The LDA Podcast: An Exploration of Evidence-Informed Approaches to Learning and Development

In this episode, Markus and Jos Arets from Tulser and Partners in AI, dive into all things learning and augmented performance, and the role Large Language Models are starting to play in supporting workers as a super-colleague. Jos' also dives into the work of nurses and doctors, a fascinating use case, and an area that is particularly close to Jos' heart since his time as CLO of Maastricht University Hospital. SHOWNOTES: You can find Jos at these locations: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josarets/https://tulser.comhttps://www.partnersinai.com/en Resources generative AI by Jos Arets: https://www.partnersinai.com/en/post/explore-the-untapped-potential-of-exemplary-performers-within-organizations-and-teamshttps://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-performance-augmentation-in-corporate-elearninghttps://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-performance-support-powered-by-artificial-intelligencehttps://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-learning-in-the-flow-of-workhttps://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-ai-driven-skills-competency-developmenthttps://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-amplifying-evidence-informed-ld-with-aihttps://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-lds-role-in-developing-competencies-and-augmenting-human-capabilities-without-and-with-ai

In this episode, we asked our good friend, David Ganulin to join us to talk about marketing and how the domain of marketing can inform learning and development. Of course, that didn't stop us from deviating off topic! Of course, we still do The Best and the Worst. We have a brief conversation about the following concepts: https://dailypapert.com/hard-fun/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_proximal_developmenthttps://3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com/2023/02/21/demystifying-desirable-difficulties-1-what-they-are/https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1993-40718-001 Matt differentiates between Openers and Icebreakers here: https://www.thiagi.com/games/2023/4/27/linking-in-with-matt In the meantime, Matt referenced LDA's good friend, Ashley Sinclair and her company, MAAS Marketing, which provides marketing services specifically for L&D teams in organizations. You can find out more about Ashley here: https://www.maas-marketing.co.uk/ A bit more about Dave: David Ganulin tries to use his marketing superpowers so good triumphs over evil. He loves that he can write in the third person, as well as the fact that he literally just used the term "marketing superpowers" in the first sentence of a professional bio unironically. He graduated from the University of Rochester with an M.S in Teaching, Curriculum, and Development and upon graduation, left for Japan where he served as a college Professor for five years in a variety of institutions teaching English as a Second Language, English literature, writing, and other advanced classes. Upon returning to New York City in 2000, he found himself at the tail end of Dot Bomb 1.0, and we all know how that went! He served in a variety of marketing positions beginning in 2001 and was lucky enough to learn the field from the ground up from being hands-on as well as from some incredible Mentors in the field. Along the way--while serving in a variety of higher level positions, he caught the entrepreneur bug and in 2001 (when absolutely nobody knew what a kettlebell was) ended up finding, scaling (with no outside capital), and eventually exiting a leading B2B education company KettleBell Concepts. He's been working alongside Pete Moore--Managing Partner of Integrity Square--as the firm's Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Producer of HALO Talks podcast since October 2018. You can find David here: Integrity Square: https://www.integritysq.com/ Halotalks: https://www.halotalks.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidganulin/

In this thought-provoking episode, Markus interviews Mike Vaughan, a seasoned expert in AI applications, as well as neuroscience. Discover how AI is revolutionizing simulations, making them more accessible and cost-effective. Learn about the shift towards experience-centric learning and the potential of AI-powered personalized and adaptive learning within simulations. Mike also shares insights on the current state of AI adoption in organizations and emphasizes the importance of community for L&D professionals navigating the rapid changes brought by AI. Tune in to stay ahead of the curve and learn how AI is shaping the future of learning and development. Here is how you can find Mike: https://www.thethinkingeffect.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsvaughan/https://go.regiscompany.com/your-organizations-fast-track-to-skill-development-0

Clark and Matt are joined by the wonderful Emma Weber. For those unfamiliar with Emma, she is the founder of Lever – Transfer of Learning, and developer of the Turning Learning into Action™ methodology. In this first episode of a two-part series, we explore coaching. What is it? How does it work? How should it work. And, of course, we go all over the place as we converse. We end the episode with the best and the worst. Emma and Clark reference LDA friend, Julie Dirksen and her latest book, Talk to the Elephant and her first book, Design for How People Learn. We talked with Julie just a few episodes ago. Clark references Collins and Brown's application of Cognitive Apprenticeship Theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_apprenticeship Emma references Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Anderson_(businessman). Clark references Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory. The debate between Matt and Emma is/ was on April 3, 2024 and can be found on the LDA website. More about Emma. In 2002 Emma left a successful corporate career in London to start her own business in Australia, following her passion for coaching and learning. Her firm belief, and the platform on which she has built her successful global business, is that the goal of learning in the workplace is to create tangible business benefits. She established Lever – Transfer of Learning to help organisations and their employees convert learning to effective action back on the job. Under her guidance Lever Learning now delivers programs throughout 16 countries and in 11 languages. She is the author of Turning Learning into Action: A Proven Methodology for Effective Transfer of Learning, published by Kogan Page in 2014. You can find Emma via her website: https://transferoflearning.com/ or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaweber/. In Part two, available in a month, we will explore coaching accreditation. Who decides what makes a good coach and how can one evaluate the quality of all those coaches out there? And, of course what kind of coaching is effective?

