Shiny Pennies: Chasing New Modalities

As AI reshapes the world of work, Learning and Development faces a defining moment. Will the profession double down on creating faster training or finally step up as a true driver of performance?

In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, David James is joined by Bob Mosher - Chief Learning Evangelist at APPLY Synergies and one of the world’s foremost advocates for workflow learning. Together, they explore why L&D’s obsession with “shiny pennies” and new delivery modes risks missing the real opportunity AI presents: to transform how people perform on the job, not just how they learn.

Bob shares why the long-standing cycle of “stakeholders ask for training, L&D delivers it” is more dangerous than ever, what it really means to become a performance architect, and how workflow learning lays the foundation for L&D to stay indispensable in an AI-powered world.

If you’re serious about shifting your team’s focus from learning outputs to business outcomes - and using AI to elevate performance where it matters most - this episode is essential listening.

Take your L&D to the next level

Take advantage of thousands of hours of analysis. Hundreds of conversations with industry innovators and 25+ years of hands-on global L&D leadership.

It's all distilled into one framework to help you level up L&D. Access the L&D Maturity Model here - https://360learning.com/maturity-model

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• If L&D keeps focusing on creating training faster rather than addressing performance, they will be left out of the conversation.

• Embracing technology is essential. But don´t simply do what you are doing now, only faster.  Demonstrate to your organisation that these tools enable you to go beyond training and enhance performance.

• Courage and leadership are required to break old habits and proactively guide organizations through disruptive change, even when it's uncomfortable. Bob shares how to have those conversations.

BEST MOMENTS

“We have to move beyond this training, learning deliverable mindset, to performance and productivity.”

“Don´t confuse busy with relevance.. .that´s the danger of perceiving our value by the ask, or how many people are at the door.”

“We have to be able to be seen as that learning professional, that performance professional and not the L&D department that we all know.”

“I´ve been at this, 43 years. I've never seen anything as disruptive as this.”

Bob Mosher BioBob Mosher is Chief Learning Evangelist at APPLY Synergies and a pioneering voice in workplace learning with over 30 years of experience helping organisations drive measurable performance. A co-creator of the Five Moments of Need® framework, Bob has spent decades challenging traditional training models and championing workflow learning - an approach that supports employees at the point of need, not just in the classroom.

Before founding APPLY Synergies, Bob served as Global Chief Learning Strategist for Microsoft, where he helped redefine how the company enabled performance at scale. Today, he works with global organisations to implement learning strategies that close the gap between learning and doing.

Renowned for his candor, practicality, and unwavering focus on business results, Bob continues to shape the conversation about what truly effective learning looks like in the AI era.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmosher/https://applysynergies.com/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home

https://twitter.com/davidinlearning

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin

L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective

https://360learning.com/blog

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/