The Mindtools L&D Podcast

Our Building Better Managers research identified that employees care about having an empathetic manager, but only half reported having a manager who was fair and empathetic.  All is not lost. Empathy is a skill, and like any other skill, it can be developed. So what might that process involve? In this episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Loren Sanders joins Ross G and Gemma to discuss: the difference empathy makes developing self-awareness to develop empathy tact as the expression of empathy. You can find out more about Loren and her book Empathy is Not A Weakness and Other Stories from the Edge at loren365.com.  Ross referred to Self-awareness and empathy that Ross referred to : Whiteside, D. B., & Barclay, L. J. (2016). The face of fairness: Self-awareness as a means to promote fairness among managers with low empathy. Journal of Business Ethics, 137(4), 721-730 In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross recommended C.J Cooke's gothic thriller A Haunting in the Arctic. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit  our website mindtools-kineo.com. There, you'll find out how we can help your organization build AI skills, and how our Skills Practice scenarios help build human skills. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, conne

This week, we're revisting one of our favorite episodes from last year, focusing on the role of play at work. All children play but, over time, that instinct goes away. We don't lose it, we don't forget. Instead, we get taught to stop. For author and toy designer Cas Holman, that's a problem. With a very real impact on business performance. In this episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Cas joins Ross G and Gemma to discuss: how traditional workplaces surpress play the business benefits of play at work how to encourage play when your organization won't tolerate it. You can find out more about Cas and her book Playfulness at casholman.com/book. You can also see her in the Netflix series Abstract: The Art of Design. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross discussed peculiar experiments involving moths, via The Economist. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit  our website mindtools-kineo.com. There, you'll find out how we can help your organization build AI skills, and how our Skills Practice scenarios help build human skills. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Cas Holman Ross Garner Gemma Towersey

You know those people who seem to command a room with a certain gravitas? How are they doing it? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by Frankie Kemp and Ross D to explore: what presence is the difference between presence and presentation techniques to use to develop your presence. During the discussion, Frankie referenced: 'Why You Need Charisma' (via Harvard Business Review)  'Can Charisma Be Taught? Tests of Two Interventions' (via Academy of Management Learning & Education)  You can find out more about Frankie's work via her website frankiekemp.com. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit  our new website mindtools-kineo.com. There, you'll find out how we can help your organization build AI skills, and how our Skills Practice scenarios help build human skills. Connect with our speakers    If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Gemma Towersey Frankie Kemp

If AI is so transformative, how come it's so hard to adopt? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G is joined by Mindtools Kineo AI Strategy Director Rodrigo Bolaños to explore: the hype surrounding AI's potential the reality experienced by many organizations how to drive AI adoption at scale. During the discussion, Ross G referenced: 'The state of AI in 2025' (via McKinsey) 'The AI Adoption Reality Check' (via Thomson Reuters) 'Many workers are using unapproved AI tools at work' (via TechRadar) '38% of AI-suing employees admit to sending sensitive work data' (via National Cybersecurity Alliance) 'AI-generated "workslop" is destroying producitivty' (via HBR) 'AI workslop is muddying the American workplace' (via The Week) 'AI in L&D: The Race for Impact' (via Don Taylor and Eglė Vinauskaitė) In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross discussed 'death-cleaning', following the passing of Margareta Magnusson (via The Economist). For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit  our new website mindtools-kineo.com. There, you'll find out how we can help your organization build AI skills, and how our Skills Practice scenarios help build human skills. Connect with our speakers     <span class= "TextRu

Last week, the Mindtools Kineo gang attended the Learning Technologies exhibition and conference, Europe's largest L&D event. And so, this week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D, Ross G, Gemma and Matt are regrouping to discuss: our personal highlights from Learning Tech what the conference tells us about the shape of the industry the key themes that emerged over the course of the two days who and what industry conferences are for in 2026. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G mentioned the Stat Significant newsletter. Ross D recommended A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit  our new website mindtools-kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service - including AI skills development! Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers     If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Ross Garner Gemma Towersey Matt Mella

Throughout human history, technology has disrupted the way we communicate with one another. But according to Andrea Pacini, the fundamental principles behind effective communication haven't changed, and are as relevant today as they were in the past. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Andrea joins Ross D and Anna to discuss his forthcoming book, Timeless Presenter. We cover: what the book is about, and how it differs from Andrea's previous book, Confident Presenter why the principles of communication don't change, even as tools and technology do why nobody cares about your presentation skills, but they do care about the things those skills deliver why practice is the key to becoming a better presenter. To find out more about Andrea's work, head to the Ideas on Stage website. You can also check out the Presentation Toolkit, where you'll find details on Timeless Presenter. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service - including AI skills development! You can also email us at [email protected]. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers     If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-barnett-phd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"

