Category For experienced L&D professionals

A capability framework is a change programme, not a document

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Ben Satchwell argues that capability frameworks fail when treated as a design deliverable instead of a change programme. The document is only the opening move. Prioritise sponsorship, manager enablement, behaviour change and reinforcement before taxonomy perfection. Budget for adoption first,…

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Can you teach self-belief?

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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,…

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New leader, old story: How teams decide before you speak

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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…

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Align, coach, reflect, consolidate: A leadership rhythm for turbulent times

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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…

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Escaping the Activity Trap: How L&D proves business impact

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Many L&D teams talk about ‘outcomes-focused’ strategies, but few are delivering them. Harry Chapman-Walker shares about this gap between ambition and execution, which he calls the Activity Trap. There is a way out of L&D credibility risk, but only when…

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The Platinum Workforce – book review

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In The Platinum Workforce, futurist Trond Arne Undheim maps how AI, IoT and biotech could reshape jobs and spawn new roles. Catherine Dock reviews the book’s practical role frameworks, credible case studies and warnings about disruption for white-collar work, and…

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We built a workforce that hates learning

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Corporate learning is treated like a chore, with people racing through modules and retaining little. Eric Francia argues engagement is the missing ingredient, backed by neuroscience and the adaptive power of game-based learning. We need to measure behaviour change, design…

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Decision armour is the new normal: Supporting clear thinking across a changed workforce

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Design work that protects thinking under pressure, and decision quality follows. In this article, Amy Brann and Dr Jessie Gulsin share neuroscience-backed ways for L&D to reduce cognitive load, reframe resilience for shifting values, and strengthen connection in hybrid teams.…

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From completion to capability: Making skills visible where it matters

Completed

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,…

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Supported staff need supported leaders

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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…

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