The Mindtools L&D Podcast
The Mindtools L&D Podcast is a must-listen for anyone involved in Learning and Development or Human Resources. The weekly show features regular appearances from the Mindtools team plus special guests to get right to the heart of issues affecting the L&D and HR communities. From learning needs analysis and evidence-based practice through to the impact of technology on work and hot topics at industry conferences, you'll get critical insights into the world of work, performance and learning.
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441 — Podcasts for learning and the end of email
04/21/2025
441 — Podcasts for learning and the end of email
What are the benefits of podcasts for learning? How does L&D respond to people leaving the profession? Should we get rid of email? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G is joined by Anna and Ross D to answer your questions! During the discussion, Ross D referenced our post '', and Cal Newport's . Ross G referenced the forecast. He also discussed (and ) Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke's recent edict on the use of AI. In 'What I Learned This Week', Anna discussed PowerPoint transitions, from . Ross D discussed his new (tidier) LinkedIn URL. . Ross G discussed the former residents of . For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. You can also . Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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440 — Terrible task? Just delegate it!
04/15/2025
440 — Terrible task? Just delegate it!
What drives your delegation decisions? Is it what's best for the business? Is it what's best for your team member? Is it what's best for you? In this week's edition of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Ross D and Dr Anna discuss: Why managers sometimes delegate tasks that they know are too difficult How the organization's culture shapes those decisions How to help managers delegate better. The paper we discussed throughout this podcast was: Maas, V. S., & Shi, B. (2023). . Management Accounting Research, 60, 100851. Ross G also referenced: Crossley, C. D., Cooper, C. D., & Wernsing, T. S. (2013). . Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(3), 540. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D discussed the concept of '', as reported on by The Atlantic. For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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439 — Leveraging data for inclusion and wellbeing
04/08/2025
439 — Leveraging data for inclusion and wellbeing
Many organizations treat 'inclusion' and 'wellbeing' as separate issues, but Dr Serena Huang - author of The Inclusion Equation - argues that the two are intrinsically linked. And, that data is how you can make better decisions about how to make a positive impact on both. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Serena joins Ross G and Dr Anna to discuss: Why these two areas are inseparable Why data in this space isn't as 'unmeasurable' as it seems Two approaches to data gathering that you can start using today. During the discussion, Dr Anna referenced on the bias they discovered in software used to predict future criminals. Ross referenced the work , around 'allyship'. In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed the origin of the term '', which he learned from podcast. Dr Serena's book, , is available now. For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. And to speak to our Insights team (including Dr Anna) about your learning measurement needs, just send her a note on LinkedIn or email Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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438 — Where culture and learning collide
04/01/2025
438 — Where culture and learning collide
We might think that what makes our team culture great (or awful) is different from what supports our learning and development. Are they so different, though? In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Gemma are joined by L&D professional turned Culture Manager, Lois Ratcliffe to discuss: what ‘culture’ is and how it gets measured; what it takes to have a good feedback culture; the features of a learning culture. Lois refers to the three layers of organisational culture proposed by Shein. To find out more about Shein, here’s one of our articles on In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Lois recommended The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells for a thought-provoking read with an AI theme. If you’re feeling time-poor, Gemma recommended the book 4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman. For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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437 — How to build engagement with your content libraries (Rebroadcast)
03/25/2025
437 — How to build engagement with your content libraries (Rebroadcast)
Digital learning content offers a scalable, always-on option to help your people build their skills and overcome workplace challenges. But often these libraries get dusty, bogged down by out-of-date content with little relevance, or hidden away in a dark corner of the intranet where no one can find them. So in this episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Virgin Money’s Martin Ritchie, Digital Learning Manager, joins Ross Garner and Lara to share: How Virgin Money raise awareness of their Mind Tools content library; Techniques for promoting a proactive learning mindset; ‘Push’ vs ‘pull’ learning. During the discussion, Ross referenced a recent academic paper: Albarracín, D., Fayaz-Farkhad, B., & Granados Samayoa, J. A. (2024). . Nature Reviews Psychology, 1-16. In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed ‘pebbling’, as . For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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436 — Content libraries: Less is more
03/18/2025
436 — Content libraries: Less is more
Most organizations offer some kind of content library to help their people develop. But how much content is too much? How do you give your people choice, without overloading them? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Ross D are joined by Rosemary Hoskins (formerly of AstraZeneca), to discuss: Why are extensive content libraries a problem (as well as a solution) for organizations? What mechanisms help people find the right content, at the right time? Does it matter if people like the content we provide? The article Rosemary wrote with Marc Zao-Sanders was ''. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D recommended the podcast, from Slate. G discussed the rise of ''. For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our , and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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435 — What will be hot in workplace L&D in 2025?