80% of the world's workforce are deskless, but L&D teams spend most of their time worrying about the 20%. Speaker, advisor and author JD Dillon is on a mission to change that with The Frontline Enablement Playbook. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, JD joins Ross G and Ross D to discuss: why the 80% get neglected why frontline managers are the most important people in the business strategies for supporting deskless workers. To find out more about JD, visit jddillon.com. For the book, visit jdwroteanotherbook.com In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D discussed Casey Newton's thoughts on Grammarly. Ross G discussed the number of satellites in the night sky. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service - including AI skills development! You can also email us at [email protected]. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers     If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Ross Garner <li

It's once again 'Bring Your Paper to Work' day here at Mindtools Kineo, as Ross G, Dr Anna and Ross D each take turns to share an academic study that they think has key insights for L&D professionals. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, we discuss the following papers: Rogelberg, S. G., Kreamer, L. M., & Gray, J. (2026). 'Thirty years of meeting science: Lessons learned and the road ahead.' Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 13, 415–442. Castro, S., Englmaier, F., & Guadalupe, M. (2024). 'Fostering psychological safety in teams: Evidence from an RCT'. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2024(1), 16624. Shen, J. H., & Tamkin, A. (2026). 'How AI impacts skill formation' (arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.20245). In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D mentioned National Grid: Live. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service - including AI skills development! You can also email us at [email protected]. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie <li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW2434841

Last year, we recorded an episode on whether "self-directed learning" is a myth. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, we ask how we can create an environment where this behavior thrives. Ross G and Cammy are joined by Stella Collins to discuss: What needs to be in place for self-directed learning to flourish? How can L&D pros create this ecosystem? What are the biggest barriers to self-directed learning? During the discussion, we mentioned action learning sets. We also referenced our 'Building Better Managers' report, Amy Edmondson's book The Kind of Wrong, and the CRAFT framework. Stella's books are: Neuroscience for Learning and Development: How to apply neuroscience and psychology for improved learning and training The Learning Organisation: Using self-directed learning to

Managers are inundated with potential development areas, from technical skills to complex behaviors. But are you focusing on the right ones?   In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, our in-house Insights experts Dr. Anna Barnett and Dr. Nina Harrison speak to Claire about:   how recent research reveals some unexpected co-benefits to managerial skill building <span class="EOP SCXW177300347 BCX0" data-ccp-props= "{"134233117":fal

Completion stats are a vanity metric. Happy sheets are pointless. Revenue impact will get you a seat at the table. We've all heard these statements from conference stages. Some of us, your hosts included, might even have said them. But in this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, we wanted to dig a little deeper.  We invited Evolve L&D's Tom McDowall to join Ross G and Claire, to discuss: why the context behind completion metrics is crucial to understanding them how to design effective learner surveys how 'metric chains' help broaden our understanding of learning impact. During the discussion, we referenced Dr Will Thalheimer's book Performance-focused smile sheets. In 'What I Learned This Week', Claire discussed the design of the London Tube map. Ross G discussed a novel genetic modification technique known colloquially as 'agriculture'. And it's recent acceleration. To find out more about Tom, visit evolve-ld.com. For more on the IDTX conference, see idtx.co.uk. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers   <span class="EOP SCXW51644100 BCX0" data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559739":120,"33555

Hello listeners! No new episode this week, but we wanted to take the opportunity to dig into the vault and revisit an old favorite from 2024 with Ben Betts. At the time we recorded this one, Ben had receently published a blog post, in which he wrote that 'the LMS is the first point of entry to learning; the front-of-house of our industry.' While that front-of-house may look a little different now than it did twenty years ago, and despite the oft-repeated claim that the LMS is dying, it remains the default gateway to digital learning in organizations. But are things changing? To answer that question and others, Ben joined us to discuss: the many eras of the LMS, and how we got to where we are now; the forces that have shaped e-learning interfaces over time; how AI and other changes in the tech landscape might usher in a new era. You can read Ben's blog post, 'What's the Next Generation of E-Learning Interfaces?', on his website. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers    If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Owen Ferguson Ben Betts

