Training That Moves the Business Forward: Lessons from the Manufacturing Floor

Training That Moves the Business Forward: Lessons from the Manufacturing Floor

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with Sonya Overstreet to explore how learning and development teams can evolve from support functions into true business drivers. Sonya shares how Leadec is approaching workforce development across manufacturing environments by reducing barriers to learning, aligning training directly to business outcomes, and embedding performance improvement into every initiative. The conversation also dives into AI, durable skills, subject matter expert enablement, operational learning strategies, and why L&D leaders must think like business leaders to create measurable organizational impact.

Beyond Completion Rates: Designing Learning That Actually Changes Behavior

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with David Posluszny to explore what it takes to build learning experiences that truly drive behavior change and business impact in today’s rapidly evolving workplace. David shares how Air Products is approaching leadership development, workforce capability building, AI adoption, and skills development while balancing the realities of lean teams, operational pressure, and accelerating change. The conversation dives into experiential learning, measurable business outcomes, ethical AI implementation, and why learning leaders must stay deeply connected to organizational strategy to remain effective.

Leadership Personas: Rethinking Talent Development in Manufacturing

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with Monica Anderton to explore the realities of talent development inside a rapidly evolving manufacturing environment. Monica shares how DS Smith is navigating workforce shortages, leadership development, generational knowledge transfer, and large-scale organizational change following a major acquisition. The conversation also dives into leadership personas, learning experiences that actually stick, and why organizations must balance AI adoption with human intuition and connection.

Leadership at Scale Through Change and Complexity: Building Human-Centered Leaders in an AI Era

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa sits down with Todd Harrison, Vice President of Global Leadership Development at GE Healthcare, to explore how leadership development is evolving in an increasingly AI-driven and uncertain world. Todd shares how his team is developing more adaptable, human-centered leaders through coaching, experiential learning, and scalable leadership programs designed for over 8,000 leaders globally. The conversation dives into balancing technical expertise with durable human capabilities, why coaching acts as a force multiplier, and how organizations can use AI to enhance leadership development without losing the critical human context that drives trust, judgment, and connection.

The Future of Work Requires 'Meta Skills': Leadership Lessons from Weis Markets

On this episode of NovoEDTalks, Melissa Fiske sits down with Chris Chappell, Director of Learning and Development at Weis Markets, to explore how organizations can build learning cultures that prioritize curiosity, continuous improvement, and real-world application. Chris shares how his team approaches leadership development, durable “meta skills,” AI adoption, and learning measurement across a complex workforce of 23,000 employees — while balancing operational execution with long-term capability building. The conversation dives into why application matters more than content consumption, how AI should function as a “thought partner,” and why the future of work will depend on organizations developing more human-centered leadership capabilities.