L&D Disrupt

​Flat hierarchies, often celebrated because they’re great for employees. But what do they mean for leaders and L&D teams?

​Ally Jones (Leadership Coach) and Chichi Eruchalu (Head of Leadership Development, Multiverse) are joined us live to answer that very question.

​From why leaders are people we want to follow and leadership is a behaviour, not a title, to how we build high-trust cultures and self-management - we tackled a rarely-covered part of the flat hierarchy conversation.

0:00 Intro to Ally, Chichi and this conversation.

1:19 Leadership is a behaviour, not a title.

5:07 What flat hierarchies mean for L&D.

7:28 Build a culture of self-management and self-ownership.

12:30 The role of leaders in helping others self-manage.

23:28 Creating high-trust cultures.

28:50 How can we challenge each other constructively?

34:56 Test flatter hierarchies on a smaller scale.

38:14 Does challenging each other create more or less trust?

42:30 Work out how leadership is currently perceived.

45:35 Pay bands and progression.

Find Ally on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisonjonescoach/

Find Chichi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chichieruchalu/

Find Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-copywriter/

Find HowNow on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/

Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

Check out The Fresh Eyes Journey Chichi Mentioned: https://hatrabbits.com/en/fresh-eyes-journal/

Learn about the Trust Framework here: https://trustedadvisor.com/why-trust-matters/understanding-trust/understanding-the-trust-equation

​People don’t value friendships at work anymore! Did you know that? We didn't until we read the latest research, but that certainly changes the game for HR and people teams in 2023 and beyond.

​So does the fact that 59% are stressed by their monetary situation, just 14% think their feedback drives change and hiring freezes or redundancies are meaning HR teams need to do more with less.

Emma Leonis-Hughes (Client Executive Director - HR Transformation, LACE Partners) and Carly Poulson (People + Culture Partner, Unleashed) joined us to discuss all of this, their recent HR research and more.

0:00 Intro to the episode, Emma and Carly

1:50 Supporting employes under financial pressure

8:19 Approaching that difficult conversation with employees

12:29 Company culture’s role has massively changed.

19:04 What the reports tell us about the culture issue.

24:49 Does HR have an issue with feedback?

37:10 LACE Partners’ HR’s One Big Thing Report

43:43 Unleashed’s latest research from people leaders.

51:01 Building skills when we can’t buy or borrow.

Find Emma Leonis-Hughes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-leonis-hughes-104b0b7/

Learn more about LACE Partners: https://lacepartners.co.uk/

Download their HR’s One Big Thing Report: https://lacepartners.co.uk/hrs-one-big-thing/

Find Gary on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-a78b2186/

Find HowNow on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/

Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

A great resource on loneliness at work, shared by Clare in the chat: https://hbr.org/2022/10/the-power-of-work-friends

Audio content is underserved in L&D, but it doesn't have to be! Assemble You's Richard Ward joined us this week to discuss how you can capture what people love about podcasting in your audio content without breaking the bank.

From internal podcasts to creating your own fireside-chat style listens, we spoke about how, why, and when to use audio effectively.

0:00 Introduction to the show

1:31 Is audio content underserved in corporate learning?

7:42 What makes podcasts such a useful learning tool?

11:54 Does podcasting better connect us to our audience?

17:31 Internal podcasts.

25:05 Mini pods, storytelling and using existing podcasts better.

33:45 The challenges and future of audio content

40:59 Audience question: Mindset and audio-first content.

44:35 Can AI help create new audio content?

46:27 Audience experiences with audio content.

51:27 Audience question: How to structure audio content?

Find Richard and Assemble You on:

Assemble You’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/assemble-you/

Their website: https://www.assembleyou.com/

Find Nelson on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude

Find Gary on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-a78b2186/

Find HowNow on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/

Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

Recommended resource as mentioned by Carl: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2019/06/podcasts-20-reasons-why-we-should-be.html

Why is every performance conversation a chance to spot learning opportunities?

Do we need to scrutinise our existing tech with current challenges in mind?

Does competence breed confidence? And what’s L&D’s role?

These are just some of the questions we put to Nelson in our first Q&A episode!

0:00 Intro to the show

1:53 Why is augmented reality so useful for learning transfer and performance support?

9:25 The problem with performance reviews and driving learning.

12:08 Every performance conversation is a learning conversation.

14:11 Which mindsets are L&D folks missing to take advantage of emerging tech?

19:20 Maximising the trial period of any product or tool.

24:05 Does Your Old Tech Solve The Current Challenges?

25:15 The importance of flexible working and learning.

32:20 Is an excessive meeting culture the enemy of learning?

36:50 Are employees causing the end of compliance culture?

39:44 The competence-confidence loop.

Find Nelson on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude

Find Gary on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-a78b2186/

Find HowNow on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/

Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

If there's one takeaway from this conversation, it's that learning cultures are about a lot more than just learning...

They're about how we manage change, the environment we build and foster, if we can tap into current behaviours, how well we communicate our L&D strategy to others and so much more.

We covered all of this in a very flowing episode with Sara Stevick, so use the episode timestamps if any particular aspects caught your eye.

0:00 Intro to Sara and the show

3:02 Discovery mode: Where to start analysing your learning strategy and culture

11:40 Creating a detailed strategy and boiling it down for different audiences

21:29 The Learning Canvas: Capturing your strategy on 1 page.

29:10 Building an environment that empowers learning.