Often, leaders are promoted into their roles because of their ability to solve problems. But that strength can become a weakness when it leads to dependency, creating an environment where the leader is always swooping in to save the day. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L why the behaviors that bring early success often limit growth later on; how leadership development programs need to change to address this issue; how we can help leaders make the shift from problem-solvers to systems-architects. You can pre-order The Hero Trap here, and find out more about Bill's work on his website. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D recommended the podcast Rabbit Hole. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connec

In the introduction to the latest Global Sentiment Survey report, Donald Taylor describes this year's results as 'the most significant' in the survey's history. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L why Don believes the results reflect a breaking of old norms; the steady climb of 'showing value' and the relative decline of 'learning analytics'; the key challenges L the things these professionals are doing now that they weren't doing a year ago. You can download a copy of the Global Sentiment Survey report here. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G drew an analogy between content in the pre-AI era and low-background steel. Don recommended A Knight's Own Book of Chivalry by Geoffroi de Charny. And Ross D referenced the article 'An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me' by Scott Shambaugh. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie <li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW51644100 BCX0" role="listitem" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-p

Cafes, restaurants and car washes all use points and rewards to drive behaviors. Can we do the same with our Learning Management Systems? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Incentli's Jeff Campbell speaks to Ross G and Ross D about: how digital currencies give LMS administrators levers they can pull to drive behavior the role of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on learning the impact of branded swag on learner advocacy In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D discussed GitHub commits (super fun to bet on!) For more from Incentli, visit incentli.com. Incentli are a Mindtools Kineo partner, so if you would like to discuss integrating points and rewards with our Totara LMS please do get in touch by contacting [email protected]. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Ross Dickie Jeff Campbell

If you're going in for surgery, make sure to get scheduled first thing. When you buy new clothes, wash them before you wear them. Never use a ceramic cup in a coffee shop. These are the kind of insider secrets that get shared on Reddit, and we thought it would be fun to ask the L&D community on LinkedIn to share a few of their own. And boy, did they have secrets to share! In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Cammy review the top responses, including: we can't achieve much if we don't change the environment we all know that 'one and done' doesn't work we don't design for how people learn To view all of the 'secrets', check out our newsletter 'The insider secrets that L&D pros want you to know'. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G defended Runna. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, and our off-the-shelf courses. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Cammy Bean

To help organizations reap the benefits of AI while meeting regulatory requirements, many L the potential drawbacks of a top-down, skills-based approach; how to deliver practical, problem-based AI skills programs at scale.  If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to check out Alyn's newsletter, Nerd Out. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D recommended C. Thi Nguyen's book The Score. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, and our off-the-shelf courses. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Cammy Bean Alyn Kinney

Pressure from above, pressure from below; little appreciation from either. That's the experience of work for many middle managers!  This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, author Gary Cookson joins Ross G and Dr Anna to discuss his new book, The Squeezed Middle, with a focus on: why managers are so misunderstood and undervalued the skills middle managers require to succeed how we can all help build middle managers. During the discussion, Ross G referenced the World Economic Forum's 'Future of Jobs Report 2025', Gallup's 'State of the Global Workplace 2025' report, and McKinsey's Power to the Middle which we discussed in episode 416. Anna referenced our own reports, 'Building Better Managers' and 'The Empathy Problem'. Gary's book, The Squeezed Middle, is available for pre-order now. In 'What I Learned This Week', after Anna and Gary's barrage of facts, Ross G discussed Planet Nine. Finally, Ross G and Anna both referenced our Manager Skills Workshops, which combine upfront assessment, peer feedback, project-based learning and AI Skills Practice. To find out more, visit mindtools.com. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Dr Anna Barnett Gary Cookson

For most of us, compliance training is a regular feature of our working lives. Instead of inducing a mexican wave of eye-rolls, what can we do to design compliance training that has impact? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L Meeting the needs of time-poor learners; How to measure the impact of compliance training.  As mentioned, we do have plenty more thoughts on compliance training! Take a look through the resources on our Learning and Development Insights page. Recent posts include a blog "From compliance to excellence" and a guide called "Compliance learning that works". In 'What I Learned This Week', Gemma mentioned listening to the podcast The Rest is Science. It was in the episode, "How to drink lava" that Hannah Fry reveals the optimum hand position for maximum propulsion while swimming. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, and our off-the-shelf courses. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Gemma Towersey Cammy Bean Layla Croll

