Professional Development
Mindset under pressure: Making better decisions in a noisy world
Information overload, AI and relentless workplace change are putting decision-making under pressure. Martin Fairn argues that mindset development can help people pause, regain perspective and think more clearly, strengthening resilience, improving judgement and supporting better decisions when demands mount, uncertainty grows and the pace of work becomes difficult to manage. With the possible exception of the agricultural and industrial revolutions, no event in human history has so quickly and irreversibly changed our lives as the birth of our digital world.…
What is helping or holding back your L&D impact?
Impact depends on more than measurement. This reflection asks whether you have the access, data, permission and support needed to act on what you learn. Use it to sense-check your current reality, spot what may be holding progress back, and add your perspective to TJ’s wider research this year too. It’s easy to talk about L&D impact as if it is mainly a question of measurement. What are we tracking? What data do we have? How do we prove value?…
TJ podcast: L&D needs to stop talking about learning, with Cathy Hoy – episode 332
What does it take for L&D leaders to now think more commercially, connect learning to business outcomes and move way beyond delivery? Cathy Hoy talks strategic thinking, the limits of ROI, the importance of understanding the business, and how L&D can build greater influence, confidence and impact across the organisation. Key takeaways: Podcast summary: Should L&D leaders stop talking about learning? That’s one of the provocations in the latest TJ podcast, where Jo Cook speaks with Cathy Hoy about what it…
My journey from HR to the c-suite, and what I learned along the way
A cold shift in a supermarket set an unexpected career in motion. Tom Emery traces the decisions led to the C-suite. Reflecting on setbacks, stretch roles and hard-won lessons, he shows how adaptability, relationships and courage can shape a career in the people profession far more than any grand plan. I was an accidental HR professional. Growing up, I wanted to work in public relations. I loved the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. The characters, the outfits, the champagne and I thought…
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…
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…
TJ podcast: The rise of the supermanager: Why AI transformation still needs human leadership – episode 330
Julia Bersin joins Jo Cook to explore the rise of the supermanager and why AI transformation still depends on human leadership. As organisations rethink management layers, managers remain critical to trust, experimentation and adoption, helping teams turn AI investment into meaningful change rather than another tool-led initiative with limited impact. Key takeaways: Created by ChatpGPT Podcast summary: Created by ChatpGPT Jo Cook speaks with Julia Bersin, Director of Research at The Josh Bersin Company, about the changing role of managers…
The five habits of world-class learners
Most people mistake activity for learning, yet those who do it well, treat it as daily discipline. Charlie Curson shares five habits that accelerate growth: curiosity, embracing productive discomfort, reflecting before reacting, learning from diverse voices, and acting fast to turn experimentation into insight and sharper strategic judgement over time. Most of us stopped learning the moment we left school – or so we think. We attend courses, read the odd book and sit through training sessions. But real learning,…
The Uncertainty Toolkit – book review
Cathy Hoy investigates why competency-based L&D falls short when uncertainty, not skill, blocks performance. Drawing on Sam Conniff and Katherine Templar Lewis’s new book The Uncertainty Toolkit, she highlights evidence from UCL research, practical exercises and new metrics for tolerance. The aim is to shift teams from threat to challenge. Book: The Uncertainty ToolkitAuthors: Sam Conniff and Katherine Templar Lewis For years, learning and development has been built on competency; we spot a gap, design a course, and measure if…
My book ‘AI for People Professionals’ was a human-first experiment
Behind the pages of a book shaped by humans and machines, Erica Farmer shares the creative highs, challenges and lessons from writing ‘AI for People Professionals’. From neurodivergent-friendly workflows to AI-supported thinking, it’s a candid look at what it means to write about the future of work in real time. When I started writing my book AI for People Professionals, I had no idea how much of a creative, emotional and intellectual rollercoaster it would be. This wasn’t just a…
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