Starting up L&D

Episode 9: What does good onboarding look like in 2025?

Starting Up L&D for the New Year: Onboarding's important, but how do we do it well? In this episode, I review some of the latest research and bring the best stuff to you, keeping in mind most of us are juggling other projects as well. I explore the differences between onboarding and induction, the six C's of a successful onboarding program, techno-stress (yep, that's a thing) and managing social isolation in hybrid work contexts. I read about evidence-based suggestions for different roles, such as salespeople, software engineers, and delivery consultants. I dig into a juicy meta-analysis that emphasises the importance of proactive behaviors and personalised learning and get sidetracked by a study implying that at least 10% of Canadian Public Servants don't have access to email (actually I'm a lil' jealous). Lastly, I introduce my onboarding design bingo card to organize and prioritize elements for an effective L&D program. 01:59 Onboarding vs. Induction 03:33 Onboarding Models and Dimensions 07:54 The 6C's of Onboarding (Dr Bauer!!) 13:35 Hybrid Work and Technostress 18:13 Onboarding Specific Roles 29:18 Best Practices and a Bingo card Promised Citation List [https://tan-bread-b7c.notion.site/Onboarding-Research-Notes-18e7955407bd8055899be68a5a7da52a?pvs=4]

Episode 8: Proactive Performance Management, Value alignment and the intersection of L&D and HR with Jen Sadler

Jen Sadler is experienced in those roles where HR and L&D are closely interlocked. Sometimes so closely they’re the same person. We have a great chat about: ·       Getting from transactional to strategic. ·       Lauren’s imposter syndrome rears its head again, this time about being in the team HR meetings and what I’m working on vs the rest of the team’s “Very serious and important” projects/issues ·       Jen’s vision – nurturing that positive work environment ·       Jen is playing 4D chess – instead of just solving performance problems, arrange the environment in a way that they don’t happen in the first place. ·       Business values – not just getting people to remember them, but using them as our north star to shape our focus. ·       Jen quotes something I said in a previous episode (omg!!) ·       Small business shouldn’t have to choose between HR and L&D. ·       CLIMBS model – a step by step journey to higher performance, with L&D and HR as equally necessary contributors (and winners) ·       Why “you should do a session on that” is the best tool in your L&D kit 02:58 The Intersection of HR and L&D 06:24 Proactive Performance Management 21:00 Balancing Organizational and People's Needs 33:54 Practical Application and Continuous Learning

Episode 7_ Willingness, Ability and Imperfection. How to start doing knowledge management from scratch with David King from Tribal Habits

Capturing and curating knowledge is something nearly every organisation battles with, especially as they outgrow that stage when everyone fits in the same room. Join me as I talk with David King, CEO and founder of Tribal Habits. David shares a heap of actionable tips, including six structured methods for gathering and sharing knowledge, which I fully intend to swipe and use at work next week. I invite you to do so as well. Focusing on the right SMEs, starting small and leveraging FOMO to get the attention of the indifferent ones, practical advice on getting started and the importance of fostering an organisational culture that encourages knowledge sharing. David even tempers my excitement with some practical warnings (the perfect guest!)   01:50 Introducing David King and why he’s my go-to for this topic 03:34 Don’t assume Engagement (like I did) 04:06 Engage the Right Subject Matter Experts (ignore everyone else) 05:24 Cultivating Willingness and Ability in SMEs 09:19 Practical Tips for Capturing Knowledge 17:35 Creating a Sustainable Knowledge Sharing Culture (is not just up to L&D) 25:09 Organic Growth in Knowledge Management is a relief 26:21 Knowledge vs. Training 27:40 Tools for Managing Training 29:36 Six Approaches for Extracting SME Knowledge 36:00 Lauren’s brain can’t keep up with David’s Six Approaches for Extracting SME Knowledge 37:07 Mistakes and Challenges in Knowledge Management 41:22 Continuous Improvement and Final Thoughts

Episode 6: Managing Expectations

Show Notes: Now that there's an official L&D person, expect a lot of requests coming your way. This episode is about managing business expectations and your capacity. L&D is the the #1 thing people talk about in engagement surveys, that the development opportunities are what engage them. Now that there's someone 'official', people are going to try and shift anything remotely L&D related onto you. This isn't a realistic approach. For them or you. If you're spending your days delivering the same product training sessions to new starters and having 1:1 mentoring sessions with every employee, you will not have time to do anything strategic. You'll have fun, but you won't get that "thank goodness you're here" result. Tune in for a coffee metaphor to explain the 70:20:10 model, why emergency evacuation tools prove training is shiny but not the default solution and how to reduce the number of times you need to say no. You're here to teach them to fish, not make batches of tuna sandwiches.   00:45 The Realities of L&D: Beyond the New Year's Resolution 03:36 Order taking sucks – and sometimes we have to do it 11:26 The impact of working on the wrong things 16:35 Your caffeinated guide to the 70-20-10 Model 19:49 The Shiny Appeal of Training 21:30 Managing Expectations and the Reality of Training 25:11 What people expect of L&D vs What we can really do 30:27 Navigating No as a human with finite capabilities 35:39 Wrapping Up and Looking Ahead

Episode 5: Pilot Groups, Outcomes and Using Learning Data to Bring Others on the Journey. .mp4

Episode 5: Pilot Groups, Outcomes and Using Learning Data to Bring Others on the Journey. In this episode, Neil John Cunningham and I talk about practical approaches for setting up the L&D function, starting with setting realistic initial goals and engaging teams and leadership. We talk about why pilot groups are amazing for testing strategies and how to use data to tell compelling stories that build support for L&D initiatives, and why we need to manage expectations. Want more? Connect with Neil John Cunningham on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiljohncunningham/] or buy Neil's book "The Strategic Order Taker" [https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go?url=http%3A%2F%2Falignlearndo.com%2Ftsot&trk=flagship-messaging-web&messageThreadUrn=urn%3Ali%3AmessagingThread%3A2-MjkzZDhkMDItMjU3Mi00ZmQwLWFhMTQtZjE4NDY3ZmM4YjRhXzAxMA%3D%3D&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_messaging_conversation_detail%3BOjuspjQ4Rg2WHQVIgqb97w%3D%3D] (I got the inside scoop that book 2 is in the works!!) 01:47 Engaging Teams and Leadership 01:53 Setting Sensible Initial Goals 16:57 Pilot Groups and Strategic Execution 26:15 Data Storytelling in L&D 33:29 Conclusion