03/11/2025
435 — What will be hot in workplace L&D in 2025?
Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence once again topped the results of Donald Taylor’s Global Sentiment Survey. Almost every other option on the survey lost vote-share this year, with the exception of the ‘value trio’. So, what do these findings tell us about the state of L&D, and how the profession is evolving? In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Don joined Ross D and Ross G for our annual breakdown of the survey’s results. We discuss: what the Global Sentiment Survey is (and what it isn’t); AI's unprecedented dominance of the survey, and the conclusions we can draw from this; the return of the ‘value trio’; the extent to which L&D’s perceived challenges align with perceived ‘hot’ topics. To read the full Global Sentiment Survey 2025 report, head to . In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross G recommended the '’ extension for Google Chrome. Ross D referenced Jared Cooney Horvath’s video . And Don mentioned the paper ‘’, from The Journal of Work-Applied Management. For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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434 — Cyborgs, centaurs and the role of choice infrastructure
03/04/2025
434 — Cyborgs, centaurs and the role of choice infrastructure
It’s ‘Bring Your Paper to Work’ day at Mindtools Towers, as Ross G, Ross D and Dr Anna each take turns to share an academic study that they think has key insights for L&D professionals. We discuss: The impact of AI on critical thinking, as investigated in: Lee, H. P. H., Sarkar, A., Tankelevitch, L., Drosos, I., Rintel, S., Banks, R., & Wilson, N. (2025). . How consultants who use AI act either as ‘cyborgs’ or ‘centaurs’ in: Dell'Acqua, F., McFowland III, E., Mollick, E. R., Lifshitz-Assaf, H., Kellogg, K., Rajendran, S., ... & Lakhani, K. R. (2023). . Harvard Business School Technology & Operations Mgt. Unit Working Paper, (24-013). Why we should go beyond 'choice architecture' to look at 'choice infrastructure' in: Schmidt, R. (2024). . Behavioural Public Policy, 8(3), 415-440. During the discussion, Anna referenced our previous podcast with Erica Werneman Root, She also mentioned a blog from Ralph Losey on . And we discussed Ross G's newsletter on . In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D discussed . Anna discussed whether women can run faster than men over ultralong distances, via . As a brief aside, apologies for the slightly worse audio on Ross G's track this episode. After 430+ episodes, he's still making mistakes. For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Or email . Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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433 — What does ‘AI literacy’ look like in organizations?
02/25/2025
433 — What does ‘AI literacy’ look like in organizations?
