The Learning & Development Podcast: The #1 L&D Show

As the last episode of 2021, we pause for reflection, summarise some of the learning from 26 episodes so far and look forward to next year.

The first episode of 2022 will be released on 11th January. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Digital is about working with those to overcome challenges not about the next shiny object.
• L&D  needs to take a more rigorous approach to analysis. Results can be and should to be measurable.
• L&D teams that produce real measurable results grow. The rest shrink.
• The product manager approach has exponentially increased the speed at which teams achieve results.
• Having an outcomes conversation rather than talking about learning, gets decision makers onboard fast.
• The last two years have drastically changed L&D and the way we share and maintain the culture.

BEST MOMENTS

'Many in L&D conflate digital soloutions with system implimentations,'

'The product manager approach helps to alliviate any doubt over the value of L&D.'

'L&D teams should not wait to align the planets before they can adapt or modernise their approach.'

'I think product management will be the dominant skill in L&D. It will facilitate collaboration towards demonstratable results.'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 

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/

TikTok and Facebook are just two companies that consider their culture to be crucial to their success and this week’s guest, Michal Oshman, has not only worked for both but she is Head of Culture at TikTok EMEA. In this episode, we explore what culture is; why it’s important; and what Michal does at TikTok to maintain and grow theirs

When culture is at the heart of a company it is everything and being intentional with care and dedication is what makes people feel they are truly part of something, listen in and hear more

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Culture is at the core of the company, it’s about values, behaviours, branding, diversity, inclusion and meaningful moments
• The founders of Tiktok think about culture as a product and give it the same amount of attention
• With a product mindset, you take greater accountability  making sure your  results change things
• You can measure culture by the amount of engagement
• People want to feel they are part of something and that they matter, that is culture
• The role of learning and development is translating business into behaviours  
• Culture doesn’t live within one individual it's connected to community and being together
• We want our company to be a safe creative place where people can share their narrative
• You need to understand what  people need from the culture of the company
• The L&D team needs to be able to build and have the honest conversations that mean companies can have a positive culture
• Culture is everything, how we compensate, how we promote, how we have a career conversation, how we get feedback
• Culture is hard to define but you know when it’s there and anyone working on culture needs to be curious and willing to learn because it’s a very personal experience

BEST MOMENTS

‘I love the idea that our space is where people can share their content and creativity’

‘When leaders think about things in a different way they open up’

‘Culture is not static it's ever-changing’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 

EPISODE RESOURCES

You can follow and connect with Michal via:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michaloshman?lang=en

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

ABOUT THE GUEST

Michal Oshman

Michal Oshman is Head of Company Culture, Diversity & Inclusion and Employer Branding at TikTok EMEA and formerly responsible for international leadership and team development at Facebook. Throughout her career, Michal has trained and coached hundreds of tech leaders. She has three university degrees in psychodynamic and systemic thinking, sociology and anthropology. Michal is also published author of the book What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?: Discover A Life Filled With Purpose And Joy Through The Secrets Of Jewish Wisdom.

CONTACT METHOD

You can follow and connect with Michal via:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@michaloshman?lang=en

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

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/

Curation is a term that has been used in L&D for a number of years but its actual purpose often seems to be diluted down to ‘making more content’. As discussed in this episode, curation is a useful skill to have in the L&D kitbag to draw on expertise and know-how that resides elsewhere, repurposed as solutions to real problems. Thank you to Shona Hodgson for suggesting this topic.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Curation in L&D is about finding content, shaping it and helping everyone to apply it to their roles.
• When looking for content to curate, don´t forget internal sources.
• Before looking for content be crystal clear about what you are trying to achieve.
• Being clear on the problem you are trying to solve makes it far easier to recognise relevant content when you find it and to quickly adapt it.
• Ask yourself what experience you want people to have and what that engagement piece will be.
• You don´t need any special tech to be able to do curation successfully.
• When you curate something you still need to build in support tools and resources.

BEST MOMENTS

'We don´t have to create everything from scratch'

'When you are laser-focused on solving real problems, then often the solution stares you in the face'

'I think am I adding value beyond that piece of content. '

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 

EPISODE RESOURCES

You can follow and connect with Mike via:

Twitter: @MikeShawLD

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

Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-377679232

Ready, Set, Curate: 8 Learning Experts Tell You How Ben Betts https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ready-Set-Curate-Learning-Experts/dp/156286940X

ABOUT THE GUEST

Mike Shaw Bio

Mike Shaw is Global Learning & Organisational Development Manager at Emerald Works and an experienced leader in the field of People Development, having led teams at Mitie and Hereward College. Mike is an active member of the L&D community and co-host of the Burnham & Shaw Chat podcast series with Rachel Burnham. 