Induction programmes play a crucial role in shaping the way a new starter thinks and feels about an organization. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L how an 'accomplishment framework' can help new starters (and learning designers!) break induction down into manageable chunks; how to measure the impact of induction programmes.  Click here to download a free accomplishment framework template. In 'What I Learned This Week', Claire mentioned the Culross Moat Pit. Cammy referenced the Greenwich foot tunnel. And Ross D talked about the rise of video-based podcasting. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, and our off-the-shelf courses. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Claire Gibson Cammy Bean

Learning design work is often accompanied by various forms of uncertainty — ambiguous performance needs, vaguely defined scope, shifting stakeholder expectations... In his book The Instructional Designer's Guide to Project Management, Dr Guieswende Rouamba describes this condition as 'the fog of instructional design'. And he believes project management is the key to navigating it. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L what learning designers most often underestimate about the human side of project management; what he means when he says 'the best way to resolve conflict is to prevent it'. You can find The Instructional Designer's Guide to Project Management here. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, and our off-the-shelf courses. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Adria Maston Dr Guieswende Rouamba

Since its first release in 1978, A Manager's Guide to Self-Development has been one of the go-to texts for new and aspiring managers. Now in its seventh edition, authors Mike Pedler and Joan Keevil join Gemma and Ross G to discuss: why self-development is so key to a manager's capabilities what has changed since the first edition of the book as published (hat tip to Michelle Ockers for this question) some of our favorite exercises from the book, to help us develop as managers. A Manager's Guide to Self-Development by Mike Pedler, John Burgoyne, Tom Boydell, Joan Keevill, Kevin Roe, Jean-Anne Stewart is available from Routledge. For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our own manager development offerings, including face-to-face and virtual workshops, our Manager Skills Assessment, and off-the-shelf courses. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Gemma Towersey Joan Keevil

Yippee-ki-yay, Christmas Turkeys! In our final episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast for 2025, the gang are climbing to the top of Nakatomi Plaza: foiling a criminal plot and solving L&D challenges as we go. We answer: What rule exists at work that, if broken, would have the biggest impact on performance? (Tony) What should L&D pros be stealing to maximise their impact this Christmas? (Heinrich) What advice would you give an L&D professional as they plan for 2026? (Marco) What do we need to let go of in L&D? (Hans Gruber) During the discussion, Gemma referenced play at work and our "ep" with Cas Holman. Ross G discussed Sir Dave Brailsford's insistence that members of Team GB Cycling have an opinion at work. Ross D referenced our "ep" with South Western Railway's Becky Eason, and our "ep" with Carl Akintola. We also discussed some industry reports from Don Taylor and Markus Bernhardt. And JD Dillon's Christmas newsletter, inspired by the film It's a Wonderful Life. If you've listened to this episode (always our lowest performing of the year), thank you! You can find out more about Mindtools Kineo at mindtools.com. There, you'll also find our back catalogue of nearly 500 episodes. That's the Christmas entertainment sorted! And if you like the show, you'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com See you next year, and thanks for listening! Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Gemma Towersey Ross Dickie <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-barnett-phd" target= "_blank" rel=

The promise of self-directed learning is that employees will take charge of their own development, if we only create the environment for them to do so. But does this actually happen? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Mindtools Kineo Head of Product Daniel Potter joins Ross G and Gemma to discuss self-directed learning, with a focus on: what self-directed learning journeys look like how motivation is different for mandatory vs self-directed learning how our approach to learning design needs to align with learner motivation. During the discussion, Gemma referenced self-determination theory. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross discussed the end of the American penny. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, and our off-the-shelf courses. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Gemma Towersey Dan Potter

What a year it was! In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, HowNow's Nelson Sivalingam joins Ross G and Ross D to reflect on 2025 and look to emerging trends in 2026. We discuss: AI (obviously) and how it's evolving the rise of instructor-led training how market consolidation is changing the choice of suppliers for L&D leaders. During the discussion, Ross G referenced a number of new stories: Only 22% of organizations have a visible AI strategy Three in five workers say they use unapproved AI tools at work 95% of organizations see no measurable return on AI, partly due to 'workslop' We also discussed Don Taylor's Global Sentiment Survey 2025, Don's AI in L&D report written with Eglė Vinauskaitė, and Hemsley Fraser's 2025 L&D Impact Survey. Finally, Ross G referenced the 'enshittification' of AI products. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D shared an example of learning through lyrics. Nelson discussed Gmail's new 'Manage subscriptions' tool. And Ross G discussed the process of making a teaser trailer for his novel, Centauri's Shadow. You can view the trailer on LinkedIn. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment.