The World Economic Forum’s recent ‘Future of Jobs’ report positioned ‘AI and big data’ and ‘technological literacy’ as skills that will become increasingly important over the next five years. But what do these skills look like in practice? What do we mean when we talk about ‘AI literacy’? In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Anna are joined by Erica Werneman Root, legal consultant and co-founder of Knowledge Bridge, to discuss: what ‘AI literacy’ means in different contexts; the compliance implications of building AI literacy in organizations; how L&D can help employees develop AI skills. To find out more about AI literacy, check out Erica’s . For examples of how organizations are building AI literacy programmes, explore the AI Office’s ‘’. The blog Anna mentioned was ‘’ In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Anna referenced , exploring the effects of AI on knowledge work. Ross D mentioned OpenAI’s new ‘’ tool. More trivially, he also shared Pierre Franey’s five-star recipe for . For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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432 — Sales enablement for product teams
02/18/2025
432 — Sales enablement for product teams
In last week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, we explored sales enablement from the perspective of sales and marketing teams. But where do product teams fit in? Beyond building products, what role do these teams play in generating revenue? For the second instalment in our two-part series on sales enablement, Ross D and Lara are once again joined by Darren Bezani, Chief Salecologist at Salecology, to discuss: why it’s important to involve product teams in sales enablement; the behaviors we want product teams to demonstrate; how L&D can support this, beyond simply providing training. To learn more about Darren’s work, head to . In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Lara mentioned by Sarah J. Mass. Ross D recommended Warren Zanes’ book , exploring the making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska. For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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431 — Sales enablement for sales and marketing teams
02/11/2025
431 — Sales enablement for sales and marketing teams
All sales training is sales enablement, but not all sales enablement is sales training. In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross Dickie and Lara are joined by Darren Bezani, Chief Salecologist at Salecology, to discuss: what ‘sales enablement’ means, and why it’s intentionally broader in scope than sales training; what sales enablement is designed to achieve, beyond increased sales; the role of managers in sales enablement. To learn more about Darren’s work, head to . In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Lara recommended the episode of Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s Feel Better Live More podcast. Ross D discussed Ben Betts’ blog post For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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430 — Digital learning for behavior change
02/04/2025
430 — Digital learning for behavior change
Those of who work in learning and development like to think we're in the business of behavior change. But we often don't have an in-depth understanding of what current behaviors are, or how to change them. In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner is joined by Ross Dickie and Dr Anna Barnett to discuss: methods for understanding behavior; digital learning methods for changing behavior; methods for measuring change. During the discussion, Ross Garner described the . Ross Dickie mentioned , very much a friend-of-the-show. Anna referenced the of behavior change. In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Anna recommended from the Behavioral Insights Team, and Ross G referenced his . Ross Dickie discussed Jevon’s paradox, based on about Chinese AI firm DeepSeek. And Ross Garner recommended a thread on X, where . For more from us, visit . There you’ll also find details of our , our on-demand management development program that intelligently adapts to every user. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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429 — Developing leaders at the National Trust
01/28/2025
429 — Developing leaders at the National Trust
The National Trust is Europe’s largest conservation charity, established 130 years ago to look after the UK’s nature, beauty and history. Its leaders have diverse areas of focus, from protecting woodland to managing properties – and even running a gold mine! In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Ross D find out just how the Trust develops these leaders, with Development Specialist Carole Thelwall-Jones. We discuss: how a leader needs to think ‘to be’ lists, rather than ‘to do’ lists; how leadership development is structured at the National Trust; how L&D professionals can help new leaders let go of what helped them succeed in the past. During the discussion, Carole referenced , by Steve Radcliffe. Ross G referenced our ‘’ report. Carole also discussed the , and Roffey Park’s report ‘’. In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended , by Conor Niland. Carole discussed and Stephen Fry’s lecture Ross G discussed ‘’. For more on the National Trust, visit their website: For more from us, visit . There you’ll also find details of our , our on-demand management development program that intelligently adapts to every user. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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428 — The art and science of better questions
01/21/2025
428 — The art and science of better questions
Author, podcaster and award-winning filmmaker Topaz Adizes specializes in creating deeper human connections. So, in this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, he joins Ross Garner and Owen for an in-depth chat about: how to formulate questions to build understanding; how better conversations help us partner with our clients and stakeholders; the benefits of online and in-person conversations. In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed the growing capabilities of ‘Large Behavior Models’, via . For more from Topaz, visit For more from us, visit . There you’ll also find details of our , our on-demand management development program that intelligently adapts to every user. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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427 — Designing an award-winning blended learning programme
01/14/2025
427 — Designing an award-winning blended learning programme
At last year’s Learning Technologies Awards, Mindtools and South Western Railway won Gold in the ‘Best use of blended learning – commercial sector’ category. In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast for 2025, Ross D and Claire are joined by Becky Eason, Leadership Delivery Manager at South Western Railway, to discuss: The context in which the program was developed, and the problems it was designed to solve; How we used focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and a valid and reliable behavioral survey to test assumptions and prove impact; The results of the program and the changes we've made to it in response to evaluation of the pilot. In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Claire gave her seal of approval to Becky recommended the Netflix series and Ross D wondered why he doesn’t listen to the podcast more often. For more from us, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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426 — Making hybrid work… work!
