their development goals? In this special episode, David and Bob Mosher explore the findings of a recent survey conducted to explore the expectations of learners and perceptions of L&D to see where we are right now and what we need to do to meet learners where...
Published 09/19/22
Learning & Development seems to be constantly evolving but at the same time revisiting and reinventing what has come before. In this episode, we discuss the emerging trends that have their origins in the past and the pioneers that we all need to pay more attention to. KEY TAKEAWAYS Even today, much of what we do in L&D is not evidence-based. This has to change. We are not taking successful methods from the past and reworking them for the modern world. Instead, we are simply...
Published 09/05/22
In response to the COVID pandemic, remote working became the norm for organisations to continue operating. As restrictions eased and employees both proved that remote working was viable and preferable, Hybrid Working emerged as a term to describe the mainstream adoption of this flexible approach to working from home and commuting, when required. However, in line with a new way of working emerged a new approach to learning. Or did it?  In this episode, David, and Nigel Paine, who has 25 years...
Published 08/22/22
Adult Learning Theory can help L&D to improve learner engagement, knowledge retention and skills application. In this episode, Dr Carrie O. Graham explores this topic and its application to the priorities of today’s L&D departments.
Published 08/08/22
Where is L&D going? Ask vendors and they will tell you it’s heading in the direction of their product. Ask a seasoned L&D professional with a keen eye on the future of work and you get a balanced and nuanced view of the factors affecting our profession and its practitioners. In this episode, Lloyd Dean shares his experience, his view of the profession and practical steps forward.
Published 07/25/22
With a backdrop of cuts in the L&D team at ETS, Gabe needed to re-evaluate how he could achieve the aims of the function. By refocusing on problems experienced within the organisation rather than learning to provide and applying the principles of lean, powered by automation, he achieved more than many L&D teams do with bigger teams. But how did ETS do this?  In this episode we explore what it means to run a lean, problem-driven L&D function, incorporating digital marketing...
Published 06/27/22
AI sells platforms. But what are we buying? Too often it’s just recommendations for off-the-shelf content. But AI is about so much more and its potential in helping us achieve the aims of L&D is huge. In this episode, we explore the potential of AI in L&D, burst some of the myths around it and challenge the profession to expect more, much more from it.   KEY TAKEAWAYS AI has huge implications for all aspects of our lives, including L&D. It is already a surprisingly big part of...
Published 06/13/22
In this episode, Paul Matthews explains how a workflow approach to people development can link learning to the work itself and make a demonstrable difference to the way the work is done.
Published 05/30/22
Fully established in other fields, Product Management is finding its way into L&D. As an emerging discipline in L&D, Product Management is growing in prominence due to its focus on delivering demonstrable, meaningful results.
Published 05/16/22