Features
Ancient wisdom for a modern engagement crisis
With employee engagement falling and global uncertainty rising, Nabil Verdickt argues that people need more than perks, wellbeing apps and purpose slogans. Drawing on Stoic and Aristotelian thinking, Nabil explores how leaders can restore meaning by helping people see their contribution value, practise excellence and build genuine connection at work. Employee engagement is quietly breaking down, and it is no surprise. Despite endless initiatives, digital wellbeing apps, and purpose statements painted on office walls, global engagement remains stubbornly low. Gallup’s…
Why your top talent is quietly checking out
Why do high performers disengage from careers that seem successful on paper? In this article, Laura Simms unpacks how competence, conditioning and misdiagnosed burnout can hide poor fit, and argues that better support starts when organisations help people question the path they are on and redefine work around meaning sustainably. The professionals most likely to feel disconnected from work are often the last ones anyone suspects. They perform well. They get promoted. They earn the salary that was supposed to…
Influence is L&D’s biggest readiness challenge: The Josh Bersin Company reacts to the TJ L&D Influence Report 2026
Jordan Hammerstad, L&D lead at The Josh Bersin Company, argues that L&D must step out of the course factory and into the messy reality of performance where influence evidence and business proximity decide whether change sticks. L&D needs to build capability before gaps bite adaptation as part of everyday work. Recently, Training Journal produced a special report on the state of Learning and Development (L&D) and introduced the TJ Readiness Enablers Index. It concluded this is a vital practice being…
Breaking the L&D loop: Why more content isn’t the answer
Chris Eigeland argues that L&D teams must stop measuring success by the size of their content libraries and start curating smarter, skills-led pathways. With AI, governance and better evaluation, organisations can reduce waste, improve engagement and build learning cultures focused on application, performance and meaningful career growth for everyone involved. Learning and development leaders have access to unprecedented volumes of training content, but the disconnect lies in managing, impact and evaluation. While 80% of L&D leaders claim satisfaction with their…
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…
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