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/

A company that looks to the future will know how to prepare for it. Strategic Foresight takes a comprehensive view of your past experiences and decisions, and brings dynamic clarity and focus to your company by creating a transformational framework for you to understand your decisions, processes, landscape, and pathways. In this episode, Frank and David explore Strategic Foresight and the work they did together at Disney.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Strategic foresight is about leveraging what is emerging and on the horizon, not accurately predicting the future.
• Firms that use it adapt and transform quickly and are resilient.
• Strategic foresight ensures that you build a workforce with the talent and skills to be ready for what comes next.
• Using strategic forsight it is possible to model and be ready for crisis events ”black swans” like CoVid. Events that speed up change.
• The disruption of CoVid has drastically changed the way we look at education. In some countries, students are now graduating with businesses as well as degrees.
• Generation cohort, purposeful work, neuro breakthroughs, phygital and the metaverse are just five examples of how the way we think and live is changing. All of which are talked about in the podcast.
• Research + data + intuition + creativity is the equation for strategic foresight. How that is applied is discussed in the podcast.
• It is not enough to identify trends. They merge and form new patterns of behaviour and create new worlds that organisations need to be ready to operate within.

BEST MOMENTS

'Foresight really is a way for people to leverage the future. '

'You need people that are able to meet whatever is coming next..to lay ahold of new opportunities.'

'In foresight, we have to look at multiple alternative futures. '

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 

CONTACT METHOD FOR GUEST

You can follow and connect with Frank via:

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

Website: https://thefuturesschool.com/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wicked-opportunities-podcast/id1527341331

ABOUT THE GUEST

Frank W. Spencer

Frank W. Spencer holds a Master of Arts in Strategic Foresight from Regent University and has worked on strategic foresight projects for companies such as Kraft, Mars, Marriott, Duke University and The Walt Disney Company. He is a prolific speaker, having delivered presentations to groups and conferences in Atlanta, Buenos Aires, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Shanghai, Melbourne, Washington, New York City, Singapore, Mumbai, Wellington, Moscow and San Francisco over the last 20 years on topics such as leadership development, the importance of developing the skill of futures thinking, creating environments of foresight in businesses & organisations, recognising emerging trends and issues, identifying unseen opportunities, reaching aspirations and preferred futures, talent management, work, technology, and social innovation.

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/

David & Kattie led L&D in different regions - at the same - at The Walt Disney Company and in this episode they reminisce about what it was like, some of the great opportunities they had and some of the challenges they faced. 

This is a candid conversation that will appease Disney fans - and L&D fans - alike.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• For large organisations like Disney, the approach to L&D has to be different for each business unit and its growth trajectory.
• Teaching someone something, changing them and then putting them back into an unchanged environment does not move the needle much.
• In Orlando, 18 to 20,000 people go through orientation, every year. In the podcast, Kattie explains how that is achieved.
• For Disney storytelling was an effective way to immerse new hires into the culture and get them to understand that they were playing a role in creating the guest´s stories.
• All employees need to be clear on the company´s mission and how they fit into achieving it.
• It is not enough to teach people processes, they need to be equipped to quickly make decisions on the job.
• There is no point in teaching a class using the standard corporate approach if it means that the learning objective will not be achieved.
• When a business is moving super fast, you need different techniques and smaller training blocks. Kattie shares some ways to create and deploy them.
• The best learning resources enable people to learn at the moment that they need it, or shortly thereafter.
• Flexible approaches and tools that adapt to the audience, culture and environment are best.

BEST MOMENTS

'

'It starts with the mission, the shared value.'

'When you are training masses of people keep it simple and help them to navigate their day, their job. '

'You’ve got to have tools and resources available for individuals to tap into learning in the moments they need it.'

