The Science of Excellence

The Future of L&D: From Knowledge Provider to Talent Advisor with Kim Eldred

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Kim Eldred, Director of Talent Development & Management from RSM, where she leads L&D for the consulting practice. Two and a half years ago, she inherited a delivery center. She’s been turning it into an advisory function ever since, against resistance from both the business and her own team. We talked about why AI has made this shift unavoidable, how she restructured her team to operate like a consulting firm, and what separates the people who made the transition from those who left. These 5 insights stood out from our conversation:-Reposition Before AI Repositions You-Structure Your Team Like a Consulting Firm-Expect the Transition to Take a While-Keep Delivering While You Change the Model-Treat Vulnerability As a Core SkillTune into the full episode to learn more!

Building Excellent Managers in a Changing World with Ryan McCrea

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Ryan McCrea, President of the St. Louis Organization Development Network and author of Quick Bites of Insight. Ryan has spent 22 years in HR with the last 15 focused on leadership development.Managers are massively undervalued. The Workforce Institute found that leaders impact employees' mental health nearly as much as their spouse, more than doctors, therapists, or family members. Yet organizations focus energy on the C-Suite while underinvesting in the people who actually shape daily employee experience. We talked about what separates great managers from good ones and how to develop them effectively.These 4 insights stood out:-Great Managers Don't Solve Everything-Nice Doesn’t Mean Effective-Stop Treating One-on-Ones Like Standups-Develop New Managers from Day OneTune into the full episode to learn more!

What Makes Career Development Programs Stick with Laura Bartus

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Laura Bartus, Head of Learning and Development at Humana, a Fortune 50 healthcare company.We talked about how change is emotional before it's organizational, why cohort-based learning with accountability partners drives results, and how to measure impact with metrics leaders care about.These 4 insights stood out:-Address the Emotional Change First-Build Accountability Into the Design-Lead with Stakeholder Wins, Not Your Program-Reinforce Until It SticksTune into the full episode to learn more!

Breaking the Validation Trap in L&D with Michael Trinder

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Michael Trinder, Director of Workforce Solutions & Capability Architecture at AlixPartners, a global consulting firm. We talked about why L&D struggles with credibility, how validation-seeking creates transactional relationships, and why inaccessible language alienates the business. Michael shared his S.E.A.T.S. framework that helps L&D professionals win credibility: Spot the opportunity Earn credibility Architect for impact Tell the story Sustain the Seat As we spoke about ways to practice S.E.A.T.S. in real life, these 5 insights stood out: -Stop Seeking Validation from Delivery -Fall in Love with the Problem -Prototype Lo-Fi First -Ask What They'll See Differently -You Start the Year as a Cost Tune into the full episode to learn more!

Building Skills-Based Organizations at Enterprise Scale with Heather Balcerek

In this episode of The Science of Excellence, I sat down with Heather Balcerek, Sr. Manager of Corporate L&D at Maximus, a government contractor with over 250 contracts across federal and state health and human services.We talked about why their contracts operating like individual companies forced Maximus towards a skills-based model, how they justify ROI beyond pure dollars, and why adoption is harder than implementation. Heather shared insights on meeting learners where they are across different levels and why helping people see themselves as more than a title matters.These 5 insights stood out:-Use Skills as the Common Language Across Silos-Calculate ROI Beyond Just Dollars-Design Learning for Each Level's Reality-Solve for Adoption, Not Just Implementation-Help People See Beyond Their Title