How do you run an organization-wide learning function with just two people? At LV=, that's the main focus for Talent, Learning and Development Partner Rob Foster. This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Rob joins Claire and Ross G to discuss: how building relationships throughout the organization helps support induction, mentoring and reverse mentoring programs how internal champions expand the impact of digital resources (like Mindtools!) advice for teams working on a similarly small scale. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross discussed the structure of Taylor Swift's 'The Fate of Ophelia'. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Claire Gibson Rob Foster

The L&D industry has always talked about 'business value' as an elusive concept. Now, a new book from Laura Overton and Michelle Ockers, The L&D Leader: Principles and Practice for Delivering Business Value, articulates what that looks like in practice. This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, they join Ross D and Dr Anna to discuss: how L&D teams can transition through different stages of maturity the role of data in shaping business value the role of community and where to find it in the post-Twitter world. The book, The L&D Leader: Principles and Practice for Delivering Business Value, is available now from Kogan Page. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Dr Anna Barnett Laura Overton Michelle Ockers

In many organizations, not least within L&D, urgent and important short-term challenges often crowd out the bigger picture. So, how do we step back and take the long view? In this week's episode, Ross D and Claire are joined by Nina Bressler, founder of Reimagined Value, to discuss: Nina's background and what she means by the term 'societal learning' How to work with business stakeholders to help them decide what to focus on How to measure the impact of long-term initiatives. To find out more about Nina's work, check out Reimagined Value. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D mentioned the article 'Hollywood's Music Biopic Boom: Quantifying the Rise of a Soulless Genre' from the Stat Significant newsletter. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Claire Gibson Nina Bressler

Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, Donald Taylor and Eglė Vinauskaitė have released four reports exploring L&D's use of AI. In this week's episode, Don joins Ross D to discuss the latest report — AI in L&D: The Race for Impact. We cover: What's changed over the last three years, and why we're at an inflection point How L&D's use of AI has slowly matured over time, evolving into more sophisticated use cases A vision for the future of L&D, beyond content-creation. You can download a copy of the full report here. In 'What I Learned This Week', Don recommended the book Amorous or Loving?: The Highly Peculiar Tale of English and the English. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie  <a class= "Hyperlink SCXW51644100 BCX0"

In his book Targeting Turnover, Dick Finnegan argues that, as the global population ages and more people enter retirement, it is imperative for organizations to retain the talent they already have. In this week's episode, Dick joins Claire and Cammy to discuss: Why turnover is a problem for businesses  The strategies organizations can deploy to reduce turnover  The impact this might have on the L&D industry. You can pick up a copy of Targeting Turnover here. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Claire Gibson Cammy Bean Dick Finnegan

Hello listeners! No new episode this week, but we wanted to take the opportunity to revisit our 2021 'documentary special' on product management.  It took a lot more work than our usual roundtable format, but we think it paid off. ;) To make this episode, we spoke to Myles Runham, Sukh Pabial, Danny Seals, and Gemma Paterson, discussing: what product management is what L&D can learn from product management what 'the product' is in L&D - is it L&D itself? For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Ross Garner Owen Ferguson Myles Runham Sukh Pabial Gemma Paterson Danny Seals

When Dr Anna Barnett, Ross Garner and Ross Dickie discussed the role of empathy in decision-making in Episode 463, they started to ponder the role that AI plays in our decisions.  In this week's episode, Ross Garner, Anna and Gemma return to the topic of smart decisions to continue that conversation. We discuss: The impact AI is having on our decisions and decision-making processes The pros and cons of using AI to help us make decisions How we might use AI to make more effective decisions. In 'What I Learned This Week', Anna recommended using the 'Maps. the hug' app to plan your outdoor adventures. Ross introduced us to Quipu. You can read about this cluster of universes in EarthSky's article 'Meet Quipu, largest known structure in the universe'. To read all of our reports, visit mindtools.com/thought-leadership/reports For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Gemma Towersey Dr Anna Barnett Ross Garner

According to Donald Taylor and Egle Vinauskaitė's recent AI in L why Heidi believes outsourcing development to AI is a mistake; what L&D could or should be using AI for, if not content generation. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross mentioned the website mcbroken.com. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Claire Gibson Dr Heidi Kirby

