The Learning & Development Podcast

'L&D Transformation' is a term that preoccupies L&D Leaders as much as it baffles us. So what does it mean? What does it really look like? And just as importantly, what is it not?  Barbara Thompson has held titles in L&D Transformation and Innovation since 2007 and talks about why this is still an important topic today - and what we should all be doing about it. KEY TAKEAWAYS Transformation in L&D should mean examining the construct of the team, the operating model, governance, and looking at how technology can support all that you are doing. When you invest in technologies before you determine your direction, then you can find yourself looking for problems to solve with this technology, rather than solve the real problems. Transformation L&D means rethinking everything, from understanding what we should be working on, our use of data, the engagement with those we wish to influence, the types of solutions we employ, our whole perception of digital, and how we demonstrate our value.  Successful companies, such as Amazon, Monzo and Spotify, have taken a radically new viewpoint on the customer experience. Amazon matches your 'wants' to the things it can offer. Spotify asks the question “Do you want to buy music, or do you just want to listen to it?” The shining examples of businesses doing it in the correct way are laser-focussed on solving problems, using data to ensure that there is first a problem to solve, followed by working with and for the client, putting the solution in the hands of the people who need it, making sure that the solution works before scaling it. Some of the pitfalls in transforming L&D can include, surprisingly, letting people know that you are transforming as it sets an expectations that is hard to attain. Also not working in a agile way and failure to focus on the user experience. One of the key enablers for transformation and innovation is the leadership team. What do they think about learning? What would they like from learning? What are the disruptive forces? By subscribing to the notion that agility is key in transformation, we should also accept the fact that some things might work, and some things might not. Pivoting and using agility to correct these paths and try something else is completely fine. One of the most important steps in transformation is to understand the way that education is perceived within the organisation, because this understanding will allow you to understand how better to pivot and add value. BEST MOMENTS ‘We look for innovative solutions instead of stuff that works sometimes’ ‘You change the name of what you’re doing, but you don’t change the practice’ ‘What worked yesterday is not going to work today’ ‘It’s relentless but successful’ ‘We need to test it and iterate’ ABOUT THE GUEST Barbara is an experienced Learning & Development practitioner who is renowned for her progressive views on the profession. Having worked for 9 years at BP, Barbara built her skills and reputation on developing forward-thinking, results-driven L&D solutions that were way ahead of where the profession was and, perhaps, where it largely still is today. Her roles at PA Consulting and GP Strategies see her applying her know-how in many more organisations who are looking to modernise and transform. You can follow and connect with Barbara via: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaribThompson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarathompson1/ Blog: https://medium.com/@ba_thompson   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/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

As L&D Manager for CastUK, Eva doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk of modern, progressive L&D, focusing on business performance outcomes and creating learning experiences that combine digital and face-to-face. Hear Eva’s stories about her progress and her principles of Learning & Development in practice.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Did you have an idea of how you wanted your L & D function to run? I wanted to move away from classroom-based training and to establish what great looked like for the company.  We explored what sort of skills we needed and what were the skills people already had. Every skill needs to be tackled differently and when you are addressing reality you are able to achieve real results. People are afraid of experimenting and trying something new because at some point failure is guaranteed but what you do with the lesson learned is what makes the difference. I was open to challenge and they were prepared to challenge, this combined has enabled us to change. What have you done to broaden and challenge the expectations of what L & D looks like? I wanted to initially to understand what the challenges were across the business for differing individuals. Learning has to be hard fun; people should be doing something different to what they do in the workplace Using role-play in the training room enables individuals to learn from their mistakes in a safe environment. We underestimate people’s need for autonomy, to be able to go through things at their own pace and develop true understanding. Can you explain how you have saved time in induction with digital solutions? The induction is not shorter, but the approach is different. Anything that is knowledge or content-based people access themselves digitally at their own pace. The digital solution is curated content- some of which is created internally capturing the knowledge within the company, it’s the ‘how to’ The face to face sessions are opportunities to summarise and check the understanding. You are have been exploring automation with digital resources, how is that developing? It is useful to be able to target various groups with different content and send it out when it is needed. The Looop solution allows me to be more timely, proactive and efficient with my time. If we don’t understand what people are trying to do when they are facing critical points of failure, unfamiliar situations or challenges then we can’t support them. Go out and do it, give it a try and see how it works for you, get into that experimenting mindset It’s about solving the real problems out there, being curious and using technology as your tool.   BEST MOMENTS ‘The biggest challenge in L & D is capturing what works’ ‘The want and will to constantly review their own performance and understand it’ ‘You are making an assessment based on readiness through observation’ ‘If you are results-driven you are not precious about content, you view it as a tool to achieve the results’   ABOUT THE GUEST Eva Adam Eva Adam is L&D Manager at CastUK, a recruitment consultancy specialising in sourcing executive and management level roles.   Whilst Eva is relatively new to L&D, having spent time before in operational and management roles, she is clear about the impact she wishes to make with her practice and leadership and has successfully sold this vision to her stakeholders.    You can connect with Eva via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-adam-25947787/   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/  

