Features
When AI does the first draft, who learns what good looks like?
AI is erasing the practice layer of everyday work, and L&D must rebuild it. Dmitry Zaytsev says draft writing, rough analysis and early recommendations were safe spaces for learning judgement. As machines take those tasks, organisations need structured practice, decision reviews and feedback in the flow of work again, deliberately. Artificial intelligence is changing the way people work, but it is also changing the way people learn at work. For learning and development teams, the next challenge may not be…
When talent outpaces governance: What wrestling’s reckoning teaches the people profession
Allegations during wrestling’s 2020 Speaking Out reckoning show what happens when growth outpaces governance. Andy Evans argues misconduct is a systems problem, not just bad actors, and urges HR and L&D to build ethical capability: psychological safety, scenario-based training, independent reporting routes, fair investigations, and proportionate responses before trust collapses. In 2020, the UK professional wrestling industry experienced a reckoning that almost destroyed it. Allegations raised during the Speaking Out movement led to careers ending overnight, promotions collapsing, and an…
Can you teach self-belief?
Confidence is not fixed: it rises and falls with meetings, roles and the way feedback lands. Penny Haslam shares research with Northumbria University showing measurable gains from confidence training, plus three memorable tools to challenge self-talk. Lasting change needs commitment, support and timely reminders so belief becomes action at work. Many people think confidence is something you either have or don’t, and that it’s simply part of your personality. It doesn’t work that way: one day, you can feel capable…
New leader, old story: How teams decide before you speak
Reputation walks into work before you do, and teams cling to old stories. Chris Dodd explores how labels form, why cynics shape perceptions, and how leaders earn credibility socially through visibility, listening and consistency. Behaviour, not title, rebuilds trust, lifts morale and stops you battling an outdated version of yourself. One thing I learned very early in the Royal Navy, is that your reputation normally arrives before you do. Long before a new Captain, senior leader, manager, or supervisor even…
Align, coach, reflect, consolidate: A leadership rhythm for turbulent times
During upheaval, leaders often cling to process, but progress comes from staying close to people. Karl Green sets out a practical cycle: align the senior team on direction and commitments, coach through uncertainty with actionable feedback, pause for a midpoint reflection, then consolidate learning to build resilience and growth together. When organisations go through significant change, such as rapid growth, a merger, redundancies or a strategic reset, the instinct for many leaders is to default to process. When change hits,…
Trust is biased, and your team is proving it
Trust breakdowns rarely start with incompetence. Maryam Rezaei argues they begin with bias, familiarity and the meanings we attach to tone, silence and directness. She explores psychological safety, real listening and what repairs trust: new experiences, not explanations. For L&D and leaders, trust is a skill to practise every day. Do you trust your teammates? If you do, why do you trust them? Are you careful, distant, or unsure with other people, even before anything has clearly gone wrong? These…
Compliance theatre is over: Accredited online learning is the grown-up option
With budgets squeezed and the UK Employment Rights Act 2025 raising the stakes, distance learning is no longer second best. Nathan Tod argues accredited online qualifications can satisfy compliance, boost retention and cut costs, if L&D stop treating learning as an event and start building continuous development into work culture. The pressure on learning and development (L&D) professionals has rarely felt greater. Budgets are tighter, expectations are higher, and the Employment Rights Act 2025 has introduced a new layer of…
From completion to capability: Making skills visible where it matters
Completion rates look reassuring, but they hide whether people can actually perform. Leonidas Palaiokostas argues organisations face a skills visibility gap, leading to wasted hiring and underused talent. Leonidas shares four capability signals and shifts: verify skills in real work, empower managers, build inventories, and connect skills data to opportunities. Completion rates are often treated as a reliable signal of training success. In practice, they rarely tell the full story. It’s not uncommon for teams to reach 100% training completion…
Supported staff need supported leaders
Daily stress is becoming normalised at work, and surface-level wellbeing initiatives are not shifting the needle. Touchdown PR share different experienced voices that argue for proactive support: equip frontline managers, reduce admin friction, redesign workloads and build psychological safety. It also explores where technology can genuinely help without replacing culture. As we move further into 2026, leaders across every sector are continuing to navigate a period defined by rapid technological change and economic uncertainty. From the widespread integration of AI…
The generation we can’t afford to lose
With youth unemployment at its highest since 2014 and junior roles drawing 100+ applicants, employers can’t afford to pass on. Giles Smith argues we’re debating costs while the education-to-work system fails a generation. The answer is redesigning organisations for an AI-shaped future, with creativity and junior talent at the centre. Last week I attended an event where some industry leaders argued against hiring young people. I found that hard to understand, given the talent and potential we have seen through…
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