The Talent Development Hot Seat podcast - The #1 podcast for Learning and Development (L&D), HR, Career Development, Organizational Development, and Leadership Development professionals

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes guest Andrew Barry. Andrew Barry is the founder of Curious Lion, a training design firm reimagining the way companies like PagerDuty, Pinterest, and KPMG cultivate learning cultures. He is the creator of Course of Action, a self-paced program and community for aspiring course creators--and working towards making Andrew’s vision that everyone has an online course in them a reality.In this episode, you’ll hear:Why Andrew Barry pivoted away from the corporate world to start his own company and pursue entrepreneurship.What some of the best companies are doing to cultivate a learning culture, some of the mistakes he’s seen, and the three key components you can apply to your organization.How cohort learning is defined and what makes it such a beneficial way to learn.Andrew Barry’s tips for assessing how engaging your content is.How you can sign up for his cohort learning five-week program and what you’ll experience as a part of the course.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Andrew Barry:LinkedInCurious Lion LearningThe Learning ExperienceMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy is speaking with Dr. Esther Jackson. She is a people potential celebrator. She’s worked in a variety of roles in the public and private sectors--HR training manager, HR training specialist, organizational employee development specialist, project manager, instructional designer, change management lead. Dr. Jackson has foundational experience in designing and facilitating soft skills and hard skills training.Dr. Esther Jackson’s project management work has been geared toward learning and HR and talent development projects, addressing the needs of various levels in organizations and workforce, and the work with change management allowed Dr. Jackson to recognize the importance of developing that genre of skills, which is often confused with adaptability skills. These skills are a key topic in her new book, Adaptability in Talent Development.In this bonus episode, you’ll hear:6. Dr. Esther Jackson’s proudest career moment and why it meant so much to her.7. The career mistake that stands out in her mind as one of her worst missteps.8. One of the biggest challenges she sees in talent development today and what can be done to address that issue.9. The trend she’s following in talent development and why it’s so important going forward.10. Her favorite book and why she finds it so inspiring.11. Dr. Jackson’s career advice for learning from situations where you felt rejected and what you can learn from that.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Dr. Esther Jackson:LinkedInWebsiteAdaptability in Talent Development bookMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy is speaking with Dr. Esther Jackson. She is a people potential celebrator. She’s worked in a variety of roles in the public and private sectors--HR training manager, HR training specialist, organizational employee development specialist, project manager, instructional designer, change management lead. Dr. Jackson has foundational experience in designing and facilitating soft skills and hard skills training.Dr. Esther Jackson’s project management work has been geared toward learning and HR and talent development projects, addressing the needs of various levels in organizations and workforce, and the work with change management allowed Dr. Jackson to recognize the importance of developing that genre of skills, which is often confused with adaptability skills. These skills are a key topic in her new book, Adaptability in Talent Development.In this episode, you’ll hear:What adaptability is and why Dr. Esther Jackson wrote her book about adaptability in talent development.Why she decided to focus on talent development in particular and why adaptability is such an important skill to have in this field.The four quadrants of emotional intelligence and how Dr. Esther Jackson relates those to adaptability.What organizations are doing to adapt during the Great Resignation and why it’s crucial for them to be open to making those changes in order to be more successful and become more attractive to prospective employees.Dr. Jackson’s acronym, LUPE (Level Up on Performance Essentials), and what she means by that.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Dr. Esther Jackson:LinkedInWebsiteAdaptability in Talent Development bookMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes guest Tracie Cantu. She is a forward-thinking, digital-first learning tech and talent development leader with a bias for operational impact. The majority of her career has been spent at the intersection of employee performance, operational impact, and technology where she is seen as a trusted advisor and peer to business leaders, directly contributing to the achievement of business outcomes.Tracie Cantu has 15+ years of experience leading learning and learning technology teams in various industries, including aviation, insurance, government, retail, big tech, and finance. She is currently the Head of Learning Ecosystems for a large tech company based in Silicon Valley.In this bonus episode, you’ll hear:Bonus Content6. Tracie Cantu’s proudest career accomplishment and why she considers herself a “we” player rather than a “me” player.7. Her biggest career failure and what she would change about that mistake.8. One of the biggest challenges she sees right now in talent development.9. Why she’s so excited about the current focus on connection and what it can change in the workplace.10. Tracie Cantu’s author recommendation and the value she’s received from this author’s works.11. Her career advice for those who are looking to accelerate their careers.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Tracie Cantu:LinkedInLinkedIn postMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes guest Tracie Cantu. She is a forward-thinking, digital-first learning tech and talent development leader with a bias for operational impact. The majority of her career has been spent at the intersection of employee performance, operational impact, and technology where she is seen as a trusted advisor and peer to business leaders, directly contributing to the achievement of business outcomes.Tracie Cantu has 15+ years of experience leading learning and learning technology teams in various industries, including aviation, insurance, government, retail, big tech, and finance. She is currently the Head of Learning Ecosystems for a large tech company based in Silicon Valley.In this episode, you’ll hear:Tracie Cantu’s career background in secondary school education, how she pivoted into corporate education, and some of the roles she’s held over the years.Why human resources has such career appeal right now and who might be looking to move into HR.Where the skills revolution has fallen short and why that unicorn hire doesn’t exist.The mistakes Tracie Cantu sees most often in L&D making when it comes to careers and what you can do to begin addressing that shortfall.What companies can do to begin to take advantage of this new diversity in the L&D career path.