Learning & Development Transformation With Simon Gibson

‘Do stuff that works, affect the business, speak a language the business recognises because you are working on their priorities and show them how your work has made a difference in order to build the credibility to gain more currency to do more of the right stuff’ 

In this episode, David is in conversation with Simon Gibson. As seasoned L&D leaders, David and Simon discuss what L&D Transformation looks like today and the areas we need to change to achieve it. An insightful and practical conversation grounded in reality, listen in to find out more.   

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• How would you sum up what’s changing?
  The outside world is coming into the business environment. 
  
  If you are in a business environment and learning is a course or a 5-page document then you are disconnected from the way people have instant access to everything outside of work.
  
  Expectations from clients are changing and what they need now is changing. I’m passionate about knowing what’s going on and how people are doing it.
  
  Organisations have a massive responsibility to support individuals chosen learning journeys. 

• How has your view of how L&D needs to change been shaped by your senior level and access to your CEO?
  I’m a curious and inquisitive person who wants to ask challenging questions and I don’t want to pitch that at a level below where I’m going to get the answer. I want to be talking to the forums who understand what the impact will be.
  
  Being part of these senior forums provides the opportunity to understand the whole picture. Being presented with those true business challenges in a dynamic environment and understanding them can be key to finding the solutions.
  
  Credibility to talk is key in any forum in your organisation. It's about the impact you can have to shape and transform the organisation.  If you are not helping shape and transform, you are only helping it to stand still and you are in danger of becoming obsolete very quickly. 

• Do L&D get digital transformation?
  The context is everything in an organisation. Digital transformation is multi-faceted. For L&D one aspect is the disruptive technologies that are affecting businesses today and the other is some of the delivery mechanisms used.
  
  Peoples ability to learn and consume is now very free and there is a huge opportunity to look at the real needs within an organisation
  
  How do you prepare people to make the next steps?
  
  How do you prepare people for transformation?
  
  There are similar challenges that exist across every organisation 

 

BEST MOMENTS 

• ‘What are we looking to change?’ 
• ‘The gritty reality of in-house politics’ 
• ‘There’s a balance between gut feeling and what the data and information is telling you’ 
• ‘It’s smashed into work at such a pace’ 

  

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

Simon Gibson LinkedIn 
Simon Gibson Twitter 

  

ABOUT THE HOST 
David James   

David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. 

As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. 

  

CONTACT METHOD 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ 
Website: https://www.looop.co/