Cultivating A Culture Of Learning

Louder for the people at the back 🎤 Many organisations today seem to have shifted from being institutions that develop great talent to those that primarily seek ready-made talent. This trend overlooks the immense value of individuals who, despite lacking experience, possess a great attitude, commitment, and a team-oriented mindset. These qualities often outweigh the drawbacks of hiring experienced individuals with a fixed and toxic mindset. The best organisations attract talent with their best years ahead of them, focusing on potential rather than past achievements. Let’s be clear this is more about mindset and willingness to learn and unlearn as apposed to age. To realise the incredible potential return, organisations must commit to creating an environment where continuous development is possible. This requires a multi-faceted approach: 1. Robust Training Programmes: Employers should invest in comprehensive training programmes that equip employees with the necessary skills for their roles. This includes on-the-job training, mentorship programmes, online courses, and workshops. 2. Redefining Hiring Criteria: Organisations should revise their hiring criteria to focus more on candidates’ potential and willingness to learn rather than solely on prior experience or formal qualifications. Behavioural interviews, aptitude tests, and probationary periods can help assess a candidate's ability to learn and adapt. 3. Partnerships with Educational Institutions: Companies can collaborate with educational institutions to design curricula that align with industry needs. Apprenticeship programmes, internships, and cooperative education can bridge the gap between academic learning and practical job skills. 4. Lifelong Learning Culture: Encouraging a culture of lifelong learning within organisations is crucial. Employers should provide ongoing education opportunities and support for professional development. This includes continuous skills assessment and access to resources for upskilling and reskilling. 5. Inclusive Recruitment Practices: Employers should implement inclusive recruitment practices that remove biases and barriers. Blind recruitment, diversity quotas, and targeted outreach programmes can help ensure that diverse candidates are given a fair chance. By implementing these measures, organisations can develop a workforce that is adaptable, innovative, and resilient, ensuring sustainable success and growth.

In my 25+ years in L&D, I’ve seen it all. If there’s one piece of advice I have for L&D leaders right now - in this very moment - it’s this: Do whatever it takes to move from reactive L&D - where the focus is on ‘providing learning’ - to strategic L&D, where the only thing that truly matters is driving performance. I know it's easier said than done. Yet, there's a way forward. But it takes savviness and hustle on your part. Here’s what you need to do in 5 steps: 1) Don’t take anything away Leaders and employees don’t like it when things they value are threatened. We might know that most one and done training won’t lead to measurable results and that we’re better off consulting to understand the real problem first, but we won’t get there if we’re busy debating with our stakeholders. Like it or not, you need some form of self-sustaining curricula to make everyone happy. 2) Keep the wolf from your door "Do you have anything on _____?” That question from stakeholders always amused me because if 'anything' will do, why don’t you just Google it? Yet, even if your library of generic content doesn't relate to the context of your industry or org, it's worth keeping around to placate your stakeholders. But don’t expect to measure the impact, and spend as little on it as you can. 3) Don’t announce the change, just do it Once the wolf is far from your door and you have a self-sustaining ‘learning offering’ you can start making planned and demonstrable impact. Not with an announcement you’re going to do something different, but with a different type of conversation, one that explores the required outcome rather than the solution. 80% of your stakeholders will welcome the opportunity to go deep on the problem and define what success looks like. The other 20% will just want you to deliver what they asked for. That’s fine. That’s all part of being savvy. 4) Validate assumptions with data Everything discussed is an assumption until you see the numbers to back it up. What are the consequences of things being as they are? What’s the impact on the business? When you see these in black and white then you know what you’re playing with. This is your ground zero. It’s also what you take to those doing the work to ask what they need to improve. 5) Close gaps with targeted solutions When you don’t know what the problem is, everything looks like a solution (see 1 & 2). But when you know the problem, the solutions are much more targeted and focused on impact. They're also rich in context of the work, department, role, etc. These are likely to be bespoke. Based on real expertise. They won't be as popular as a good old-fashioned course, but do you want to win a popularity contest or be an impactful L&D leader? The good news is - by being savvy you can be both. *** To help you accomplish this, I’ve just released my L&D Maturity Model with the 360Learning team. Check it out and assess your function today: https://bit.ly/4ikXiRA

