Bring Out the Talent: A Learning and Development Podcast

A recent study revealed that companies that cultivate a positive and strong workplace culture could see as much as a 400% growth in revenue. 400%! A positive workplace culture is so important because it helps attract new talent, drives engagement, impacts happiness, and positively affects performance – do you know where your workplace culture rates? In this episode of “Bring Out The Talent,” we take a deep dive into the importance of workplace culture. We explore why leaders need to think differently in order to keep culture thriving, how to align your practices with your mission and values, how to adopt behaviors associated with an “employee-centered” leadership culture, common pitfalls leaders make when trying to change corporate culture—and how to avoid them, and so much more with our special guest, John Mancuso. John is a seasoned educator, writer, founder of Authentic Communication Matters, and beloved TTA consultant. Tune in as we learn how you can lead with a culture-focused mindset and shape your organization’s culture and ensure stellar productivity.

Unless you live in a cave, emotional intelligence is a critical requisite skill needed to be an effective leader or team member. Unfortunately, there is not enough emphasis placed on developing this essential skill. The good news is that emotional intelligence can be learned. In this episode of “Bring Out The Talent,” we take a deep dive into emotional intelligence and discuss the 4 fundamental competencies of emotional intelligence, how emotions can affect behavior and performance, the most effective EI assessments, and so much more with our special guest, Themum Crawford. Themum is an accomplished hands-on learning and development consultant with deep practical experiences in various workplace environments. She has the unique ability to expand the facilitation of topics into related principles, concepts, and theories while building an open and comfortable learning environment. Tune in as we learn from an EI expert how to develop a thriving emotionally intelligent workplace.

According to Gallup, a staggering 85% of employees are not engaged or are actively disengaged at work, resulting in $7 trillion in lost productivity. But there is hopeful news, the Institute of Coaching revealed that over 70% of individuals who received coaching benefited from improved work performance, engagement, relationships, and more effective communication skills. They also reported that 86% of companies felt that they recouped the investment they made into coaching - plus some!So where, as leaders, can we begin when it comes to coaching? What are the first steps that leaders can take to cultivate a coaching mindset in the workplace?In this episode of “Bring Out The Talent,” we answer those questions and more, with Jay Caputo, a seasoned educator, trainer, certified master coach, speaker, writer, and TTA consultant.

Most business leaders understand the power of a dynamic and positive workplace culture, but only about 15% of companies that embark on making such a change are successful. Which leads many business leaders to ask - why do so many organizations fail when attempting a culture change? There are many factors to consider when undertaking a culture renovation. Business leaders must ask strategic questions such as what specific actions need to take place to successfully change an organization’s culture? What does our culture represent? How do we reinforce behaviors that best support our company’s purpose?In this episode of “Bring Out The Talent,” we answer those questions and more with Kevin Oakes. Kevin is the CEO and founder of the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), the leading human capital research company in the world. Kevin was previously the founder and the president of SumTotal Systems, chairman and CEO of Click2learn, which was founded by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. Prior to joining Click2learn, Kevin was president and founder of Oakes Interactive which was purchased by Click2learn (then called Asymetrix), which Kevin helped take public a year later.Kevin has been a pioneer in the human capital field for over 15 years and is the author of "Culture Renovation - 18 Leadership Actions To Build An Unshakeable Company" and co-author of "The Executive Guide to Integrated Talent Management," published by ATD Press. Kevin is an international keynote speaker who was also previously chairman of ATD’s board and served five years as an ATD board member.Tune in as Kevin shares invaluable insight into the world of culture renovation and great tips from his book, "Culture Renovation - 18 Leadership Actions To Build An Unshakeable Company." 

