Learning for Good | L&D Solutions and Leadership Development for Nonprofits

When I create a competency model, there are so many things I look at. The one thing I don’t look at?
Indicators of poor performance.
I’m sure we all already know what poor performance looks like. To me, the lowest behavior you want is one that meets expectations. And everything should just go up from there.
That’s why today we’re discussing why I don't memorialize poor behavior in competency models, and why asset-based competency models work.

▶️ One Thing I Don't Do When Creating Competency Models

▶️ Key Points:
00:58 The one thing I don’t look at when creating a competency model
04:43 Why I don’t memorialize poor behavior in a competency model
07:30 Taking an asset-based approach to competency models

Resources from this episode:
Competency Model Episodes:
▶️ Episode 51: How to Use Your Competency  Model to Develop a Comprehensive Training Program
▶️ Episode 39: Ask These Two Questions to Identify Your Nonprofit's Core Competencies
▶️ Episode 20: How to Determine Which Competencies Are Right for You
▶️ Episode 19: One Nonprofit's Honest Opinion after 6 Months with a Competency Model
▶️ Episode 18: Four Reasons Your Competencies Don't Work

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

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Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Have you ever created a training, only to realize it didn’t have the impact you had hoped? In this episode of the Learning for Good podcast, we explore why training alone often fails to drive lasting behavior change.

My guest Julie Dirksen, author of "Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change," discusses the limitations of training when systemic and external factors are barriers to change. Julie emphasizes the importance of understanding behavior at an individual level.

We talk about how asking good questions can help identify where learners are and how to meet their needs, whether through education, persuasion, confidence building, or reinforcement.

Changing culture may require investments beyond training. This episode provides a framework for nonprofits to evaluate training effectiveness and foster impact through systems-level interventions.

▶️ L&D Expert Julie Dirksen Exposes the Real Reason Your Training Flops

▶️ Key Points:
02:24  Julie Dirksen’s introduction and background
06:45 Using the elephant metaphor to describe decision-making09:49 Why training often gets blamed for failures
12:20 Systems view and considering external factors that impact training success
18:54 The challenge of making equitable decisions without group-level data
21:46 Knowing where learners are at on the "change ladder"
24:22 The importance of understanding learner motivations, pain points, and system influences on behavior

Resources from this episode:
"Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change” by Julie Dirksen
“Design for How People Learn” by Julie Dirksen
Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

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Connect with Julie Dirksen
Julie Dirksen is an acclaimed author and learning strategist who brings behavioral science insights to the design of impactful learning experiences. She has over 20 years of experience creating digital learning experiences for diverse clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to international NGOs and technology startups.
LinkedIn: Julie Dirksen
Facebook: @designforhowpeoplelearn
Website: usablelearning.com

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

We all know the powerful role that mindset plays not only in our personal lives but also in our work. In this episode of the Learning for Good podcast, I explore five essential mindset shifts nonprofit L&D professionals should adopt to uplevel their leadership development strategy.

By redefining how you approach your roles and the potential of your work, nonprofits can better support evolving workforces and create meaningful impact through training and leadership development.

▶️ 5 Mindset Shifts to Uplevel Your Leadership Development Strategy

▶️ Key Points:
01:41 How joining a Crossfit gym led me to a mindset shift
04:11 Introduction of 5 Mindset Shifts to Uplevel Your Leadership Development Strategy
4:38 Mindset Shift #1: You are not just an order-taker
06:47 Mindset Shift #2: Dealing with workforce change
09:37 Mindset Shift #3: Change initiatives
10:41 Mindset Shift #4: Not every effort needs to succeed
11:58 Mindset Shift #5: You are impacting people's well-being

Resources from this episode:
Learning for Good Episode 68 "Is L&D a Last Resort or a First Response?"
"Atomic Habits" by James Clear
"Tiny Habits" by B.J. Fogg
The ADKAR model of change
"Mindset" by Carol Dweck

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Effective teams are essential to your nonprofit. I’ve been a part of teams that worked so well together, everything ran smoothly, and there were no major issues. But I’ve also been a part of teams that were the opposite.

So how do we create effective teams?

That’s what we’re exploring on today’s episode with Beth Napleton, an executive leadership coach and consultant who helps senior leaders lead through layers.

▶️ You Might Be Killing Your Team if You Aren't Doing This with Beth Napleton

▶️ Key Points:
02:26 Beth’s background: Helping senior leaders lead through layers
08:17 The biggest killers of a team
09:58 Remedying these team killers
13:25 Finding time and capacity to address organizational development as a leader
18:24 Learning and Development has an important part to play in team development

Resources from this episode:
Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Beth
LinkedIn: Beth Napleton
Website: bethnapleton.com

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

What makes nonprofit training unique to corporate training or government training? While there are a number of things that are different, one thing that I thought would be fun to focus on is the three unique audiences that nonprofits create training for.
These unique audiences come with their own challenges and I’m giving you some tips to overcome those challenges.

▶️ 3 Audiences Unique to Nonprofit Training

▶️ Key Points:
03:00 The three audiences unique to nonprofit training
07:19 Challenges these unique audiences present and how instructional design teams can overcome them

Resources from this episode:
Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Why do we let our kids watch cartoons like Cocomelon or Bluey? Because they are teaching our kids valuable lessons through animation.

We can do the exact same thing in our nonprofit training. We can use animation to impart valuable lessons to our learners. That’s why I’ve invited Calvin Dantley to join me and share his experience with animation and training.
 