*** 🚨 Discussion Piece 🚨 *** Is it Time to Move Beyond Kirkpatrick & Phillips for Measuring L&D Effectiveness? Did you know organisations spend billions on Learning & Development (L&D), yet only 10%-40% of that investment actually translates into lasting behavioral change? (Kirwan, 2024) As Brinkerhoff vividly puts it, "training today yields about an ounce of value for every pound of resources invested." 1️⃣ Limitations of Popular Models: Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation and Phillips' ROI approach are widely used, but both neglect critical factors like learner motivation, workplace support, and learning transfer conditions. 2️⃣ Importance of Formative Evaluation: Evaluating the learning environment, individual motivations, and training design helps to significantly improve L&D outcomes, rather than simply measuring after-the-fact results. 3️⃣ A Comprehensive Evaluation Model: Kirwan proposes a holistic "learning effectiveness audit," which integrates inputs, workplace factors, and measurable outcomes, including Return on Expectations (ROE), for more practical insights. Why This Matters: Relying exclusively on traditional, outcome-focused evaluation methods may give a false sense of achievement, missing out on opportunities for meaningful improvement. Adopting a balanced, formative-summative approach could ensure that billions invested in L&D truly drive organisational success. Is your organisation still relying solely on Kirkpatrick or Phillips—or are you ready to evolve your L&D evaluation strategy?

A learning organization is one where learning is BUILT INTO how people work, solve problems, share knowledge, and improve. Many companies claim to be learning organizations, but in reality, they often confuse training with true learning. They focus on courses and workshops but neglect the daily habits that drive growth... like reflection, feedback, knowledge-sharing, and collaborative problem-solving. Sound familiar? If so... Here are some ways to move toward becoming a true learning organization: 💡 Make learning visible. Start weekly team meetings with one question: What did we learn this week? Whether it’s from success or failure, small experiments or major projects-capture it, name it, and make it part of the conversation. 📢 Encourage challenges. Let people respectfully question the way things are done. Leaders need to show that it’s not only okay to ask “why?”- it’s welcomed. This is a great approach to build into your daily Gemba Walk! ⚠️ Use problems as lessons. Don’t jump to blame when something goes wrong. Instead, ask, What can we learn from this? What will we do differently next time? Make this a habit, not a once-off response in your 1:1's and everyday interactions. 📋 Make reflection routine. At the end of a project or during quality meetings, take 10 minutes as a team to ask: What went well? What didn’t? What did we learn? What should we change? 🗣️ Share learning across teams. Too often, learning stays stuck in silos. Create simple ways to pass it on like learning libraries, book clubs or monthly learning huddles across departments. ✨ Lead by example. Leaders who regularly admit they’re still learning create a culture where learning is normal. Asking questions instead of always having the answers is a key behaviour to set the tone. Do you agree it's more important than ever to create learning organizations? Any tips on creating a learning organization? Share them below and let's chat!

The DOJ consistently says that compliance programs should be effective, data-driven, and focused on whether employees are actually learning. Yet... The standard training "data" is literally just completion data! Imagine if I asked a revenue leader how their sales team was doing and the leader said, "100% of our sales reps came to work today." I'd be furious! How can I assess effectiveness if all I have is an attendance list? Compliance leaders I chat with want to move to a data-driven approach but change management is hard, especially with clunky tech. Plus, it's tricky to know where to start– you often can't go from 0 to 60 in a quarter. In case this serves as inspiration, here are a few things Ethena customers are doing to make their compliance programs data-driven and learning-focused: 1. Employee-driven learning: One customer is asking, at the beginning of their code of conduct training, "Which topic do you want to learn more about?" and then offering a list. Employees get different training based on their selection...and no, "No training pls!" is not an option. The compliance team gets to see what issues are top of mind and then they can focus on those topics throughout the year. 2. Targeted training: Another customer is asking, "How confident are you raising bribery concerns in your team," and then analyzing the data based on department and country. They've identified the top 10 teams they are focusing their ABAC training and communications on, because prioritization is key. You don't need to move from the traditional, completion-focused model to a data-driven program all at once. But take incremental steps to layer on data that surfaces risks and lets you prioritize your efforts. And your vendor should be your thought partner, not the obstacle, in this journey! I've seen Ethena's team work magic in terms of navigating concerns like PII and LMS limitations – it can be done!