01/07/2025
426 — Making hybrid work… work!
Do remote and hybrid managers need different skills to those who work in-person? If so, what are those skills and how do we develop them? In this first episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast for 2025, Ross Dickie and Ross Garner are joined by return guest Gary Cookson, author of Making Hybrid Working Work. We discuss: The ‘sensory loss’ that takes place when managers move to a hybrid environment The digital signals that help managers understand their teams Strategies for building hybrid management capability. Gary’s book, , is available now from Kogan Page. During the discussion, we referenced a few other episodes of our podcast: Ross Garner also discussed ‘. In ‘What I Learned This Week’, we each shared a paper: Ross G: Vences, M., Köhler, J., Hutter, C. R., Preick, M., Petzold, A., Rakotoarison, A., ... & Scherz, M. D. (2024). . Vertebrate Zoology, 74, 643-681. Gary: Veronese, N., Stubbs, B., Noale, M., Solmi, M., Vaona, A., Demurtas, J., ... & Fontana, L. (2017). . The American journal of clinical nutrition, 106(1), 162-167. Goh, E., Gallo, R., Hom, J., Strong, E., Weng, Y., Kerman, H., ... & Chen, J. H. . JAMA Network Open, 7(10). For more from us, including details of our new Manager Skill Builder, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. For more from Gary, see Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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425 — Christmas Special: L&D Actually
12/17/2024
425 — Christmas Special: L&D Actually
Another year, another Christmas Special! We've scraped the barrel of festive ideas and selected Love Actually, the "greatest Christmas movie of all time", as the unfortunate premise of this year's audio horrorshow. In this edition, Ross G will be asking questions that are very loosely based on the Richard Curtis classic, with answers from Ross D, Anna and Owen. Including: In Love Actually, grumpy husband Alan Rickman gets into trouble when he buys a necklace for a woman who isn't his wife. If you were to buy a gold necklace for another profession, other than L&D, what would it be and why? Creepy romantic Andrew Lincoln spends Love Actually pining after Keira Knightley: The wife of his best friend. What aspect of L&D do you secretly love, but know that you can never be involved with? Spurned husband Colin Firth spends Love Actually learning Portuguese to be with the woman he loves. What L&D language do you plan on spending the Christmas season learning? Aging rocker Bill Nighy performs his single 'Christmas Is All Around Me' naked on TV, to celebrate it taking the Christmas Number 1 spot. What's your great ambition for 2025? During the discussion, Ross D referenced our newsletter '' Ross G referenced the Mitchell & Webb sketch '' Anna recommended our 'critical thinking' . The papers Anna discussed were: Carter, J. W., & Youssef-Morgan, C. (2022). . Education and Information Technologies, 27(5), 6553-6575. Carpenter, S. K., Pan, S. C., & Butler, A. C. (2022). . Nature Reviews Psychology, 1(9), 496-511. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D revealed a shocking truth about Darlene Love's ''. Ross G recommended , as read by Hugh Grant. For more from us, including details of our new Manager Skill Builder, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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424 — Why emotions make simulations so powerful
12/10/2024
424 — Why emotions make simulations so powerful
When your team are faced with a crisis, you want them to be prepared. But how do you build those capabilities when crises are rare, and you hope they never occur? In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen explore the use of simulations to build capability. We’re joined by Chris Peschanel, who ran crisis management at Bayer Pharmaceuticals for 12 years, and by Phil Willcox from St8 of Play. We discuss: · why simulations are the best approach for developing real-world skills in crisis management · the role that emotions play in making these learning experiences memorable · what a simulation sounds like in practice and how to create your own. You can find out more about simulations from . In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen shared how . Ross discussed Trung Phan’s newsletter on . Phil discussed the paper: Chang, C. C., & Yang, S. T. (2024). . Interactive Learning Environments, 32(9), 5058-5077. For more from us, including details of our new Manager Skill Builder, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: · · · ·
