Future-Focused with Christopher Lind

In this episode, host Christopher interviews Kristy McCann, the CEO and founder of SkillCycle, about the importance of skills and organizational performance. Drawing from her own experience, Kristy shares her insights on how a lack of skills can negatively impact an organization's performance and ultimately, its legacy. Kristy highlights the need to focus on workflows and to build and develop employee skills, rather than relying on shortcuts and technology like AI and chatbots. She emphasizes that the key to improving organizational performance is to empower employees and to ensure that they have the necessary skills and tools to succeed. Throughout the interview, Kristy and Christopher discuss the challenges organizations face in developing and maintaining skilled employees, as well as the benefits that come with doing so. They highlight the importance of investing time and resources in training and development, as well as the positive impact this can have on an organization's bottom line. Ultimately, Kristy's message is clear: investing in skills development is not only good for employees, but it's also good for business. By prioritizing skills and workflows, organizations can improve their performance, leave a positive legacy, and ultimately, achieve greater success. If you're looking to build a better organization and empower your employees, this episode is a must-listen!

Is the phrase “new normal” a permanent declaration used to accept the status quo or can a “normal” ever be established? In our existential quest for stability and predictability, the constant flux and instability of life can be exhausting. Business leaders often tout constant change as the key to long-term success, but when it comes to learning, this ideology is not as clear-cut. The urge to continuously switch up our software and learning design may bring short-term benefits, but what if these gains ultimately result in a net loss in the long run? These are crucial questions to consider as we strive to strike a balance between progress and stability. In this Learning Tech Talks I have the pleasure of chatting with Patrick Flanagan from Administrate.  Together, we'll delve into the challenges organizations face that constantly switch between learning platforms and explore an often-overlooked solution: forming a long-term partnership with a  provider. Is this the strategy that has the ability to create a sense of normal for our learners given the instability in our world?

Is emotional intelligence (EI) something that can be learned and strengthened or is it an inborn characteristic? Attempting to answer this false dichotomy would only make me look foolish. I’ve had the opportunity to witness transformative EI growth in the many teams I’ve worked with over the years; however, there are s ome who must  work harder than others. More often than not, many have an inborn characteristic but don’t have the ability to recognize it.   In this Learning Tech Talks, I’m hosting Pianpian Xu Guthrie from Amotions, Inc. to dig deeper into EI and go beyond simple definitions to discuss its application for learning leaders as they formulate instructional design to achieve goals and capitalize on efficiencies.

How much undocumented knowledge and skills exists in your organization?  Maybe you haven’t heard of tribal knowledge, but this is a dangerous force commonly found in many organizations. The obvious solution is to try to capture that knowledge. However, an often missed step in that process is to efficiently organize and store that information, connect that knowledge to skills, and ultimately connect the individual employees that manage it. What is your organization doing to capture tribal knowledge? In this episode of Learning Tech Talks, I have the privilege to host David Landreth from Augmentir to talk about the connected worker and how organizations are digitizing their workforce from “hire to retire” and to walk through that process  and investigate some of the insights and opportunities that are  available in a smarter connected collaboration.

Has anyone found that their ‘highly personalized’ digital learning experience is somewhat ‘highly impersonal’? Do you think personalization has been over-marketed or misunderstood? Personally, I would argue it’s a little of both. Learning leaders are often guilty of having unrealistic expectations for their software deployment and regularly overlook the necessary infrastructure for high retention and adoption. Leaders need to espouse the software experience, and it is integral that everyone that is part of the value chain does too. How do we ensure that all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together? In this episode of Learning Tech Talks, I have the privilege to host Krishna Dunthoori, Founder and CEO of Apty, to talk about the value of DAPs in 2023 and to find out where most organizations are on their journey of digital adoption and discuss some of the observable successes and failures of adoption and what strategies can be employed to create personalized and scalable solutions that work.

What are some personal items that you maintain on a regular basis? For a lot of people, it’s their car. I tend to dance a fine line between proactive and reactive maintenance on our family vehicles. I  don’t particularly enjoy active maintenance as some people do, but I  know that if I take care of things by spending the time and money, in the long run, my investment is significantly greater than starting over multiple times. For most of my audience, I don’t really have to sell employee development. We all know the enormous benefits that it provides, yet I  still find colleagues struggling with retaining talent and maintaining engagement with their teams. Is employee development something that is often said but not espoused? In this Learning Tech Talks, I have to privilege to host Ben Brooks from PILOT Inc. to dig deeper into the world of employee development and unwind some of the buzzwords by taking a closer look at some of the more pragmatic strategies that provide impact for organizations and stakeholders alike  in a simple and effective way.

"There's so much room for activities!" - Brennan Huff (Step Brothers, 2008) Engagement is so much more than a like, share, or private message.  As we navigate the future of work, we continue to look for opportunities to maximize engagement in a way that develops authentic relationships and is effective at connecting team members in a remote setting.    Corporate team activities and outings have long been the eye role of anyone who isn't organizing them, or the token suck-up. However, they do work. Even if its only function is to create a common enemy. What sort of remote activities have you hosted or participated in that has blossomed a remote connection?   In this episode of Learning Tech Talks I'm joined by Jordi Figols from Remote Boost to get a bird's eye view of some of the creative ways that organizations can formulate authentic relationships through a multitude of virtual activities and to gain insight into the interpersonal strategies learning leaders employ to engage their teams in a creative and exciting way.

2023 is well underway, and I'm happy to announce that microlearning is STILL a relevant conversation!    Haven’t bought into the microlearning wave yet? When  I first started researching platforms, it took me some time to digest some of the pragmatic use cases. During a conversation, someone  mentioned that the experiences that resonated with them were the ones the felt the same as all of the other apps they use on a day-to-day  basis. Bingo. Learning applications need to feel AND function familiar to users for increased retention and adoption. What’s familiar to me may not be familiar with my team or company culture. Do your research, quantify familiar, and take action to create results.   In this Learning Tech Talks, I'm catching up with Kate Udalova from 7taps Microlearning to talk about some of the vast changes in the space and with their product since our chat in 2021 and what the outlook for microlearning is moving forward with it's easy-to-digestits learning content that caters to users in a wide range of ways that promotes learning on something that feels familiar and not something they’re forced to deal with.

The journey continues! There's no shortage of trends in our industry. Some are new; some are rebranded flavors of things past. While it's never advisable to chase a trend simply because it's a trend or because someone else is doing it, there is value in knowing what they are and their implications. Unfortunately, a lot of information skims the surface without the necessary depth to consider thoughtfully whether the trends fit your situation. In an effort to help, this Learning Tech Talks is the second in a two-part mini-series on 10 of the most notable trends we should be considering as learning and talent leaders in 2023. Hopefully, you'll find this helpful as you consider your plans and investments in the coming year.

There's no shortage of trends in our industry. Some are new; some are rebranded flavors of things past. While it's never advisable to chase a trend simply because it's a trend or because someone else is doing it, there is value in knowing what they are and their implications. Unfortunately, a lot of information skims the surface without the necessary depth to consider thoughtfully whether the trends fit your situation. In an effort to help, this Learning Tech Talks is the first in a two-part mini-series on 10 of the most notable trends we should be considering as learning and talent leaders in 2023. Hopefully, you'll find this helpful as you consider your plans and investments in the coming year.