All children play but, over time, that instinct goes away. We don't lose it, we don't forget. Instead, we get taught to stop. For author and toy designer Cas Holman, that's a problem. With a very real impact on business performance. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Cas joins Ross G and Gemma to discuss: how traditional workplaces surpress play the business benefits of play at work how to encourage play when your organization won't tolerate it. You can find out more about Cas and her book Playfulness at casholman.com/book. You can also see her in the Netflix series Abstract: The Art of Design. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross discussed peculiar experiments involving moths, via The Economist. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Cas Holman Ross Garner Gemma Towersey

Why does L&D so often feel like the drive-thru window of requests—'one leadership program, hold the ROI please'? As L&D professionals, it's not who we understand ourselves to be. So how can we flip the script so that we're seen and treated as strategic business partners? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, we're joined by Jess Almlie, author of "Order taker no more!" We discuss: What keeps us stuck in an order taker role? What are the foundations of great strategic business partnering? What might a move into this new role look like? You can find out more about Jess, her work and book on her Almlie Consulting website. In What I Learned This Week, Gemma mentioned the Tree Equity Score website.   Sadly we don't have a photo of Ross on a horse. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Jess Almlie Ross Dickie Gemma Towersey

Decision-making is a key aspect of being a manager, and a complex mix of skills, experiences, judgments and instincts. So how do you help your managers make smarter decisions at work? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, our own Dr Anna Barnett reveals insights from our new report 'The empathy problem: Balancing emotion in decision-making', part of our Building Better Managers series. We discuss: Whether managers are more inclined to delegate difficult tasks than those they think will be achieved Why too much empathy is a problem in decision-making How to build emotionally intelligent managers. During the discussion, Anna referenced the following papers: Maas, V. S., & Shi, B. (2023). 'The effects of target difficulty and relative ability on managers' delegation decisions'. Management Accounting Research, 60, 100851. Kaiser, R. B. (2024). 'Has empathy really become more important to leadership since the COVID-19 pandemic?'. Consulting Psychology Journal. To read all of our reports, visit mindtools.com/thought-leadership/reports For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Dr Anna Barnett Ross Garner

Last week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, L&D Detective Kevin M Yates joined Ross D and Dr Anna to talk about isolating the impact of training at work. When listening back, Ross G took umbrage at some of the claims made by his Mindtools colleagues and so, this week, we re-litigate! We discuss: Are control groups really worth it? How else can you measure impact? Why Dr Anna thinks learning NEVER leads (directly) to business impact To find out how Mindtools can help you measure the business impact of your learning, despite what Dr Anna says, mindtools.com/services/analyst-insights Ross D also discussed Dr Will Thalheimer's LTEM model. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D recommended the Hard Fork podcast. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work.  Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Dr Anna Barnett Ross Garner

Is it up to the humble L&D pro to change people's behavior at work? Or is it up to everyone? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, return guest Kevin M. Yates (aka The L&D Detective) speaks to Anna and Ross D about: How to isolate the impact of training at work What other factors influence performance How L&D pros can demonstrate the value of their roles. You can find out more about Kevin's work at kevinmyates.com For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work.  Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Dr Anna Barnett Kevin M Yates

As learning and development professionals, we spend most of our days thinking about how we help others build their skills. But how many of us neglect our own development while doing so? It's what L&D advisor, writer and speaker David Kelly calls 'The Irony of L&D', and in this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, David joins Ross G and Claire to discuss: how to make time for personal development how to build this habit among your team the extent to which AI makes personal development existential for L&D professionals. To find out more about David, find him on LinkedIn. There you'll also find his article, 'The Irony of L&D: We Often Forget Our Own Development'. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G discussed 'chimping'. David discussed Josh Cavalier's guidance on AI prompting with JSON. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work.  Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Claire Gibson (who it turns out works every second Friday) David Kelly

Objectives and Key Results have long been a staple of the working world. You set a stretch objective, define the results that will tell you if the objective has been met, and scaffold throughout the organization. Then what? Often, nothing happens. The OKRs were too vague. In extreme cases, the worst happens: people bend the rules to hit aggressive targets. For author Radhika Dutt, there is another way: Objectives, Hypotheses, and Learnings (OHLs). In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Radhika joins Gemma and Ross Garner to discuss: Why OKRs so often fail How OHLs prioritize a puzzle-solving mindset How to ensure OHLs don't lead to analysis paralysis Radhika offers an OHL toolkit at: radicalproduct.com/toolkit In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G discussed 'parasocial relationships'. Gemma discussed an article from The Guardian on ways to have more 'fun' at work. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work.  For more from Radhika, including her last book Radical Product Thinking, see her website. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Gemma Towersey Ross Garner Radhika Dutt