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423 — Embracing change by 'unlearning' (Rebroadcast)
12/03/2024
423 — Embracing change by 'unlearning' (Rebroadcast)
Hello listeners! No new episode this week, but we wanted to revisit this 2018 classic with Dom Price, from Atlassian. It'll help you think about whether the habits and behaviors that have helped you navigate the world to this point, are still useful today. Regular show notes below. --- In the early stages of our careers we learn how to do our jobs, manage office politics and earn promotion. But those habits and behaviours that initially help us advance can become a burden. We end up in meetings because it used to be important to show face, and not because they're an effective use of our time. In this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen speak to Dom Price, Futurist at software developer Atlassian, about his approach to 'unlearning' habits and behaviours. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us all on LinkedIn. The Atlassian Team Playbook is available at: For a fun insight into how Atlassian team members speak to one another, see: Owen's 'What I Unlearned This Week' covered Johann Hari's Guardian piece on depression. The original article is here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/07/is-everything-you-think-you-know-about-depression-wrong-johann-hari-lost-connections And, for balance, the counter argument is here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2018/jan/08/is-everything-johann-hari-knows-about-depression-wrong-lost-connections For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work
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422 — The future of e-learning interfaces
11/26/2024
422 — The future of e-learning interfaces
As Ben Betts wrote in a recent blog post, ‘the LMS is the first point of entry to learning; the front-of-house of our industry.’ While that front-of-house may look a little different now than it did twenty years ago, and despite the oft-repeated claim that the LMS is dying, it remains the default gateway to digital learning in organizations. But are things about to change? To answer that question and others, Ben joins Ross D and Owen on this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast to discuss: · the many eras of the LMS, and how we got to where we are now; · the forces that have shaped e-learning interfaces over time; · how AI and other changes in the tech landscape might usher in a new era. You can read Ben’s blog post, ‘What’s the Next Generation of E-Learning Interfaces?’, on his . In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen recommended the podcast and Ben mentioned the website . For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: · · ·
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421 — Good managers balance care with results
11/19/2024
421 — Good managers balance care with results
How can we help managers demonstrate care for their teams, while maintaining high standards of accountability and performance? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Dr Anna Barnett are joined by Joris Merks-Benjaminsen, Managing Without Power, to discuss: why nice managers can still provide mediocre management how managers can balance care for their teams with high levels of performance and how to build better managers. For more from Joris, visit The paper Anna discussed, on 'nondecision-making', was: Bachrach, P., & Baratz, M. S. (1963). . American political science review, 57(3), 632-642. Google's research into great managers (Project Oxygen) and effective teams (Project Aristotle) is . During the discussion, Joris referenced the . We also discussed findings from our report, ''. In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Anna recommended by Kia Abdullah. Joris discussed . Ross G discussed ''. For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit s. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. And our new Manager Skills Assessment. You can also email and Ross G will get back to you. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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420 — Toxic productivity: Time to say ‘no!’
11/12/2024
420 — Toxic productivity: Time to say ‘no!’
