ATD25: AI, skills, and leadership development trends

What happens when learning technology is ready to evolve — but the way leaders learn keeps changing faster? I’ve just posed this challenge to the panel at The Times Tech Summit 2025, and it’s also central to our application to the Arrow Innovation Programme at Newcastle University Business School — find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eQKJ2QmJ At Conversations With Purpose Ltd, we’ve spent the past four years using and refining a bespoke Managed Learning Environment (MLE) — complete with a Leadership Competency Framework, digital mapping tools, and e-portfolios supporting accredited entrepreneurial leadership programmes. The platform is robust, secure, and Ofqual-aligned — but it’s time to take it further. Our next challenge is to make it more agile, intelligent, and user-centred: integrating AI, analytics, and design thinking so it doesn’t just track learning, but interprets it — turning behavioural data into real-time insights that support leadership growth and organisational impact. I am grateful for the collaboration, provocation, and expertise shared with Dinah Bennett, Justin Souter, and Graeme Redshaw-Boxwell, whose perspectives continue to challenge and stretch this thinking to support our next design brief. 👉 Join The Times Tech Summit 2025 #EdTech #Innovation #LeadershipDevelopment #AIinLearning #EntrepreneurialLeadership

AI adoption isn’t just a technology challenge. It’s a leadership challenge. Unlike past technology shifts, AI doesn’t just change how we work. It changes what we value, how we lead, and what it means to be human at work. Executives who focus only on tools and systems will miss the real transformation: the beliefs, behaviors, and mindsets that enable people to trust, use, and amplify AI responsibly. Join Prosci CEO Scott McAllister at one of our executive breakfast sessions where we'll explore how leaders can guide their organizations through this uniquely human side of AI adoption. I'm super excited to have my Microsoft counterpart Steve Green co-presenting at the November 14 session, hosted by Microsoft at the Microsoft campus. Here is the registration link: https://adkar.me/3Jj1ipA #Prosci #AIAdoption #Leadership #ChangeManagement #FutureOfWork

The “AEC 2035: CEO Visions for the Industry’s Future” session at the 2025 EFCG CEO Conference, moderated by Jessica Zofnass Barclay, Managing Partner, offered a fascinating look at how today’s leaders are shaping the next decade of our industry.   🔹 Javier A. Baldor, CEO of BST Global, highlighted the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how it will drive increasingly disparate outcomes across the AEC industry. His vision of the AI-powered super-consultancy, where firms truly transform into data-driven businesses, challenged leaders to rethink what it means to compete in an AI-first world.   🔹 Dan Batrack, CEO & President of Tetra Tech, reminded us that AI and IT modernization are not just trends but enablers of expertise. By leaning into the consulting and advisory transformation and using AI to become super–subject matter experts focused on client-centric technology, firms can position themselves to lead in this decade of rapid change.   🔹 Leslie Duke, Chair & CEO of Burns & McDonnell, underscored the importance of leveraging AI to deepen customer partnerships, enhance safety, and continue to “build the brain.” Her reminder that engineering firms have always been technology companies resonated strongly.   🔹 Jesse Kropelnicki, PE, CEO of Verdantas, reminded us that culture remains the ultimate differentiator. His call for “humans getting better at being human” underscored that even in an AI-driven era, people remain at the heart of performance.   The common thread? The next decade will reward firms that embrace technology boldly, invest in culture deeply, and keep their people and clients at the center of transformation.   #EFCG #CEOConference #AECIndustry #Leadership #FutureOfWork #AI #Strategy #Innovation

🎤 The tiny mic is back - and it’s heading to World of Learning in Birmingham next week. Marcus and I will be capturing fresh insights from L&D leaders, smart thinkers, speakers, and exhibitors - all sparked by 3 bold questions designed for the challenges shaping learning right now. We'll be diving into: 👀 The skills L&D teams can’t survive without 👀 The trends to double down on next year 👀 How tech is changing what “good” looks like in workplace learning Short interviews> many voices> big insights. 😍 We did this at Learning Technologies 2025 earlier this year, and had some brilliant conversations with some of the brightest voices in learning (here’s a quick snippet 🎥👇). Heading to WOL and fancy sharing your perspective? Drop me a message or a comment, and we’ll connect with you on the day. You can also look out for us in our (highly fetching) Learning at Large T-shirts. I might even bring my trumpet! 🎺 #WOL25

💡 Ever been torn between 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 and 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀? Try this: before you decide, ask yourself whether the innovation you’re chasing 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 your ecosystem or just 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 it. Because knowing when not to build is how leaders protect their teams, customers, and sanity. This week, I'm hitting this dilemma head-on. We discovered strong demand for a highly personalised solution. Our technology could deliver it brilliantly. But a simpler, older tool could also get the job done. Do we push for a breakthrough or stick with what’s proven? 🎯 That’s where innovation stops being glamorous and starts being humbling. So I’m doing something that may be uncomfortable. I’m slowing down. I’m outlining what each path looks like. I’m asking for feedback — from peers I respect, from the sales team, from customers. Because sometimes leadership isn’t about knowing. It’s about inviting smarter questions. The hard truth? Complexity is seductive. But wisdom often lives in restraint. 💬 𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂: next time you’re tempted to build the shiny new thing, pause and ask — is this evolution, or ego? That’s the difference between creating noise and building ecosystems that last. 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲: figure out the innovation in this clock #EcosystemsEngineering #Innovation #Leadership #AI #SelfImprovement My new Partnership Mastermind bootcamp on 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 is launching November 3rd. Check out the course overview at https://bit.ly/Eco-Mastery for more details and apply @ https://lnkd.in/d6y927_Q. 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝘁: it's on 🔥!