Rethinking Entry-Level Hiring: Focus on Potential, Not Just Experience (What your workforce really needs from you) Experience isn't born overnight. It doesn’t materialize from thin air. In today's market, leadership isn’t about demanding prior experience. It’s about nurturing future talent. Here’s how forward-thinking organizations are shifting their approach: 1️⃣ Recognize the Potential Gap Demanding years of experience for entry-level roles creates a barrier. ➜ Acknowledge the current hiring paradox. ➜ Understand the frustration of fresh graduates. ➜ Focus on the skills that can be developed. Open doors, don't build walls. 2️⃣ Value Attitude and Adaptability Years on a résumé don’t guarantee success. Mindset does. ➜ Prioritize a candidate’s willingness to learn. ➜ Look for adaptability in a changing market. ➜ See beyond the paper and into the person. Potential outshines past experience. 3️⃣ Invest in Mentorship and Training Every expert was once a beginner. Build the foundation. ➜ Provide structured mentorship programs. ➜ Offer continuous training and development. ➜ Create opportunities for hands-on learning. Growth is a two-way investment. 4️⃣ Foster an Inclusive Hiring Culture Opportunity shouldn’t be a privilege. It should be a standard. ➜ Break down traditional hiring biases. ➜ Value diverse backgrounds and perspectives. ➜ Create a level playing field for all candidates. Inclusion breeds innovation. 5️⃣ Prioritize Skill-Building Skills are the currency of the future. Invest wisely. ➜ Focus on transferable skills over specific experience. ➜ Identify core competencies and develop them. ➜ Create a culture of continuous learning. Skills grow with opportunity. 6️⃣ Focus on Long-Term Success Short-term experience vs. long-term growth. Choose wisely. ➜ Build a pipeline of future leaders. ➜ Invest in the longevity of your workforce. ➜ Cultivate talent for sustainable success. Future-proof your team. 7️⃣ Leadership is Investing, Not Just Expecting True leadership isn’t about demanding expertise. It’s about building it. ➜ Absorb the initial training burden. ➜ Offer guidance, not just requirements. ➜ Build an environment where potential thrives. Your team will remember the organization that invested in them. Guide them forward. Build their future. Because leadership isn’t about finding perfect candidates. It’s about creating them. Image credit: George Stern

We're focusing on completely the wrong skills in professional development. While companies invest billions in technical training, the true performance differentiator isn't technical knowledge—it's cognitive athleticism. Think about it: Most professionals know WHAT to do. They have access to the same information, tools, and techniques as their peers. Yet some consistently outperform others by orders of magnitude. Why? Cognitive athleticism—the ability to direct, sustain, and optimize your mental capabilities. After studying high performers across fields—from chess grandmasters to hedge fund managers to surgeons—I've identified a pattern that contradicts conventional wisdom: Technical expertise gets you in the game, but cognitive skills determine who wins. Specifically: • Attentional control (focus) • Decision quality under pressure • Mental resilience • Cognitive flexibility These aren't soft skills—they're the foundation of all performance. Here's what's truly controversial: Most organizations are measuring completely the wrong metrics. They track productivity, output, and technical competencies while ignoring the cognitive fundamentals that actually determine results. It's like measuring a quarterback's uniform cleanliness instead of their passing accuracy. I've worked with teams who transformed their performance not by learning more, but by implementing systems to optimize their cognitive processes. Their metrics improved dramatically: • Decision quality up 28% • Execution consistency up 32% • Innovation capacity up 41% What if we're all working on expanding our knowledge when we should be optimizing how we use what we already know? What cognitive skill do you think creates the biggest performance edge in your field? ♻️ Repost to help others see beyond technical skills to the cognitive foundations of performance ➕ Follow me for more evidence-based approaches to professional excellence