Experience Design is a relatively new term in L&D and yet it has very quickly become an aspiration for forward-thinking functions around the world. Danny and David explore what Experience Design is, some great examples and how you can get started with it.  Creating experience and using practical applications rather than shoving theoretical practice is highlighted in this episode of The Learning and Development Podcast. The big gap after the onboarding process of new employees will be filled if we see things differently. Support, knowledge, and training shouldn’t just be given during the first months. We have to learn how to make this a long-term commitment to the people in the company.  KEY TAKEAWAYS  Companies show their utmost support and value to new employees during the onboarding process. There’s 'excitement' and 'enticement'. They give them the full experience as they enter. But the problem is there’s a big gap that’s felt after individuals sign the contract. There’s no continuity of what they have established, which may help improve the individual’s experience and performance inside the company.   Face-to-face interaction does not outright mean experience design. For example, learning inside a classroom won’t assure that you master your leadership skills. You need to actually experience it –learn the ropes and practice it with team exercises.  Immersion is a good way to learn. When you experience it with your senses and feelings, it’s easier to be acquainted and remembered.  Danny’s advice: Put yourself into their experiences so you can shape theirs. Don’t just look at L&D. Look at other industries and get inspiration.  BEST MOMENTS  “I don’t think learning experience is a thing. I think experience is a thing and learning is the byproduct of that experience.”  “We know our memories our crap, but the emotions that we can attach to that are different.”  “When we talk about the impact, we talk about the real reasons we do it. We don’t do it because it’s nice to have. We don’t give people a standardised what they shouldn’t do.”  “Experiences don’t have to be grand.”  “It’s all about leading so someone else follows.”  ABOUT THE GUEST  Danny is an Experience Design Architect and has been a leader in this field, at TalkTalk and GP Strategies amongst others, at the forefront of designing experiences that make a lasting difference.   As well this, Danny is the voice - and brains - behind Mindchimp, a pioneering  Learning & Development podcast series and thriving L&D community.  You can follow and contact Danny via:  Twitter: @TheDannySeals  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyseals/  Website: https://mindchimp.co.uk/  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/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/ 

It’s largely known that generational differences are an important factor for organisations but a different thing to know what we should do to attract, develop and keep younger talent.   In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, David interviews Rowena Bach to discuss on how to handle different generations in the workforce. Learn also about the different challenges that Rowena has seen throughout her career. This conversation explores some of the things L&D teams - and Early Careers specialists - should consider and doing to capitalise on the big opportunities that a good Early Careers strategy can present. They also covered the different trends that companies should watch out for so they can improve their recruitment process and take into mind their senior team members. Discover more about these when you tune in.  KEY TAKEAWAYS  There are two problems that Rowena is trying to solve for organisations:  Macro-level, where your background dictates where you’re going  Organisational, recruitment management  It’s difficult to handle the team especially if it comprises the 5 generations in the workforce. Each lived a different life that has shaped their values and behaviours right now.  Challenges:  Establishing an inflow of talent  Ageing skill of workforce  (Organisational) Receiving up to 35,000 applications for 100 roles  (Organisational) Low budget  Organisational development and learning and development help the newly recruited people adjust in the workplace.  The new generation base their decision-making process on activism, radicalism, and loyalty, while the baby boomers base it on hierarchy, legacy, and commitment.  Key Trends to watch out for in L&D:  Global skills gap  Impacts of technology on workforce  Access to information  Though the interview might be the most vital part of the recruitment process, it does not envelope everything that we need to know from entry-level talent.  BEST MOMENTS  “Why do L&D professionals and HR professionals stay in this industry? It’s because we’re in the space that brings something in the business that they don’t have time for.”  “Every single one of those is potentially a customer.”  “Every new person that you bring will challenge your organisational dynamic.”  “People have specific reasons why they work.”  “It’s almost a fallcy that interviews get you what you need to know about the person.”  “Dealing with equality is not just an ethical imperative; there’s so much evidence about how a balanced workforce fastly improves how successful organisations are.”  ABOUT THE GUEST  Rowena Bach is an Early Careers/Future Talent leader with 15 years’ experience of setting talent strategies (people and digital), consulting and leading change programmes, and teams, to deliver commercial value.   Prior to this, Rowena was Head of Future Talent at BSkyB following her role as Learning & Development Manager for Disney Consumer Products.  Her current role involves Rowena helping clients get to know the evolving Gen Z landscape, understanding and utilising the Apprenticeship Levy, attracting and retaining diverse candidates in the recruitment process, and ensuring that emerging talent pipelines match the needs of your business.  You can follow and contact Rowena via:  Twitter: @Rowena_Bach  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowenabach/   Website: http://insights.tmpw.co.uk/u/102f64x/rowena-bach   Article mentioned in the podcast, ‘The Global Skills Gap in the 21st Century’: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/global-skills-gap-21st-century-rowena-bach/   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/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/   Website: https://www.looop.co/ 