💭 Lately, I’ve noticed how easy it is to confuse being connected with being productive. Between endless chats, meetings, and notifications, we often forget to pause - to use technology intentionally. The HBR article “8 Simple Rules for Beating Digital Exhaustion” is a timely reminder that digital balance is a skill we all need to practice. ✅ Use fewer tools, but use them better. ✅ Don’t answer everything instantly. ✅ Be present where you are — not everywhere at once. It’s not about disconnecting. It’s about reconnecting - with #focus, #purpose, and #people. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dZkSCfM2 #DigitalWellbeing #Leadership #Productivity #MindfulWork #HBR

When a crisis hits, supply chain delays, data breaches, or PR issues, most SMEs scramble without a plan. The result? Missed communication, scattered teams, and loss of control. But what if your team could stay composed and strategic even under pressure? 🤔 Our new blog, “5 Best AI Prompts for Crisis Management”, shows how AI can help you: ⚡ Anticipate crises before they occur 📢 Create structured communication plans 📋 Define roles, recovery, and lessons learned 💡 With Stratpilot, your AI-powered workspace, you can document risk scenarios, set clear goals, and guide your team with clarity when it matters most. 🚀 Don’t wait for chaos, prepare for it smartly. 🔗 Read now to future-proof your crisis response: https://lnkd.in/dQybfYqe 🔗 Also, please visit our website to learn more: https://stratpilot.ai/ #AIPrompts #CrisisManagement #SMEGrowth #Leadership #BusinessResilience #SMB #SME #SMEs #AIForBusiness #Stratpilot #AIAssistant

Can the story of the year be changed in the next 90 days? It's possible to finish the year stronger than it started with a clear, actionable plan. Using pressure as fuel, the focus turns inward to sharpen the internal edge, identifying time-sinks and leveraging part-time help with AI precision. Looking outward, vendors can offer hidden networking opportunities and past clients hold valuable feedback. A system for generating brilliant ideas and a mindset of impact complete the transformation. #Productivity #TimeManagement #BusinessStrategy #Q4 #Leadership

I had the pleasure of attending the FHRD Annual Conference last week, and my biggest takeaway was really a re-confirmation: 👉 Human-to-human connection is [and always will be] at the heart of it all. Whether we're talking about successful businesses, high-performing teams, or effective leadership, it always comes back to communication, connection, and care. And in turn, that translates into healthier individuals [mentally and physically] and stronger families and support systems. This, in my view, was the overarching theme throughout the conference. Yes, technology and AI are powerful tools. They can absolutely help us become more efficient, more productive, and better equipped to manage complexity. But we need to stay intentional about the role we want them to play in our organisations and lives. There’s a lot that AI and technology can do FOR us. But they can never [and shouldn’t] replace the human-to-human aspects of leadership, collaboration, and decision-making. That’s where our unique value lies: 👉 Our creativity. 👉 Our emotional intelligence. 👉 Our capacity to connect, hold space, and respond with nuance. That’s what only we can bring to the table. I’d be curious to hear how others are thinking about the balance between technology and human connection in their work especially in leadership and team dynamics. I'd welcome your thoughts. #HumanConnection #Leadership #FutureOfWork #TechAndHumanity #EthicalLeadership

🔹 One Week Post–CS Week Main Event: Where AI Met Reality (and Leadership Was the Missing Link) It’s been a week since the main event, and it’s great to see consistent posts and reflections from so many leaders and players across the CS community. But it raises a critical question: How do you know your C-suite is actually getting what they need — and that you’re measuring ROI back to your company’s vision and strategies? Because if you’re not tying outcomes back to strategy, you’re not managing growth — you’re managing ghost initiatives. 🧩 Key Takeaways from the Event AI vs SaaS. Tools vs outcomes. Speed vs sustainability. Long onboarding vs day-one results AI pilots that never scale into true value creation QBRs showing activity, not outcomes Success treated like a department, not a discipline 💡 The Real Shift AI isn’t replacing humans — it’s accelerating how aligned humans lead, measure, and execute in real time. Executives care about stock price, growth, profitability, and customer value. If your outcomes don’t roll up to those, you’re missing the mark. 🔥 The Meeech Approach™ Lens At The Meeech Approach™, we see this every day: AI + Human Mission Control connects tools to outcomes with measurable receipts. Assessments + Scorecards tie every initiative to your vision and top strategies. Execution Cadence turns leadership alignment into real-time ROI — in days, not months. Because technology doesn’t fix drift — alignment does. And when alignment and execution meet AI enablement, results move from potential to predictable. 🙏 Shout-Outs A huge shout-out to Junan Pang, Monica Perez, and John Gleeson — and to all the incredible facilitators and presenters — for embracing and carrying the common proverbial torch throughout the event. You pushed the industry forward: reframing how Customer Success, AI, and SaaS connect to real-time outcomes, leadership alignment, and measurable receipts that matter to the C-suite. #CSWeek #Leadership #CustomerSuccess #AIStrategy #TheMeeechApproach #Alignment #Execution #ROI #GhostInitiatives #Receipts