'The means and methodology needs to be flexible enough to adapt and adjust to the audience and culture.'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 

EPISODE RESOURCES

You can follow and connect with Kattie via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kattie-capozza-8695b07/

Website: https://www.discoporcupine.com/

House of Apis: https://www.houseofapis.com/

ABOUT THE GUEST

Kattie Capozza

Kattie Capozza spent more than 25 years in L&D at Disney, in the Parks and Studios, and worked

in both the US and in Asia. Since leaving Disney, Kattie has led Talent and Development

for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and now runs both her own consulting and

coaching firm as well as House of Apis, which aims to inspire women and girls to realise

their superpowers for greatness in their own unique ways.

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/

Restrictions as a result of the global pandemic have seen many L&D leaders seeking more predictable and reliable ways of affecting individual and organisational performance with digital and virtual solutions. At this time, approaches developed and advocated by Bob Mosher (and Conrad Gottfredson) have gained even more traction with high-profile examples of them making a huge difference. In this episode, Bob shares insights into L&D today and what he’s seen as the shift being made to achieve more in these challenging times.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Never be afraid to experiment when it comes to conversations, by doing so we can achieve a great deal more, and keep the dialogue open for future possibilities.
• There are risks with returning to work in the wake of the COVID lockdowns, especially as there seems to be a yearning for more face-to-face interaction in business.
• It's not too late to pivot or adapt practices, even though we are moving away from restrictions. We are still in a period of opportunity and acceleration.
• Until we make the work transparent, we cannot build performance solutions for it, as we're only guessing what people need in order to work well.

BEST MOMENTS

'It's great getting people together, but is it the answer to that problem?'

'It's not necessary to wait until the planets align'

'The opportunities still remain!'

'The idea of protecting our domain because of a job security side to this is just not true'

 VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

ABOUT THE GUEST

Bob Mosher is a genuine Thought-Leader in L&D and Chief Learning Evangelist, at The 5 Moments of Need™, an organisation that specialises in helping learning professionals design, develop, and measure effective learning and performance support through the 5 Moments design methodology. Bob has been an active and influential leader in the learning and training industry for over 30 years and is renowned worldwide for his pioneering role in new approaches to learning.


You can follow and connect with Bob via:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bmosh

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

Website: https://www.5momentsofneed.com/

Performance Matters Podcast: https://performancematters.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/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/
• Website: https://www.looop.co/

Whether L&D are advising others’ on their careers or we’re navigating our own, it’s useful to acknowledge how careers are changing and how societal shifts mean we need to shift our approaches to progressing our careers. In this episode, we explore current thinking and practice for post-COVID times.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The COVID situation has demonstrated the importance of being ready for change and challenges.
• Everyone needs to become a continuous learner and embrace the growth mindset, so they can quickly adapt.
• There is no such thing as failure. Regardless of what happens, you are still learning.
• The job market is constantly evolving, so you must too.
• People love helping friends, so there is no need to try to do everything on your own.
• Work out what you like and what you are good at. Create a vision for yourself.
• As you go through life your why will change. Recognise this and adjust your goals to accommodate that fact, a lot of people forget to do that.
• Build your personal brand (reputation). In a gig economy, this is especially important.
• Understand that everything happens for you, not to you. In the podcast, Andy explains what that means and how it radically improves your mindset.
• The opportunities we have now are amazing. The fact you can work anywhere opens up all kinds of possibilities.
• You’ve got to be the one to take the initiative and act.

BEST MOMENTS

'We can all do things to prepare ourselves for major challenges and opportunities.'

'Invest time in learning, growing, networking and connecting with others.'

'When we focus on gratitude, we choose to be happy.'

'There is no better time to truly take ownership of your career than right now. The opportunities are amazing.'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

EPISODE RESOURCES

You can follow and connect with Andy via:

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

Website: https://andystorch.com/

Twitter: @AndyStorch

Own Your Career, Own Your Life Book: https://ownyourcareerownyourlife.com/

Podcasts: https://andystorch.com/podcast/

ABOUT THE GUEST

Andy Storch Bio

Andy Storch is a Consultant, Coach, Author, and Speaker. He is the host of two podcasts including The Talent Development Hot Seat and the Own Your Career Own Your Life Podcast as well as the author of the book, Own Your Career Own Your Life. Andy is also the founder and host of the Talent Development Think Tank conference and community.