Today on The Learning & Development Podcast, David talks to Nick Shackleton-Jones, the author of How People Learn and a genuine thought leader on Learning & Development, to talk more about how we can improve our learning and training strategies for our employees. It must be centred on how they could grow and develop themselves so we can expect high performance. Discover in this episode how we can use simulations to determine solutions, the pull and push method, producing content, and many more.  Start changing your perspective on learning for the better when you tune in.  KEY TAKEAWAYS  How can a genuine thought leader be differentiated from a fake one? Genuine thought leaders don’t say what you want to hear; they say what you need to hear. Be ready to what they say even though some truths might be unpleasant.  When producing content for learning, it’s important to know how it can help. Know the main concerns first, so you’ll know what can be the solutions to present. Do an analysis of what worked and what didn’t work for them in the past.  How can Learning & Development align better to the business? “Solve their problems first, not translate them into your solutions.”   Models that exist today only serve those who are at the top, not the people who really need the service. Find out who your audience is.   The effective context model is supposed to underpin all learning phenomena for all in different contexts. The pull and push approach is useful since we only react to things we care.   What to Consider When Redesigning L&D Strategies:  Creating resources  Experience design—responding to challenges and creating challenges  The Learning & Development sector should be ready for disruptions that could boost the strategies and services. For example, technology is becoming more functional for everyone.  BEST MOMENTS  “I’d like to think that people entering the world of learning development believed that it was an antidote to the weirdness and bureaucracy.”  “Our challenges drive our learning.”  “The only way to get them to efficiently to just know it is to find out what they care about today.”  “Let’s not come to people with PowerPoint presentations when we have some time to have valuable time together to talk about what they think, to share experiences, and to learn from each other.”  “We are eliminating learning in the interest of making everything more usable.”  ABOUT THE GUEST  Nick Shackleton-Jones  Nick is a genuine thought-leader in Learning & Development, responsible for coining the ‘courses to resources’ shift and the affective context model of learning.   He began his professional life as a psychology lecturer and went on to lead learning functions at Siemens, BBC & BP. He’s now a consultant and author of ‘How People Learn’ (Kogan Page, May 2019) as well as winning several awards for people development strategy, innovation, and learning content, including the Learning & Performance Institute’s Award for Services to the Learning Industry, 2017.   You can follow and contact Nick via:  Twitter: @shackletonjones  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shackletonjones/  How People Learn: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-People-Learn-Designing-Performance/dp/0749484705  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/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/   Website: https://www.looop.co/   