Here at Mindtools Towers, we're no strangers to benchmarking in L&D. We've regularly mentioned our Learning Performance Benchmark over the years, and we dedicated an entire episode to 'The value of benchmarking' back in 2021.  So, naturally, we were intrigued when David James released the 'L&D Maturity Model', and wanted to invite him onto the show to discuss it. This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, David joins us to explore: Why David developed his maturity model, and what makes it different The limitations of self-assessment-based models What practitioners can expect to get out of benchmarking How L&D teams can move up the levels of the model and increase their maturity. You can find out more about The L&D Maturity Model here. You can find the Learning & Development Podcast, 'wherever you get your podcasts'. In 'What I Learned This Week', Anna explained the history of 'via ferrata', following her holiday in the Dolomites. David talked about 'imaginal discs' in butterflies. And Ross dropped a fresh new AI-generated beat about his son, AKA Lil Dribs. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work.  Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Dr Anna Barnett David James

Now for something completely different! A couple of weeks ago, Carl Akintola wrote a provocative guest post for The L&D Dispatch, challenging L&D practitioners to interogate their motives for measuring learning impact. Are they in it purely for the sake of evaluation and continuous improvement? Or are they merely trying to justify their own existence? This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Carl takes over hosting duties, and runs Ross G and Ross D through the scenario he outlined in the newsletter. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D mentioned 'The Bad-Mouthing of British Teeth', an episode of the Decoder Ring podcast. Ross G described the so-called 'Gen Z stare'. And Carl confused the Rosses with a maths problem, based on the 'Monty Hall problem'. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work.  Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Ross Garner Carl Akintola

We know that surrounding ourselves with diverse people at work brings variety in expertise, opinions and ways of working, which can boost creativity and productivity. Sometimes those differences however, can be challenging. How can we make the most of difference?  This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Liggy Webb, author of Tolerance: How to respect and accept differences joins Ross G and Gemma to examine the skill of tolerance. We discuss:    What tolerance means The benefits of being tolerant How to be tolerant, particularly towards differences in behaviour or opinions that we find tricky.  To find out about Liggy's Bitesize Book Series, visit her website.  In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross mentioned Anthropic's experiment that revealed Claude'

In their new book, In Praise of the Office, Wharton professor Peter Cappelli and workplace strategist Ranya Nehmeh argue that 'the case for in-office work has never been stronger'. This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Peter and Ranya join Ross D and Claire to explain why they believe this to be true. We discuss:  The benefits and downsides to in-office work, both from an employer and employee perspective The challenges of returning to office post-pandemic, and why mandates alone often don't work The role of managers in implementing remote, hybrid or in-office models The implications of different working models for learning and development. You can find out more about In Praise of the Office here. In 'What I Learned This Week', Claire mentioned Flow TV, which shows output of Veo 3, the latest version of Google's AI video generator. The paper Peter mentioned was 'Employee Innovation During Office Work, Work from Home and Hybrid Work' by Michael Gibbs et al. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work.  Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Claire Gibson Peter Cappelli Ranya Nehmeh

If we want to motivate learners to engage with an experience, it stands to reason that we need to present that experience in a way feels authentic and relatable to them. But what are the limits to authenticity in the workplace? And are some of the conventions of learning design at odds with authentic communication? This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Kineo's Matt Mella joins Ross D and Claire to discuss: What 'authenticity' looks like in the context of learning design Why it's important, and how to design with authenticity in mind How Mindtools and Kineo have achieved this in practice. During the episode, Ross D referenced a LinkedIn post from Matt, exploring the growing association of the em dash with AI-generated content. In 'What I Learned This Week', Claire talked about her enlightening visit to the Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft. Matt explained the history of the telegraphic address. And Ross D recommended the 'Food Deserts' episode of 99% Invisible. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work.  Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Claire Gibson Matt Mella