41:40 Change management’s role in learning culture.

47:37 Building better feedback loops with The Learning Flywheel.

Submit your questions for our Ask Nelson Anything episode!

Email: [email protected] with the subject line 'Ask Nelson Anything'.

And save your spot: https://lu.ma/ask-nelson-anything

Find Sara on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarastevick/

Find Nelson on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude

Find HowNow on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/

Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

​No tricks, no clickbait - this episode really gives you 5 rules to take away and apply to your learning content today! Why?

​Because creating great learning content trips up businesses time and time again! And if we understand why, nail the context and follow some simple steps with consistency, L&D can deliver resources that drive performance.

Easygenerator Co-Founder Kasper Spiro joined us live and you can expect to learn why context is just as important as content, how to optimise content for discovery using marketing techniques, why best-fit content beats the best-produced content, and so much more.

0:00 Why creating great content often plagues L&D.

4:17 How to use internal experts for content creation.

16:02 Think context, context, context.

26:05 How to make content discoverable.

33:20 Curate where you can, create where you need to.

40:03 Timing and relevance beat content perfection.

46:28 Audience questions.

Find Kasper on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasperspiro/

Learn more about Easygenerator:

Find Nelson on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude

Find HowNow on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/

Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

From working out which problems need solving to identifying missing skills, and building content that tackles challenges preventing success in this crisis, Ajay Jacob and Kevin Alster shared some true L&D wisdom!

0:00 Why the economic downturn is both a challenge and opportunity for L&D.

9:14 How can L&D work out where it’ll add value?

16:20 Prioritising your learning efforts and determining the right interventions.

25:07 L&D needs to be more considerate and careful right now.

35:17 Dealing with stakeholder push back on L&D’s value?

43:34 Audience question: Which metrics help L&D measure better?

54:12 Quick tips on creating human-centric learning content.

Find Kevin on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/

Find Ajay on LinkedIn:

Find Nelson on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude

Find HowNow on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/

Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

Pouring your heart into a learning initiative, only for it to go down like a lead balloon - there’s no pain like it. We've all been there. And it's probably because we're not solving the right problem!

But solving business challenges and enabling people hinges on identifying the right problems and defining the right outcomes.

Running order

0:00 Introduction to Matt Bradburn

1:38 Why L&D solves the wrong and telltale signs it’s happening.

4:56 How do you work out the problems you need to solve?

8:00 Building a problem statement and communicating it with others.

16:33 Collecting data that empowers you to solve critical problems

22:17 Audience question: How do you get others on board?

28:14 How to have performance-based development conversations.

37:23 Audience question: Adding value when it matters.

44:22 Choosing the right L&D tool for the problem.

46:53 Defining the right problems makes L&D less transactional

How to connect

Find Matt and The People Collective on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbradburn/

Their website: https://www.peoplecollective.io/

Find Nelson on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude

Find HowNow on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/

Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

​The demands on L&D teams seem to be higher than ever and always evolving! That's because they are...

​And more change is around the corner, so if you’re going to capitalise on that demand and help your organisation win, you’ll need to keep building skills, relationships and your L&D team.

But it’s not as simple as listing out skills you need to learn, which is why we’ll be going beyond the L&D buzzwords to give you some truly actionable advice.

​From applying personal context to your role to redefining terms like curation for what they mean today, this will be an honest chat about the future of L&D skills.

​Ross Stevenson (Founder of Steal These Thoughts) and Lavinia Mehedințu (Founder of Offbeat) joined Nelson Sivalingam (HowNow CEO and Co-Founder) to pick this topic apart and answer your burning questions.

Running Order

0:00 Intro to the show.

1:49 Where L&D is right now from a skills and future perspective.

9:02 How L&D can go beyond buzzwords and master context.

18:11 Curating content, people and career opportunities.

28:20 Audience question: Preparing to build future skills.

38:08 Audience question: L&D’s relationship with sales enablement.

45:38 Audience question: Internal vs external training.

53:09 How L&D can be better performance consultants.

How to connect

Find Lavinia on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/

Offbeat: https://offbeat.works/

Find Ross on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rstevensonuk/

Steal These Thoughts: https://stealthesethoughts.com/

Find Nelson on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude

Find HowNow on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/

Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

Wait, aren’t we already post-pandemic?

Well, let us ask you a question: Are any of your temporary L&D measures still in place?

Did you introduce something and never really figure out if it worked? Have you rebuilt training based on how you work today, not how you did things before or during the height of COVID?

Well, you’re not alone! A lot of companies are in this position. The better questions are why and how can they get out of it?

Paul Matthews, author and L&D expert, joined us live to discuss the answers and his free ebook: How To Reboot Training Post Pandemic.

Running order

00:00 Intro to the show and Paul Matthews.

4:41 Why we needed to reboot L&D during the pandemic and beyond?

9:22 The need continuously question L&D’s purpose.

10:59 Why accepting change is crucial to responding effectively.

14:13 Using face-to-face training more intentionally and driving behaviour change.

25:50 Behavioural needs analyses and why L&D should stop ‘justifying its value’.

35:44 How L&D can course correct when it needs to change direction.

46:22 Audience Q&A and show wrap-up.

How to connect:

Download How To Reboot Training Post Pandemic: https://paul-matthews.com/how-to-reboot-training/

Find Nelson on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsiv...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude

Find HowNow on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hown...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/

Our Website: https://gethownow.com