In this episode of “Bring Out The Talent,” we speak with Allessandria Polizzi, PhD, CEO and Founder of Verdant Consulting. Last year, more than 3.98 million workers quit their jobs each month, the highest average on record. This mass exodus of employees, or “Great Resignation” isn't necessarily indicative of people not liking what they do but according to mental health experts, many people are in search of employers who make them feel more psychologically safe.To better understand psychological safety as it relates to the workplace and training in the workplace, we speak with Dr. Polizzi who has over 20 years of experience leading teams to help unlock their potential and helping organizations thrive. Dr. Polizzi discusses the role that psychological safety plays in training, how to address psychological safety in a hybrid workplace, the role psychological safety plays in the learning process, how psychological safety affects business outcomes, and what can leaders can do or start today to create psychological safety for their teams. Tune in and discover how you can begin to actively foster a psychologically safe workplace.

Curiosity is an increasingly important skill for employees. In fact, a recent study from the Harvard Business Review revealed that curiosity allowed employees to think more innovatively and rationally about decisions and come up with new and creative solutions. Additionally, leaders who encouraged curiosity had more trusting and collaborative relationships within their teams. Who wouldn’t want that?Unfortunately, some leaders unwittingly stifle curiosity, fearing it will increase risk and inefficiency. So how can business leaders and managers successfully cultivate a curious mindset within their teams and unleash the power of free-thinking in the workplace?In this episode of “Bring Out The Talent,” we answer those questions and more, with Dr. Jasmine Martirossian, Vice President of Marketing at TÜV SÜD Americas.

While the economy is attempting to recover, the number of jobs still available has been a cause of concern for most employers. In fact, the latest data from the Labor Department revealed that there are currently 11.3 million job openings. Along with the slow return to work, we are experiencing the effects of the Great Resignation. With the challenge of finding talent - what should organizations do?To help us dive into recruiting and talent acquisition, we are joined by TTA’s Direct Hire Division’s Bryan Dick and Steve Miln. With over 20 years of combined experience in this field, tune in as this dynamic duo provides first-hand insight into the current state of Talent Acquisition.

For the first time in our economic history, there are five generations of employees making up our workforce. From the ‘Traditionalists’ generation to the newcomers ‘Gen Z’ – there are decades of experiences, cultures, and knowledge in our workplaces that each of us can learn from. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that by 2026 we can expect nearly two-thirds of people aged 55-64 to be working, and about 30% of people ages 65-74 to likely have full or part-time jobs.So how can business leaders and managers successfully lead multigenerational teams and unleash the power of a multigenerational workforce?In this episode of “Bring Out The Talent,” we answer those questions and more, with Elana Kieffer and Carolyn Stem from The New York Academy of Medicine’s Center for Healthy Aging.@NYAMNYC @AgefriendlyNYC #Workforce #HealthyAgingCenter for Healthy Aging: https://www.nyam.org/center-healthy-aging/

Learning engineering may not be new (it emerged in the 1960s) but new applications of AI in our industry, specifically adaptive learning, bring increased focus on that specialized skillset. How will learning analytics and adaptive solutions radically improve the speed and quality of learning?In this episode of "Bring Out the Talent," we speak with Michael Noble, PhD, President (Americas) for Area9 Lyceum, the industry leader in adaptive learning. We discuss the emergence (or re-emergence) of a unique role for learning engineers, how that role differs from that of instructional designer or LX designer, and why it's not just another trend. Innovations in technology are creating a demand for increased competencies in data analysis and data-driven design. And with a much more ambitious aim--to accelerate expert performance and mastery in our organizations. Tune in and discover the next big shift in the future of learning.

In this episode of “Bring Out The Talent,” we speak with Pearl Walker, the Senior Learning Operations and Delivery Manager at SAE International. With millions of employees now working remotely, most businesses are placing a heavier reliance on video conferencing tools, such as Zoom, Teams, WebEx, and others. With the increase of virtual meetings and training sessions, many organizations have found the need for a technical Session Producers to help support their virtual training deliveries. As the leader in connecting and educating engineers, SAE International utilizes Session Producers to help ensure that their trainings run seamlessly so that their virtual hosts have the support they need in order to focus on training. Tune in as we discuss the importance of Session Producers and how they are a vital role in SAE’s virtual deliveries.