The Adoption Curve

Ep. 28: How to Scale Behavior Change

Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com/ [https://www.iorad.com/]How to Scale Behavior Change with Eileen MacDonald CookeIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, Sean sits down with Eileen MacDonald Cooke, strategic Talent and Learning leader and former Chief Learning Officer at Amtrak [https://www.amtrak.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com], to discuss how enterprise organizations can build learning systems that accelerate business performance, workforce readiness, and leadership strength.Eileen shares how she led enterprise learning transformation for over 320,000 employees at CVS Health [https://www.cvshealth.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] and centralized frontline training for 20,000 operational employees at Amtrak. The conversation explores why behavior change requires more than content delivery and how organizations can connect learning strategy directly to operational performance.This episode covers:• How to scale learning and talent systems across massive organizations• Why workforce capability building must align with business strategy• The role of analytics and performance data in learning effectiveness• Building leadership pipelines and succession strategies that scale• How frontline intensive organizations drive measurable behavior change• Practical approaches to employee enablement and operational readinessIf you're an L&D leader, enablement executive, HR strategist, or operations leader looking to improve workforce performance and technology adoption, this conversation delivers actionable frameworks you can apply immediately.💡 FREE RESOURCE: Enterprise Behavior Change Framework Checklist — https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve [https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve]SOCIALS:👨‍💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/] 👨‍💻 Connect with Eileen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileenmcooke/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileenmcooke/] 🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com/ [https://www.iorad.com/] ⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Why enterprise learning must drive business performance03:48 – Scaling behavior change across large frontline organizations08:22 – Lessons from leading learning at CVS Health13:10 – Centralizing training for operational excellence at Amtrak18:06 – Building leadership pipelines that actually work22:44 – Using analytics to measure workforce readiness27:31 – Creating learning ecosystems that scale globally#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #WorkforceReadiness #LeadershipDevelopment #ChangeManagement

Ep. 26: Make Enablement Matter: How to Cut Noise & Drive Real Impact

Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com [https://www.iorad.com/] Make Enablement Matter: How to Cut Noise & Drive Real Impact with Tara MedeirosIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Tara Medeiros, Go-To-Market Enablement Leader at PTC, to break down how enablement teams can cut through organizational noise and align to real business goals using a priority-driven framework.Tara reveals why “everything being a priority means nothing is a priority” and explains how most enablement teams fall into reactive execution instead of driving measurable business impact. We also dive into her Priority-Driven Enablement Worksheet—a practical scoring framework that helps teams align to company goals, improve user adoption, and focus only on initiatives that actually move performance.If you're a sales enablement leader, L&D professional, or operations manager struggling with competing requests, stakeholder pressure, or unclear priorities, this episode gives you a clear system for better decision-making, stronger change management, and more effective technology implementation.💡 FREE RESOURCE: Priority-Driven Enablement Worksheet – Build Your Own Scoring Framework: https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve [https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve]SOCIALS:👨‍💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/] 👨‍💻 Connect with Tara - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-roe-medeiros-77b47312/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-roe-medeiros-77b47312/] 🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com [https://www.iorad.com/] ⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00: Introduction to enablement chaos and shifting priorities04:07: Why most teams are busy but not aligned to success08:41: Moving from reactive to proactive enablement strategy12:49: Building pillars and defining ownership across programs17:35: The Priority Framework: how to score what actually matters22:19: Pushing back on stakeholders with data (not opinions)28:06: “Do vs Aware” model to simplify execution for the field32:47: Measuring impact: tying enablement to real business outcomes35:16: Biggest mistake: moving too fast without proper discovery#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #ChangeManagement #UserAdoption #SalesEnablement

Ep. 24: Why Executives Don’t Value Training (And How to Fix It)

Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com [https://www.iorad.com/] Why Executives Don’t Value Training (And How to Fix It): Becky Willis on Executive Buy-InIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, Sean Adams sits down with Becky Willis, Chief Learning Officer and Co-founder of Tractus Learning, to unpack one of the biggest challenges facing learning teams today: why executives often see training as a cost center instead of a strategic driver of business results.Becky shares why many L&D teams struggle to gain executive buy-in—and how shifting from reporting training metrics to demonstrating business impact can completely change how leaders view learning. From aligning learning initiatives with company KPIs to building strong partnerships with IT, finance, and data teams, Becky outlines practical steps learning leaders can use to become trusted strategic partners.We also explore the maturity shift from order-taker to performance consultant, including how small experiments, A/B testing learning programs, and building internal champions can help teams prove value and gain momentum across the organization.If you're an L&D leader, enablement professional, operations leader, or HR strategist looking to strengthen employee enablement, software adoption, and training effectiveness, this conversation will give you actionable ideas you can apply immediately.💡 FREE RESOURCE:The Executive Buy-In Accelerator Worksheet – A step-by-step guide to help L&D teams align learning initiatives with business priorities and gain leadership support: https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve [https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve]SOCIALS:👨‍💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/] 👨‍💻 Connect with Becky Willis - https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckywillis/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckywillis/] 🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com [https://www.iorad.com/] ⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Welcome and Becky Willis’ journey from training to executive leadership03:00 – The L&D maturity model: from order-taker to strategic partner05:00 – Why executives don’t connect with traditional training metrics08:00 – How to build business acumen and speak the language of leadership12:00 – A/B testing learning solutions to drive measurable outcomes17:00 – Using data analysts to prove the business impact of learning21:00 – Creating internal champions to accelerate adoption26:00 – The future of learning: performance consulting and AI31:00 – Advice for small teams and one-person L&D departments#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #SoftwareImplementation #ChangeManagement

Ep. 22: Building Adoption-First Training Programs That Actually Work

Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com [https://www.iorad.com/] Building Adoption-First Training Programs That Actually Work: Stephanie Flint on Reducing Attrition Through Interactive TrainingIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Stephanie Flint, VP of Global Training & Learning Development at ResultCX, to discuss how to turn high attrition into measurable adoption using behavior-based training and interactive simulations.Stephanie breaks down how her team identified early drop-off patterns in a large healthcare technology implementation and uncovered the real root cause: lack of confidence using complex systems. She reveals how shifting from content-heavy instruction to simulator-based practice reduced attrition by 20%, improved CSAT by 25%, and decreased escalations across the board.We also dive into her Attrition-to-Adoption Playbook — a practical framework for learning and development leaders that combines root cause analysis, pilot programs, facilitator enablement, and interactive training to drive real user adoption.If you're an L&D professional, enablement leader, operations executive, or customer education manager looking to improve software adoption, increase training effectiveness, or scale employee enablement across distributed teams, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.💡 FREE RESOURCE: The Attrition-to-Adoption Playbook Worksheet – https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve [https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve]SOCIALS:👨‍💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/] 👨‍💻 Connect with Stephanie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-flint-aienabled/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-flint-aienabled/] 🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com [https://www.iorad.com/] ⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00: Why early attrition happens in large-scale technology implementation04:18: Identifying root causes through quality metrics and behavior analysis09:42: The 30-system training challenge and why content wasn’t the solution15:30: How interactive simulations reduced attrition by 20%21:10: Pilots, proof, and getting executive buy-in for new training tools27:45: The SME “intake process” secret to avoiding project delays34:12: Facilitator enablement and why trainer adoption matters too41:03: Simplifying training by focusing on behaviors, not tools#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #SoftwareImplementation #ChangeManagement #TrainingEffectiveness

Ep. 21: Where are you on the L&D Maturity Model Curve?

Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com [https://www.iorad.com/] Where Are You on the L&D Maturity Model Curve?: David James on Driving Real ImpactIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with David James, Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, to unpack the L&D Maturity Model and share a practical roadmap for learning and development leaders who want to move from reactive training to strategic business impact.David explains why most L&D teams feel “stuck” delivering courses instead of outcomes, and why polishing a course catalog won’t improve software adoption, employee enablement, or training effectiveness. We break down each stage of the maturity curve—from reactive and proactive to strategic and transformative—and explore how L&D teams can earn influence by aligning learning with performance, skills, and business priorities.You’ll also learn how to use consultative questioning to shift from order-taker to strategic partner, why measuring impact must start before training is delivered, and how a skills-based approach can fundamentally change technology implementation, change management, and long-term user adoption.If you’re an L&D leader, enablement professional, or operations manager looking to prove the value of learning, improve knowledge transfer, and drive measurable outcomes, this episode gives you a clear framework to move up the maturity curve—one rung at a time.💡 FREE RESOURCE: The L&D Maturity Model Worksheet – https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve [https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve] SOCIALS: 👨‍💻 Connect with Sean – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/] 👨‍💻 Connect with David – https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin] 🌍 IORAD website – https://www.iorad.com [https://www.iorad.com/] ⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Why L&D maturity determines real business impact04:32 – The hidden cost of reactive and “order-taking” L&D08:41 – Breaking down the L&D Maturity Model stages12:49 – From access to influence: becoming a strategic partner17:35 – Skills-based learning and the future of L&D21:42 – Using consultative questions to unlock stakeholder buy-in26:46 – How to move up the maturity curve without burning bridges#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #ChangeManagement #TrainingEffectiveness