Are you an over-committing over-achiever? In Toxic Productivity, author Israa Nasir argues that you can only maintain that approach to productivity for so long. Eventually you’ll burn out, exhausted by all those ‘time management hacks’ that organizations (like Mind Tools!) keep suggesting. So this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Israa joins Ross Dickie and Ross Garner to offer an alternative approach. We discuss: how toxic productivity manifests in our lives how getting rewarded for our productivity tricks us into trying to achieve more how the signals that managers send sets expectations for their teams. The book, by Israa Nasir, is . In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended checking out the NotebookLM AI-podcast . Israa recommended the ‘’ venue in New York. For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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419 – Measurement on a shoestring
11/05/2024
419 – Measurement on a shoestring
Learning measurement is difficult, complex, and expensive. Or is it? In Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring, Dr Alaina Szlachta applies a Build-Borrow-Buy approach to learning measurement, and joins The Mind Tools L&D Podcast this week to share her insights with Ross Dickie and Owen. We discuss: the importance of asking the right questions how to bake measurement into your programs what ‘Build’, ‘Borrow’ and ‘Buy’ look like in practice. Find out more about . You can also sign up for the , or sign up for . For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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418 — How do we measure management capability?
10/29/2024
418 — How do we measure management capability?
Measuring management capability is intrinsically complex. Unlike sales training, where you have sales, or customer-service training, where you have CSAT scores, management doesn’t have a built-in metric we can use to quantify learning impact. So, what’s the solution? This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Dickie is joined by Owen and Anna to discuss our new ‘Manager Skills Assessment’ — a scientific diagnostic that managers and their organizations can use to evaluate their capability. We discuss: what the Manager Skills Assessment (MSA) is, and how it works; how we designed the MSA based on scientific research; what managers and L&D teams can expect to get out of the MSA. To learn more about the Manager Skills Assessment, visit our . In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen mentioned SpaceX’s ‘’. Ross D also referenced Donald Taylor and Egle Vinauskaite’s latest report, . For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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417 — Can L&D be the new R&D?
10/22/2024
417 — Can L&D be the new R&D?
If you work in learning and development, you probably get some direction from your senior leadership team about what to focus on and how much to spend. But, once you get into the details, you have lots of room to play. In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Chief Learning Officer Marc Steven Ramos joins Ross Garner and Ross Dickie to discuss: · the strengths and weaknesses of different genAI tools · whether tools like ChatGPT are living up to the hype · how L&D can start experimenting, and why it’s the ideal team to do so! Marc discussed these ideas in more detail on and in his article for (with Marc Zao-Sanders). In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross G recommended a from The Guardian. For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Or become a member to support our show! Visit and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: · · ·
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416 — Book Club: Power to the Middle
10/15/2024
416 — Book Club: Power to the Middle
In Power to the Middle, McKinsey consultants Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock and Emily Field argue that the ‘middle manager’ is key to organizational success. Long maligned (often by McKinsey), the manager is in fact responsible for delivering objectives, addressing underperformance, building trusting relationships, and resolving team conflicts. In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner, Ross Dick and Nahdia Khan discuss: · why managers are so important · the role of ‘manager’ vs ‘individual contributor’ · how to develop better managers The book, Power to the Middle, is available now. Our report, ‘’, is also available now. In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended the podcast series . Nahdia discussed . Ross Garner discussed the paintings of John Atkinson Grimshaw, via . For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Or become a member to support our show! Visit and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: · · ·
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415 — Who is responsible for learning at work?
10/08/2024
415 — Who is responsible for learning at work?