Work is evolving to meet the needs of globally focused organisations and in response to globally dispersed talent - and remote working has been a key factor in this shift. We know this, this is not news. But how we develop remote workers may be news.  In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, we explore considerations for Learning & Development for supporting remote workers. David talks today to Perry Timms, an author, motivational speaker, a CEO, and a top HR influencer. Discover everything about remote working – its pros and cons, its place in HR management in the past, present, and in the future, and its inclusion in L&D strategies. Both business owners and remote workers can learn from the discussion so start tuning in. KEY TAKEAWAYS We can shape the future greater than we think we can. We can’t just sit and watch things to unfold. If there’s optimism, a drive to change, and willingness to act, we can improve the current state of the workplace. Remote working is not an impossible proposition to incorporate in organisations now because of technology. It has become easier to communicate with people and complete tasks. Changing our mindset and attitude about remote working can actually benefit our organisations. The physical proximity of the workers might be a difficult thing to consider in HR management, but developing remote workers doesn’t need training, you just need to discover what strategy works best for your company. It’s useful for organisations to highlight partnerships in their L&D strategies. Sharing their knowledge and learning journey to each other can actually make it easy to make remote working possible. Managing and overseeing the social platforms where you interact with your remote workers is important. L&D strategies should also empower them and let their voice be heard in coming up with solutions no matter where they are. As much as possible, invite healthy conversations and prevent these platforms from being polluted with bias, forced authority, etc. Efforts on maintaining the dynamics between the organisation and remote workers are more pronounced compared to those who are working onsite. As the leader, it’s your priority to make sure that the remote workers still feel belongingness. BEST MOMENTS “I like to think I’ve got a grounding in the reality of the world but also an incredibly dreamy perspective on how things could be.” “I feel their pain, I celebrate their gain, and I really wanna leave them in the sense that they’re better than they were before they started.” “If there’s one thing that we can start to recommend to remote workers is when you are hitting a wall, that’s the time to stop and think, ‘What can I learn?’” “If people want it passionately enough, they’ll find a way to make it work and shouldn’t find a way to hijack L&D.” ABOUT THE GUEST Perry Timms is listed in HR Magazine’s HR’s Most Influential List for 2017 and described by CIPD CEO Peter Cheese as “The HR Futurist”. Perry is the author of the book ‘HR Transformation’, he’s an international CPD accredited and TEDx speaker on HR, workplace learning, technology and the future of work, a consultant, facilitator and coach. Prior to all of this, Perry was Head of HR for Big Lottery Funding in the UK. You can follow and contact Perry via: Twitter: @PerryTimms LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrytimms/ Website: https://www.pthr.co.uk/ 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/

It appears that women are under-represented at a senior level in L&D. What’s going on to address this and what do we all need to be doing? David and Kate explore these points - and more - within this important conversation.    KEY TAKEAWAYS  How would you describe Fosways role in L&D and your role within the company? We are an independent analyst and our role within the industry is to look at trends and the progression across technology and talent. Our role is to help corporate organisations make better decisions, We also liaise closely with vendors to ensure we have a pragmatic picture. My role involves working across the teams and all content comes through me providing me with an overview of all that is going on.  What is the current conversation around women in learning? The statistics are not great for women progressing into senior management.  I have been involved in the conversation across social media platforms and the engagement was far and above what I was expecting, it has captured people’s imaginations and is continuing to grow as people join the debate. Research based on the worldwide learning and skills group and used job titles as an indicator; in support roles the split was 33% men to 67% women,  in practitioner roles 53% men to  47% women, mid-level 49% men to 51% women, senior roles 69% men to 31% women this makes clear there is a barrier and this is a conversation we need to have. Its opened people’s eyes to an issue that we didn’t know was there previously.  What are you hoping to achieve from this conversation? It’s about changing the statistics, ultimately women should be in those senior roles if they want to be and how as an industry can we support that through mentors etc. Mentoring is a great place to start and we are now looking at the practical steps we can implement to move forward. It isn’t just about women it’s about the steps anyone needs to take to move forward.  How does this conversation relate to the modernisation that is required in L&D? The important thing for this debate is that it doesn’t lose sight of the link to our profession. We are and should be open-minded to the possibilities, we can challenge our own thinking and desire for flexibility and learning. Faced with this challenge, the statistics, and this ongoing conversation about women in learning that we should hold ourselves accountable for our own development in this area and continue the conversation.    BEST MOMENTS  ‘That’s real life and to understand that is empowering; we can share stories about ourselves’  ‘It should be about lifting everyone up L&D is a great industry to be in because it’s such a positive place to be’  ‘There were more people named David on the panel than women’  ‘It’s about how the vision is executed within the company’     VALUABLE RESOURCES  Fosway Group website Kate Graham Twitter #womeninlearning twitter Kate Graham LinkedIn  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/  