The conference room buzzed with excitement. A Big 4 consulting firm had just unveiled their masterpiece: a flawless transformation strategy. Fast forward six months. Crickets. The brilliant plan was gathering dust. That's when it hit me: We'd crafted the perfect solution to the wrong problem. Here's what I learnt: 💡 Companies are not machines. They are living, breathing ecosystems of human emotion. 💡 And humans don't run on strategy and KPIs alone. We operate on a complex interplay of thoughts and feelings. And the dominant feeling during change? Fear. It's primal. And it's paralyzing our best-laid plans. Every employee facing change is grappling with an ancient part of their brain. One that keeps asking questions like: 😨 "Can I adapt fast enough?" 😨 "Will my skills become obsolete?" 😨 "What if I'm not good enough for this big, bad, new world?" No wonder action stalls. Fear turns the most brilliant plans into expensive paperweights. Why? Because we're asking people to sprint while they're emotionally frozen in place. When I guide transformation projects, I focus on two parallel tracks: 🧠 The intellectual blueprint ➕ The emotional odyssey 💙 Here's what this looks like in practice: 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠: We identify the core fears and aspirations driving key players. 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬: We create environments where vulnerabilities can be voiced without judgment. 𝐂𝐨-𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: We involve employees in designing their own transformation paths. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: We regularly check the emotional temperature and adjust our approach. Real transformation occurs when people feel safe enough to leap into the unknown. When anxiety shifts to agency, you turn bystanders into architects of change. That's when you see change materialize—not just on paper, but in the very DNA of your organization. To the leaders reading this: As you plan your next big change, pause and reflect. Are you accounting for the full spectrum of human experience in your strategy? Your people—with all their hopes and fears—are the true engines of change. Engage their emotions, not just their minds, and you'll unlock potential you never knew existed. Ever seen emotions derail a "perfect" strategy? Or fuel an unlikely success? Share your war story. Let's build our collective playbook. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Struggling with the human side of transformation? Let's connect. Together, we can turn messy realities into thriving change.

Last week, I shared insights from the AI in Action: Practical Insights for L&D session I facilitated for the Australian Institute of Training & Development - AITD in Canberra. We explored how L&D professionals are using AI, examined case studies from the Learning Uncut Podcast, and co-created good practices for AI adoption. A key part of the session was moving beyond discussion and into hands-on experimentation with Generative AI. Participants had the opportunity to apply AI to real-world L&D scenarios, working through practical activities designed to enhance their skills, solve work challenges, and improve processes. Here are three activities we explored: 💡 Skill development planning – Participants used AI to create a 30-day professional development plan tailored to specific personal learning needs. AI helped structure their goals, recommend relevant resources, and outline ways to track progress. 💡 Work challenge coaching – AI acted as a coaching tool, asking probing questions to help participants reflect on and navigate a current work challenge. The AI-generated insights, potential actions, and reflection questions supported deeper problem-solving. 💡 Work process improvement – Participants explored how AI could streamline or enhance a regular work task, brainstorming with AI to identify efficiency improvements, potential benefits, and workflow considerations. The intent of the selected activities was to give L&D practitioners attending a taste of not only how they could use AI to support their own development and improvement, but spark ideas for how they could introduce similar approaches to others in their organisation. These exercises reinforced that AI can be a valuable tool for enhancing L&D effectiveness - but only when paired with human expertise, critical thinking, and contextual adaptation. If you’re curious to try these activities yourself, you can access the full prompt document here: https://lnkd.in/dZKzi2A6 I am interested to hear if you try one of these - how did you find the activity? #LearningAndDevelopment #AI #GenerativeAI #ProfessionalDevelopment #ChatGPT

When you align learning strategy with how the brain actually learns you'll find that performance improves. In many organisations, learning still means content delivery - I battle this challenge regularly. L&D teams measure outputs like number of courses, completions, attendance rather than outcomes. But humans don’t learn by consuming information. They learn by connecting ideas, making meaning, and putting their knowledge and skills into practice over and over again until their brains physically change. If you want to genuinely change behaviour and performance in your organisation then your whole strategy needs to be designed with the brain in mind. Here are three practical principles to share with your design and delivery teams: 🧠 Space, don’t cram Learning needs time to settle. Encourage teams to design experiences that build over time rather than delivering everything in one go. The return on retention is remarkable. 💡 Engage peoples emotions People remember what feels relevant and real. Challenge your designers to stimulate learners emotions with hooks like stories, challenges and personal connections. Don't just design pretty slides. 🔄 Practice and retrieval Learning journeys, rather than one off events, give people time to apply, reflect, and test new skills where it matters - on the job. This doesn't mean repetition for its own sake; it's simply how neural pathways are strengthened. When your learning strategy aligns with how the brain naturally works key metrics like engagement, performance and business impact improve. How do you enable your teams to bring brain science into the way they design and deliver learning?