If you spend any time scrolling LinkedIn, attending L&D conferences, or listening to industry podcasts, it might seem like AI is about to usher in the end of e-learning as we know it. But is e-learning really dying, or is it just evolving? This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Kineo's Cammy Bean joins Ross D and Ross G to discuss: The probability that AI will bring about the e-learning-pocalypse How the work of learning designers might change over the coming years The risks L&D needs to consider as they incoporate AI tools into their practice. During the episode, Ross D mentioned a recent edition of The L&D Dispatch, 'The future is not now'. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work.  Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Ross Garner Cammy Bean

Frontline managers have to support decisions they didn't make, translate organizational goals into actions, identify meaningful opportunities for people to develop, remember to acknowledge successes, regulate their emotions, and resolve team conflicts. And they're usually 19-years-old. This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, one of our favourite guests - JD Dillon - returns to the show to share insights from his upcoming book on the role of frontline managers. We discuss: The pressures faced by frontline managers How to help these managers feel confident in their roles How AI chat bots and digital communities can help managers respond to daily challenges. In 'What I Learned This Week', Anna discussed the impact of the climate crisis on education. JD discussed the banana pose. Ross shared how to spot a suspicious statistic, via More or Less. For more from JD, check out his website frontlineplaybook.com, jdwroteabook.com, and axonify.com. For more from us, including details of our upcoming app (soon!) visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.   Connect with our speakers    If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Dr Anna Barnett JD Dillon

Exciting news at Mindtools Towers this week, as we launch our first 'Expert Skill Bite' course with Dr Markus Bernhardt, available now to all Mindtools Content Hub users!  To share more about what the course covers, and how it builds capability over time, Markus joined Ross G and Claire to discuss: Why a 'big top-down AI strategy' is never coming How to help managers build AI skills What to do if your organization bans AI tools. Log in to Mindtools.com now to subscribe to the Skill Bite and try it for yourself! In 'What I Learned This Week', Claire recommended 'How to stop being so phone addicted (without self-discipline or meditation)', from the Search Engine podcast. Ross discussed the latest exciting news from the world of Wordpress plugins. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.   Connect with our speakers    If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Dr Markus Bernhardt Claire Gibson

This week, we're handing the reigns of The Mindtools L&D Podcast over to our friends at Assemble You. Including the show notes! In this excellent interview, Adam sits down with Ross Garner and Paul Buller of Mindtools to explore one of the most pressing topics in L&D today: the role of AI in content creation and the future of learning. Ross is Chief Learning Officer at Mindtools and a former Learning Designer of the Year. He's also a long-time podcast host and co-author of the L&D Dispatch newsletter. Paul is Head of Content at Mindtools, an executive coach, and an expert in leadership and organisational psychology with a track record in leading hybrid learning teams at global organisations. In this episode, Ross and Paul unpack how AI is reshaping what we create, how we design learning experiences, and the skills L&D professionals need to thrive in this new landscape. They share their reflections on: Why content creation jobs are shifting—not disappearing How AI can free up time to focus on behaviour change and learning design The continued importance of authentic human connection in digital learning Practical ways to integrate AI into workflows without compromising quality How L&D can defend against "internet slop" with trustworthy, research-backed content Ross and Paul give thoughtful, grounded insights into what AI means for learning teams today—and why embracing it with optimism and intentionality is the smart move. If you're navigating the shift to AI-enhanced learning design, this is a must-listen episode. Duolingo AI Revolution: https://drphilippahardman.substack.com/p/duolingos-ai-revolution Connect with them on LinkedIn Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-garner/ Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pbuller/ To find out more about the performance support available for leaders and managers, from Mindtools, visit mindtools.com. And, good news! You can now add <a id= "x_m_-8849389495462285306OWAe18a8a93-7ff4-4efa-184f-f5f6082

Remember 'performance support'? Amid all the talk of AI, adaptive learning, and skills, it's kind of been forgotten. But not by us! Or by respondents to Don Taylor's Global Sentiment Survey, who ranked it 11th hottest trend this year (up two from last year). In the first of a two-part series of crossover episodes with our partner Assemble You, Ross G and Paul are joined by Adam Lacey to discuss: What makes great performance support? What conditions make performance support effective? What role does AI play in all this? To find out more about the performance support available for leaders and managers, from Mindtools, visit mindtools.com. And, good news! You can now add Microsoft Shorts from Assemble You to your subscription.During this episode, Ross G discussed extended cognition and the productivity paradox. Paul discussed Gloria Gery's definition of performance support. Ross also discussed the book Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro, and our 2016 report '<a id= "x_m_-8849389495462285306OWA9f2443a4-2ab0-73e8-c39