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Tracie Cantu:LinkedInMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Lotus Buckner is Andy’s guest. Lotus is the Vice President and Head of People and Culture at Chowbus, a tech startup and food delivery platform. She is also the founder and CEO of LB Talent Solutions, where she offers customized career coaching services and speaking engagements.With endless curiosity and a desire for continuous learning, Lotus Buckner has led a variety of people and culture teams for large organizations in healthcare and higher education to small startups in the tech space. As a self-proclaimed foodie, when she’s not fulfilling her professional passions, she loves trying new foods and then making them at home from scratch.In this bonus episode, you’ll hear:6. Lotus Buckner’s biggest career accomplishment and why that experience stands out.7. The career failure that stands out the most and what she learned from it.8. One of the biggest challenges she sees in learning and development today.9. Why she finds the push toward diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts so important and how technology is assisting those efforts.10. The book Lotus Buckner wants you to read.11. Her advice for growing your career in talent development.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Lotus Buckner:LinkedInLotus BucknerInstagramMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Lotus Buckner is Andy’s guest. Lotus is the Vice President and Head of People and Culture at Chowbus, a tech startup and food delivery platform. She is also the founder and CEO of LB Talent Solutions, where she offers customized career coaching services and speaking engagements.With endless curiosity and a desire for continuous learning, Lotus Buckner has led a variety of people and culture teams for large organizations in healthcare and higher education to small startups in the tech space. As a self-proclaimed foodie, when she’s not fulfilling her professional passions, she loves trying new foods and then making them at home from scratch.In this episode, you’ll hear:How Lotus Buckner ended up in a human resources career after changing her major six times in college and why she loves it so much.What it’s been like to start a human resources department from scratch and how they’ve approached the challenge of investing in their people with L&D.How she handles it when what the C-suite wants is different from what the employees in the company want.Why you can use vulnerability as a competitive advantage and what it means to her and how it can be used practically in organizations.Lotus Buckner’s advice for beginning to leverage vulnerability and authenticity as a competitive advantage within your company.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Lotus Buckner:LinkedInLotus BucknerInstagramMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes guest Jeff Hatchell from American Express. This episode is all about learning and development for sales. Jeff Hatchell is the Vice President of Global Enablement with American Express. His job focuses on providing leadership development to the sales organization globally. He is also an executive coach, inspirational speaker and facilitator, and the author of The Inspired Career: Breathe New Life Into Your Job and Get Equipped, Empowered and Engaged! In this bonus episode, you’ll hear:6. Jeff Hatchell’s experience as a Black man in L&D and how he’s able to connect to almost anyone he meets.7. His thoughts on diversity, equity, and inclusion since the death of George Floyd and how it’s affected corporate culture.8. Why he wrote his book and what he hoped to accomplish with it.9. Jeff Hatchell’s most significant career accomplishment and why he’s so proud of it.10. His biggest career failure and what he learned from that experience.11. The trend he’s following in talent development and why he finds it fascinating.12. Why he’s a fan of John Maxwell’s books and why you should be reading them too.13. The reason you should perform a self-assessment to get ahead in your career.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Jeff Hatchell:LinkedInWebsiteMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Andy welcomes guest Jeff Hatchell from American Express. This episode is all about learning and development for sales. Jeff Hatchell is the Vice President of Global Enablement with American Express. His job focuses on providing leadership development to the sales organization globally. He is also an executive coach, inspirational speaker and facilitator, and the author of The Inspired Career: Breathe New Life Into Your Job and Get Equipped, Empowered and Engaged! In this episode, you’ll hear:How Jeff Hatchell discovered his love of sales and eventually landed in sales enablement.What sales enablement is, why a company would want to invest in its sales organization, and the unique challenges surrounding creating and executing learning and development programs for sales.What you can do to shift the sales mindset into a growth mindset to continue to be successful.Jeff Hatchell’s advice for speaking to salespeople when the speaker doesn’t have personal experience with sales.What’s effective right now for teaching new skills or reinforcing skills in sales.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Jeff Hatchell:LinkedInWebsiteMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/

In this episode of The Talent Development Hot Seat, Alyssa Dver returns to speak to Andy about leveraging confidence for more career success and retention. She is a confidence crusader, neuro-nerd, and success equalizer and received a 2021 Stevie Award for Achievement in Thought Leadership. She’s also a two-time TEDx and Boston Best Speaker, seven-time award-winning author, Real Competence podcast host, and Thrive Global contributor.Leading the American Competence Institute, Alyssa Dver has directly empowered over 350,000 people through ICF and SHRM-accredited keynotes, self-coaching workshops, e-classes, and coaching certification programs. She is committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion a reality and founded and chairs the ERG Leadership Alliance, the largest association of employee group leaders.In this episode, you’ll hear:Alyssa Dver’s definition of confidence and its relationship to certainty.Why a lack of communication and confidence may be part of the driving force behind The Great Resignation.How you can begin to use intentionality to guide your career decisions and recognize opportunities within your organization and remain happy and engaged while there.The steps you may need to take in order to take control of your own career and where you want it to go.How Alyssa Dver’s courses can help you equip yourself for self-coaching and increase your confidence.Connect with Andy Storch here:WebsiteLinkedInJoin us in the Talent Development Think Tank Community!Connect with Alyssa Dver:LinkedInAmerican Confidence InstituteMentioned in this episode:Think Tank conferenceGet your tickets now for the Talent Development Think Tank Conference https://tdtt.us/conference/