This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Ross Dickie are joined by Kathryn Hume, strategic workforce planning and L&D consultant, and author of the book Learn, Solve, Thrive. In the book, Kath argues that learners have a responsibility for managing their own learning and outlines strategies that anyone can adopt to make that process easier. We discuss: · why we can’t ‘wait around for someone to teach us’ · some of the difficulties we experience when we try to learn · the relationship between workforce planning and training. For more from Kath, visit her website: The book, Learn, Solve, Thrive, is available now. For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Or become a member to support our show! Visit and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: · · ·
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414 – The Learning and Development Handbook Returns: Part 2 - Requiem
10/01/2024
414 – The Learning and Development Handbook Returns: Part 2 - Requiem
It’s been three years since the first edition of The Learning and Development Handbook by Michelle Parry-Slater was published. In that time, a global pandemic, rise of AI, and shift to remote working, have transformed how we work. This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Michelle returns to the show to discuss the second edition of her book with Ross G. We discuss: what has changed (and what hasn’t) since the first edition was published the evolving role of the modern learning professional whether it’s still possible to keep up with the rate of change. During the discussion, Ross referenced Amazon’s decision to tell staff to go e five days a week. He also discussed the paper: Albarracín, D., Fayaz-Farkhad, B., & Granados Samayoa, J. A. (2024). . Nature Reviews Psychology, 1-16. To find out more about Michelle, visit For the book, check out Quite note: Apologies for the slightly dodgy audio on this episode. After 400+ episodes, Ross G can still pick the wrong microphone to record. For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Or become a member to support our show! Visit and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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413 — Your questions answered (Part 2)
09/24/2024
413 — Your questions answered (Part 2)
This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Ross Dickie are re-visiting their L&D mailbag to answer your questions. We discuss: What is L&D actually doing well with Large Language Models? (via Gill Chester) What’s the top 3 least likely L&D jobs to be replaced by AI? (via Alan Hiddleston) How can learning teams partner better with the rest of the org? (via Sarah Danzl) What has been the most popular content on MindTools this year, and why...? (via Adam Lacey) What lessons from Centauri's Shadow can L&D professionals take forward into the autumn to boost their skills? (via Matthew Batten) During the AI discussion, Ross Dickie recommended Ross Stevenson’s newsletter, and Philippa Hardman’s . Ross G referenced The Rest is Politics’s . Ross Ganer also recommended our previous episode with Natal Dank, ‘’, and his own newsletter on the . Finally, Ross Dickie recommended Bob Mortimer’s . And Ross Garner grudgingly referenced his own debut novel, Centauri’s Shadow, available now from and . For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Or become a member to support our show! Visit and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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412 — Three research papers with Jane Bozarth (Rebroadcast)
09/17/2024
412 — Three research papers with Jane Bozarth (Rebroadcast)
Hey listeners! No new episode this week, but we wanted to revisit this 2022 classic with Jane Bozarth because we thought it paired nicely with the latest edition of our L&D Dispatch newsletter. Do check out the newsletter Ross G discussed on our L&D Dispatch page, ''. Regular show notes below. --- In learning science, there are certain ideas that have leapt the fences of academia and seeped into the public consciousness. Often, these ideas gain traction because they feel intuitively true. But what does the data say? And how should we apply these ideas as learning professionals? This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Ross Dickie are joined by Jane Bozarth, Director of Research for the Learning Guild, to discuss three research papers that challenge the received wisdom. We cover: Generational difference Learning styles The “Marshmallow Test”. The three papers we discussed were: 'Generational Differences in Work-Related Attitudes: A Meta-analysis', published in 2012 in the Journal of Business and Psychology. 'Another Nail in the Coffin for Learning Styles? Disparities among Undergraduate Anatomy Students’ Study Strategies, Class Performance, and Reported VARK Learning Styles', published in 2018 in Anatomical Sciences Education. 'Revisiting the Marshmallow Test: A Conceptual Replication Investigating Links Between Early Delay of Gratification and Later Outcomes', published in Psychological Science in 2018. The Atlantic did a good write-up of the controversy surrounding the 'Marshmallow Experiment'. See here: In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross Garner mentioned a Twitter thread from Aaron Berman, in which he shares writing tips from his time as editor of the US President’s daily brief: Jane spoke about Kate the Chemist’s recent session at DevLearn. To find out more about Kate, visit her website: Ross Dickie recommended the technology podcast ‘Hard Fork’ from the New York Times. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts, or through the NYT website: To find out more about Jane’s work at the Learning Guild, see: For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit . There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: Ross Garner - Ross Dickie - Dr Jane Bozarth -
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