Calvin is a nonprofit L&D leader and an experienced animator, and he has so much good stuff to share with us today.

▶️ Three Ways Your Nonprofit Can Use Animation in Trainings with Calvin Dantley

▶️ Key Points:
03:10 Get to know Calvin Dantley: From sales to L&D animation
06:32 The value animation can add to your nonprofit training
10:26 Three ways your nonprofit can use animation in training
13:14 Barriers to using animation in training and how to overcome them
16:40 One thing you can do now to get started with animation

Resources from this episode:
Here’s the video I mentioned, Systems thinking: a cautionary tale
Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Calvin
LinkedIn: Calvin Dantley
Website: cdantley.com

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Have you heard of the forgetting curve?

We naturally forget 90% of what we learn. That's troubling to hear for those of us in L&D. All we think about is helping people learn and creating behavior change from that learning.

How can we do that If learners are forgetting the majority of what we teach them? That’s what we’re exploring in this episode.

▶️ Your New Training is Perfect, but... Your Learners Won't Remember It

▶️ Key Points:
00:58 The forgetting curve
03:51 Making learning relevant
06:33 Making training meaningful
07:19 Making training fun
09:08 Providing wrap-around support

Resources from this episode:
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Applying the Laws of Behavior Change to Staff Development
I use Mentimeter to create interactive learning experiences

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

In this episode, I've invited self-proclaimed frustrated changemaker Heather Hiscox to talk about how she uses data to overcome the status quo and boost workforce development.

Heather, the founder and CEO of Pause for Change,  is on a mission to change the way we change the world. I'm so excited to talk with her more about data and what L&D can start to do differently to create a greater impact in training.

▶️ Workforce Development: Using Data to Move from Status Quo to Training Impact

▶️ Key Points:
03:00 Heather’s frustration working in social impact and how it compares to L&D
07:28 Why is it so important to utilize data
10:56 The best ways to capture data
15:50 Using data in your work and the impact it can have on your organization
23:56 Using data to create more impact in training

Resources from this episode:
No More Status Quo: A Proven Framework to Change the Way We Change the World by Heather Hiscox
Check out the two episodes of Possibility Project that Heather mentioned in this episode:

• Antiracist Learning & Evaluation
• New choices for how we assess impact: what is possible beyond either/or?

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Hiscox
Website: pauseforchange.com and possibilityproject.org

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

Are your leaders the best they can be? Or are there areas where they are lagging behind a little bit?
My guess is they're somewhere in the middle.
You probably have leaders who excel and leaders who struggle. And even those who excel probably have room for improvement.
So today we’re talking about why your team’s leadership skills might be lagging and what we can do about it. 

▶️ Are Your Nonprofit Leaders The Best They Can Be? Your Leadership Skills Might Be Lagging And THIS Is Why

▶️ Key Points:
02:45 Unclear expectations for leaders
06:02 Lack of training and professional development
09:09 Ongoing support and reinforcement
10:52 Stress and burnout
12:48 External barriers outside of your leader’s control

Resources from this episode:
2024 HR Trends Report

Competency Model Episodes:
▶️ Episode 51: How to Use Your Competency  Model to Develop a Comprehensive Training Program
▶️ Episode 39: Ask These Two Questions to Identify Your Nonprofit's Core Competencies
▶️ Episode 20: How to Determine Which Competencies Are Right for You
▶️ Episode 19: One Nonprofit's Honest Opinion after 6 Months with a Competency Model
▶️ Episode 18: Four Reasons Your Competencies Don't Work

Stress and burnout episodes:
▶️ Episode 38: Dealing with Corporate Burnout? One Easy Way to Manage Stress as a Nonprofit Leader with Jessie Pagliari
▶️ Episode 30: Why Well-Being Is The Secret Sauce to Change Management with Mandy Sharp Eizinger

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms

If you've ever welcomed a baby into your home, you know how stressful it can be. You don't want to have the stress of what's being left undone at work on top of that.

How do we help our nonprofit leaders navigate time out of the office? That’s what I’m discussing with mission-driven fundraiser, Lacey Kempinski on today’s episode. Lacey is focused on changing the way the nonprofit sector supports parental leave and working parents.

▶️ The Parental Leave Dilemma: Helping Your Nonprofit Leaders Navigate Time Out of the Office with Lacey Kempinski

▶️ Key Points:
03:50 Lacey’s career journey and how having children changed its trajectory
06:39 The parental leave dilemma
10:00 The challenges of parental leave in the workforce
12:32 Solutions to the parental leave dilemma
16:14 Supporting nonprofit leaders who need time out of the office

Resources from this episode:

Join the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective: https://www.skillmastersmarket.com/nonprofit-learning-and-development-collective

Was this episode helpful? If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow and leave a review! 👇👇👇
Know anyone who would benefit from this episode? SHARE this with your friends. 🔗

Connect with Lacey
Linkedin: Lacey Kempinski
Website: balancedgood.com

Connect with Heather
Linkedin: Heather Burright
Website: skillmastersmarket.com
Book an interest call with Heather here.

Learning for Good is the podcast for nonprofit leaders seeking practical L&D solutions. Hosted by Heather, an experienced consultant, we dive into leadership development, instructional design, change management, and staff management strategies tailored to nonprofit organizations.

Discover how to implement impactful learning solutions, foster belonging, and influence senior leaders. Each episode provides the tools you need to confidently navigate high-level conversations and drive meaningful change within your organization.

Let’s create lasting impact through innovative L&D solutions!

Produced by Ideablossoms