‘Our understanding of the human learning process at work has  fundamentally changed’  David is in conversation with Sukh Pabial, a talent development partner at Reed Business Information.  It’s generally accepted that Learning & Development is changing, and that the skill set required is broadening. In this episode, David and Sukh discuss what these broader skills are and how L&D should evolve to adopt these.     KEY TAKEAWAYS  What role do you see yourself as having on social media? I’ve ended up creating a certain type of persona which at times is provocative and challenging, at times a stream of consciousness. I’ve never planned my twitter or blogging in detail and learnt along the way. I use my podcast to focus on positive psychology and emotional intelligence, areas I have a particular interest in.  What’s the idea behind ‘Modern Learning Leader’? The skills required for L&D professionals are becoming more fragmented and are not always comparable or related disciplines. This can result in individuals focusing on deep learning for each particular specialism in a linear way to further their own development and be able to fulfil the role of a modern learning leader. The program provides a springboard for professionals in the acquisition of new knowledge and the development of further skills. It enables L&D professionals to gain an overview and sense of the differing specialisms required for the modern learning leader.  Has the role of L&D changed or are the mechanisms for delivery different? It is both and more. When you start to look at what people do on a day to day basis to further their own learning you realise it is radically different from the learning products we provide. Our understanding of the human learning process at work has also fundamentally changed resulting in mechanisms needing to change.  Providing learning is easier than affecting performance, why rock the boat? We have to start to question what we are doing and how we are impacting? YouTube came along and was the learning platform we never knew we needed. We are putting ourselves at risk of leaders seeing the role as redundant if we do not move forward and change.  Are we reaching a tipping point in L&D? There is a community of voices that help to remind us this is a movement. When you look at conference content it has not changed. It is still looking towards long form programs and there is not anything that is genuinely different. There is a world of knowledge out there and if you know how to access it and you understand how to use it to develop what you know and what you do, it’s a good thing to be a part of.     BEST MOMENTS  ‘It can be challenging to know which stuff out there to pay attention to and which stuff to disregard’  ‘We are getting our hands dirty quicker than we ever did because we can access someone who has already done it’  ‘People understand what you have said because it’s the English language, but they don’t understand what it means for their profession’  ‘We don’t dig deep enough it the questions that make a difference’     VALUABLE RESOURCES  L&D Connect group on Twitter     ABOUT THE GUEST Sukh Pabial    Sukhvinder (Sukh) Pabial, is a learning development and organisational development professional who started his career in this field in 2003. He has worked across a range of sectors and industries. Armed with an education in Occupational Psychology, he develops leading-edge creative and positive solutions and does so ensuring everything he works on is centred with strong academic research and knowledge.   CONTACT METHOD  Twitter @sukhpabialLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukhvinder-pabial-01113b1b/ Podcast: http://threegood.podbean.com/     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/              

‘You’re going to know your customers better than any system, Digital value is about human value, it’s about working with people to solve problems’    As a successful leader in Digital (at the BBC and at Ask.com), Myles has observed L&D’s embracing of new technologies but also its failure to transform itself. We discuss what digital transformation really means and what it will take for L&D professionals to make the most of the opportunities that digital now offers.     KEY TAKEAWAYS  Digital capability is largely remiss in L&D and is a blocker to positively changing the profession, is this what you see? The preoccupation with technology is a real problem for the industry. For too much of the time for too many people digital means technology implementation One of the most important aspects is the pace at which you have to move and having a clear focus on data and evidence. The digital world has shown the values and benefits of a prototype to demonstrate and gather real data and this is driven at pace You can’t make a transformational change from your current position; you have to have new information and data. The stuff that we use ourselves has completely changed the way we communicate, our entertainment and access to each other. The digital revolution has not been about systems it has been about having new experiences that add value to our lives in different ways The L&D profession is still stuck in the trap of finding new ways to do what its always done rather than finding new things to do.  What is digital transformation for you? The challenge for L&D is that the learning pace is now set outside of the industry and we need to change how we work to meet the rising expectations we all,  as consumers, have. It’s about what we can do with the technologies we can create and how we can apply them We need to constantly be aiming to give the best consumer experience we can. One of the challenges is for the industry to look beyond learning data and be smart about other sources of data, we need to be smart about all of the data landscape to help us understand what the problems are and how we will solve them.  What's your position on digital and face to face? It’s not about one or the other it's about how you use the tools you have available to solve the problems. It can be people coming together, or a phone call, it's about an event that is helpful. The learning classroom is a human event that due to what it is surrounded by has increased in value and importance.     VALUABLE RESOURCES  Myles Runham LinkedIn  Myles Runham website       BEST MOMENTS  ‘The L&D world needs to become much more confident working in these ways’  ‘For people in senior positions, it’s about letting go and trusting in something new’  ‘You need to be where people are and understand why they want to learn in the first place’  ‘There is a recognition now that everything is changing, and it is happening at a pace so beware of certainty’     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/ 

‘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/