Gary Cookson, Author at Training Journal

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Communication, Culture, Education and skills, Emotional intelligence, Features, For experienced L&D professionals, For HR, For L&D managers, For people managers, For senior L&D, Management, Skills

Smarter skills for a messy world: Why middle managers are the real organisational stabilisers

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills is shown on the conceptual business photo

Middle managers hold organisations together by translating strategy into everyday decisions, absorbing emotional tension and making meaning when work is messy. These capabilities are too often mislabelled as “soft skills”, leading to underinvestment and burnout. Gary Cookson argues that they…

Business and industry, Change, Collaboration, Communication, Culture, Features, For experienced L&D professionals, For HR, For L&D managers, For people managers, Future of work, Managing teams, Strategy, Talent

L&D’s moment to reboot management for a hybrid world

Hybrid Working Culture sign in a busy commuter city center

Hybrid working isn’t broken; but it is being left to chance. Gary Cookson shows how L&D can fix it: define team norms, build purposeful onsite experiences, enable collaboration and management capabilities, and support individuals with real-time learning tools. Enabling hybrid…