Strategy
Finally, a conference for self-employed folk in L&D!
The inaugural Free Spirits LIVE! virtual event next month is designed for L&D independent L&D professionals who crave connection, clarity and practical support. With a lively online community, real-time sessions and a laser focus on freelance life, it promises something different – and genuinely useful – for those building a solo business. If you’ve ever been to a conference and thought, “well what about the freelancers?”, we’ve got you covered. Free Spirits LIVE! is the very first conference from Kim…
A real-world approach to the employer skills gap
For many organisations trying to reduce their skills gap, recruitment along is not working. The recruitment process is often uncertain and expensive, and yet investment in employee training to redress the skills shortage is falling. Isn’t it time for employers to re-evaluate developing their existing talent? Wojciech Walczak discusses how. At the start of 2024, the ONS reported that there were 934,000 job vacancies in the UK, a figure that still remained above pre-Covid-19 levels. Compounding this need, Open University…
EQ isn’t enough: How CEOs are tapping into deeper wisdom
Modern leaders face more than just business challenges, they’re navigating purpose, pressure, and people in a world that often feels unmoored. What if the real leadership edge isn’t just empathy, but a deeper kind of awareness that connects values, meaning and resilience? Yosi Amram looks at a shift from within. In today’s hyper-speed, AI-driven, burnout-ridden world, emotional intelligence (or EQ) is no longer optional for leaders. They’re expected to be self-aware, empathetic, and emotionally attuned, not just to bolster workplace…
The future of work: Stop confusing performance with capability
Many organisations confuse past performance with future capability – and it’s costing them. Ban Satchwell explains why relying on outcomes alone leads to flawed decisions, missed potential and ineffective people development. To build resilient, adaptable teams, we must treat performance and capability as utterly distinct, and assess them through separate processes. In HR, we often mistake what someone has done for what they can do. This confusion between performance and capability is one of the most persistent and costly errors…
L&D’s moment to reboot management for a hybrid world
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 by design, can only drive improve engagement, productivity and retention. Why are we still talking about hybrid working? Isn’t it all so very 2022? Not so. It is often in the media as various organisations (or, more specifically, the leader…
Six leadership essentials for a changed world: From the legacy of Andrew Kakabadse
Professor Andrew Kakabadse’s leadership insights remain vital for today’s HR and L&D professionals. Drawing from decades of research and consultancy experience, Steve Macaulay distils six essential principles that equip leaders to thrive in a complex, unpredictable world. These lessons demand a fresh, values-driven approach to development, governance, and organisational culture. Leadership and governance expert Professor Andrew Kakabadse, who died recently. His work is particularly relevant for L&D and HR professionals today: these core essentials are highly focused on meeting the…
New data shows how AI is reshaping L&D
Tommy Richardson explores new data highlighting AI’s growing role and enormous potential in personalising L&D. The shift couldn’t come at a better time. With engagement lagging and employees seeking more relevant development, AI-driven training offers tailored, adaptive experiences that boost satisfaction, support growth and help organisations future-proof their learning strategies. Innovation in workplace learning and development has taken a leap forward with the integration of AI. Employees who once saw training as another job-related requirement to check off are now…
Future-proofing with scenario thinking
What if you encountered a Black Swan, a Grey Rhino or a Silver Lining? Steve Macaulay and David Buchanan show how these powerful metaphors for shocks, slow-burning threats and surprise opportunities can help you prepare for the future, not by predicting it, but by staying adaptable and ready for anything In this article, we explore how to anticipate disruption and turn it into an advantage; build resilience to respond with agility; and align workforce strategy with emerging futures to stay…
The future of work: Why most capability frameworks miss the mark
Too many capability frameworks promise impact but deliver confusion. Ben Satchwell cuts through the noise to reveal why clarity, focus and co-creation matter. From avoiding vague, generic descriptions to embedding real utility, he shows how to design frameworks that support performance, enable growth and shape how work actually gets done There’s no shortage of organisations rolling out capability frameworks with the hope of transforming how they assess, develop and deploy talent. But in my experience, many of these frameworks fall short…
Proving learning’s worth in volatile tech environments
Catherine Dock explores how L&D can demonstrate its value and measure impact in fast-moving, complex technology environments. From stakeholder engagement to meaningful metrics, she outlines practical strategies for aligning L&D with business outcomes—and why communities, clarity, and curiosity are key to making an impact that stakeholders notice and trust. One of the hardest things in Learning and Development is to justify the real impact of learning on organisations and strategies to stakeholders. We know how powerful showing the return on…
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