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/

Cognitive Task Analysis gets to the decision-making behind performance so that what is done by Subject Matter Experts can be accurately shared and then replicated. In this episode, Dick Clark shares insights and experience into what CTA is, why it is critical to successful L&D and how to get started.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• CTA improves the interview strategies that designers use to discover from experts what trainees need to learn.
• A lot of what experts do (about 70%) is hidden because they have learned to do things automatically. CTA draws out the thought processes behind far more of the actions experts perform.
• CTA trained groups learn 43 to 45% more and do so in about 35% less time.
• CTA trainees also make only minor mistakes.
• The creation of CTA training takes more time. But, the positive results achieved quickly cover the time spent creating the training.
• There are 100 types of CTA. In the episode, Dick narrows that field down and explains the technique that has been proven to work best.
• Revising and critiquing the training using another expert greatly improves the overall result.
• The process of creating CTA training often identifies problems that organizations have learned to work around. Providing the opportunity to solve those problems and work more efficiently.
• CTA is flexible, it works for all types of work. Including, technical, management, leadership and many soft skills.
• Selecting the right experts is essential. Dick covers how to do this in significant detail including what they ask them.
• Often, the rigorous analysis stage of CTA uncovers opportunities to create simple job aids that greatly enhance performance.
• AI is set to replace many elements of the analysis and design processes.
• AI will greatly speed the entire training process up, which will generate a huge step change that will make TLDP an even more critical department.

BEST MOMENTS

'As task analysis is now performed only about 70% of the decisions that experts make are being captured. '

'In the surgical CTA study, we solved enormous problems that the surgeons didn´t know they had.'

'There are places where job aids are just as effective, and certainly more efficient, than training.'

'A lot of AI programmes are going to be developed that is going to replace analysis and design. '

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

EPISODE RESOURCES

You can follow and connect with Dick via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dick-clark-3b16571/

Email: [email protected] 

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dick Clark is Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology and Technology, Clinical Professor of Surgery and has served as Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Technology at the University of Southern California. Dick is the author of over 300 published articles and book chapters as well as three recent books - Learning from Media: Arguments, analysis and evidence, Second Edition (2012, Information Age Publishers); Handling Complexity in Learning Environments: Research and Theory (2006, Elsevier) and Turning Research into Results: A guide to selecting the right performance solutions (2008, Information Age Publishers) which received the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) Award of Excellence.

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/ 

Just a short message from David, to let you know that he is taking a few weeks away from podcasting to recharge. But, that he is still available on other platforms, which he shares in the podcast. Along with a request for a bit of help with inspiration from his audience.

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

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/

Jobs-to-be-Done is best defined as a perspective — a lens through which to observe markets, customers, needs, competitors, and customer segments differently, and by doing so, make innovation far more predictable and profitable. In its application to Learning & Development, it is an approach to truly understand the needs of both employees and L&D in order to develop products that make a predictable and demonstrable difference.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Many organizations waste a lot of time and resources on things that do not really add value.
• Having a granular understanding of who your customer is and what their needs are is essential for an L&D department.
• Invest time upfront in identifying the customer's actual needs. Focus on tangibles, things that can be properly quantified and measured.
• Focusing on the jobs that need to be done, improves understanding. It produces highly focused and tailored L&D products that solve actual problems rather than just perceived ones.
• Employees are business performers, not learners. Looking at them like this helps to ensure that training enables them to grow and perform better.
• In the podcast, Tony shares the 5-step outcome-driven innovation process that ensures you focus your energy in the right places.
• Be sure to involve the people who actually do the jobs. They are the ones that have an in-depth understanding of each process. Knowledge that their manager doesn't have.
• The Jobs-To-Be-Done approach can be applied anywhere.

BEST MOMENTS

'Focus the entire organisation around a common understanding of needs, so that everyone´s pushing in the same direction to create customer value. '

'What makes education so complicated is that there are multiple stakeholders in it for different reasons.'

'Once you know what the unmet needs are you can make the right decisions '

'Innovations is a science, you don´t have to guess at this'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

EPISODE RESOURCES

You can follow and connect with Tony via:

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

Website: https://strategyn.com/tony-ulwick/

Twitter: @Ulwick

Jobs To Be Done eBook: https://jobs-to-be-done-book.com/

ABOUT THE GUEST

Tony Ulwick is the author of the original Jobs-to-be-Done book, What Customers Want, his recent release, JOBS TO BE DONE: Theory to Practice, and additional articles on ODI published in HBR and MIT Sloan Management Review. Through his involvement in hundreds of innovation initiatives, Tony has helped companies reinvent underperforming products, create new business models, and build and implement company-wide innovation programs. His work is cited in hundreds of publications.

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/