‘Our understanding of the human learning process at work has  fundamentally changed’ 

David is in conversation with Sukh Pabial, a talent development partner at Reed Business Information. 

It’s generally accepted that Learning & Development is changing, and that the skill set required is broadening. In this episode, David and Sukh discuss what these broader skills are and how L&D should evolve to adopt these. 

  

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• What role do you see yourself as having on social media?
  I’ve ended up creating a certain type of persona which at times is provocative and challenging, at times a stream of consciousness. I’ve never planned my twitter or blogging in detail and learnt along the way. I use my podcast to focus on positive psychology and emotional intelligence, areas I have a particular interest in. 

• What’s the idea behind ‘Modern Learning Leader’?
  The skills required for L&D professionals are becoming more fragmented and are not always comparable or related disciplines. This can result in individuals focusing on deep learning for each particular specialism in a linear way to further their own development and be able to fulfil the role of a modern learning leader. The program provides a springboard for professionals in the acquisition of new knowledge and the development of further skills. It enables L&D professionals to gain an overview and sense of the differing specialisms required for the modern learning leader. 

• Has the role of L&D changed or are the mechanisms for delivery different?
  It is both and more. When you start to look at what people do on a day to day basis to further their own learning you realise it is radically different from the learning products we provide.
  
  Our understanding of the human learning process at work has also fundamentally changed resulting in mechanisms needing to change. 

• Providing learning is easier than affecting performance, why rock the boat?
  We have to start to question what we are doing and how we are impacting?
  
  YouTube came along and was the learning platform we never knew we needed.
  
  We are putting ourselves at risk of leaders seeing the role as redundant if we do not move forward and change. 

• Are we reaching a tipping point in L&D?
  There is a community of voices that help to remind us this is a movement. When you look at conference content it has not changed. It is still looking towards long form programs and there is not anything that is genuinely different.
  
  There is a world of knowledge out there and if you know how to access it and you understand how to use it to develop what you know and what you do, it’s a good thing to be a part of. 

  

BEST MOMENTS 

• ‘It can be challenging to know which stuff out there to pay attention to and which stuff to disregard’ 
• ‘We are getting our hands dirty quicker than we ever did because we can access someone who has already done it’ 
• ‘People understand what you have said because it’s the English language, but they don’t understand what it means for their profession’ 
• ‘We don’t dig deep enough it the questions that make a difference’ 

  

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

L&D Connect group on Twitter 

  

ABOUT THE GUEST 
Sukh Pabial   

Sukhvinder (Sukh) Pabial, is a learning development and organisational development professional who started his career in this field in 2003. He has worked across a range of sectors and industries. Armed with an education in Occupational Psychology, he develops leading-edge creative and positive solutions and does so ensuring everything he works on is centred with strong academic research and knowledge.  

CONTACT METHOD 

Twitter @sukhpabial
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukhvinder-pabial-01113b1b/ 
Podcast: http://threegood.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?lang=en 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ 
Website: https://www.looop.co/