In this episode of the LDA Podcast, we are joined by Jordan Wilson, host of the top 10 podcast "Your Everyday AI". Together with Jordan, we review the developments of Generative AI, why he started the podcast, how it is changing the way we learn and the way we work, why not to trust AI detection systems, and much, much more. Show notes: Your Everyday AI Website: www.youreverydayai.com Jordan Wilson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanwilson04/

Matt and Clark are so happy to have our dear friend and colleague, Elham Arabi join for the episode. In this show, we explore the nuance, and sometimes vague aspects, of culturally responsive learning and how that intricately ties to research and practice. In other words, what are the business cultural facets that affect learning initiatives. What norms, standards, values, and political schema all have impacts? Matt shamelessly references his own model for why stakeholders say no... (1) They don't buy the premise-- they don't accept the problem as stated. (2) They don't buy the solution. They accept the problem as stated, but not the solution you offer. (3) Or, they accept the problem AND the solution as offered, but don't like or trust you to deliver it. Elham referenced Adam Grant's book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know. If you want to watch the debate between Clark and Will, you will have to join LDA at the platinum level to access the video here: https://ldaccelerator.com/join Matt references Self-Determination Theory (SDT). SDT is a widely research theory for how people are motivated. The premise is that all humans have three basis psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness). When those needs are met, one is more likely to be intrinsically motivated toward a task. When they are undermined, one is like to be more extrinsically motivated, or not motivated at all. The theory was initially devised and studied by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan while they were at the University of Rochester. Here is a link to an article Matt wrote on the topic in context to learning: https://ldaccelerator.com/lda-blog-1/open-the-motivational-door-and-let-the-learners-in-and-keep-them. The checklist Matt references can be found here: https://ldaccelerator.com/motivation-checklist. Clark references Amy Edmundson and her work on Learning culture: https://hbr.org/2008/03/is-yours-a-learning-organization and Harold Jarche's talks about how well you share with others: https://jarche.com/2014/02/the-seek-sense-share-framework/. Clark also references Geert Hofstede and his work on Cultural Dimensions. Mindtools offers a nice summary here: https://www.mindtools.com/a1ecvyx/hofstedes-cultural-dimensions Elham references The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer. She also references Mark Britz and James Tyer's Social by Design: How to Create and Scale a Collaborative Company. Matt highlights Thiagi's SPARK Model for Trust: Selflessness, Predictability, Authenticity, Relatedness, and Know-How. Matt referenced the Heterodox Academy founded by Steven Pinker, founder here: https://heterodoxacademy.org/ You can find Elham on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elhamarabi/ More on Elham... She is an award-winning learning designer and global consultant in corporate and higher-ed with more than 15 years’ experience in the US, South-East Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She has championed better evaluation practices in several organizations and done practical research on evaluation to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of learning programs that lead to learning transfer and impact. She holds a PhD in Interaction and Media Sciences from the University of Nevada, where her thesis was on enhancing training design based on training evaluation to investigate the effects on training transfer.

Join us in this insightful episode of the LDA Podcast as we delve into the fascinating world of AI with Jennifer Solberg, CEO of Quantum Improvement Consulting. Discover the cutting-edge intersection of technology and human performance, explore the real-world applications of AI in learning and government sectors, and unravel the hype vs. reality of AI in our daily lives. Jennifer brings her expertise in learning science, defense training, and AI collaboration, offering a unique perspective on the future of AI in enhancing human capabilities. Tune in for a deep dive into the collaborative dynamics of AI and its impact on learning and development. You can find out more about Jennifer here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifersolberg/ https://www.quantumimprovements.net/

In this episode, Matt is joined by the eminent educational psychologist, Paul Kirschner. Paul is truly one of the most qualified humans on the planet to talk about our topic this episode-- skills. The word skills is bandied about all over our industry. And we all agree it is important for people to develop skills. But, what do we mean by skills? Have we perhaps oversimplified this concept? During the episode, Paul and Matt hit several specific areas related to this often used, extremely important, but still ill-defined concept (at least within our industry)- skills: There are many places you can find Paul. But, the best place is at his blog, 3-Star Learning Experiences. Paul has written several books. Some of our favorites, of which many of the subjects touched upon here, are delved into deeply there. They include, but are not limited to: Ten Steps to Complex Learning How Learning Happens: Seminal Works in Educational Psychology Evidence Informed Learning Design Urban Myths about Learning and Education More Urban Myths about Learning and Education We also have a bit of a conversation about John Sweller. John is an Australian educational psychologist best known for formulating the influential theory of cognitive load. A wonderful YouTube video of John talking about cognitive load is here. And if you want to see a quick video of Paul... Here you go... one from a few years ago... https://ldaccelerator.com/giants-in-ld/paul-a-kirschner.

In this episode of AI and L&D Insights, Markus and Myra Roldan explore the rapid evolution of AI in learning and development. They discuss the impact of large language models and AI tools on upskilling, emphasizing the importance of ethical AI use and diverse representation in the field. Myra shares insights on integrating augmented and virtual reality with AI for immersive learning experiences and highlights initiatives like Amazon's educator enablement program and youth engagement programs. This episode is a thought-provoking journey into AI's transformative role in education and workforce preparedness. And here are the links referenced and the way to find Myra. https://notebooklm.google/https://www.notion.so/https://www.bloks.app/manifestohttps://fathom.video/https://aws.amazon.com/machine-learning/educators/http://www.linkedin.com/in/myraroldanhttps://www.learnwithmyra.online/

This episode’s topics: Joining Matt and Clark is Karl Kapp. Karl is a professor of instructional technology and the Director of the Institute for Interactive Technologies at Bloomsburg University. He is also the founder of the Learning and Development Mentor Academy where he offers tons of self-paced workshops and live sessions for seasoned L&D professionals. He also co-founded Enterprise Game Stack, a company that designs, develops and delivers online, digital card activities and games that keep participants focused, engaged, and collaborative, while reinforcing learning both in the moment and over time. You can find Karl on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlkapp/ And on his website here: https://karlkapp.com Episode Notes: https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Lies-Internet-About-Really-ebook/dp/B01AFXZ2F4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32XE7RFU8662&keywords=Everybody+lies&qid=1703693836&sprefix=everybody+lies%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1https://www.amazon.com/Damned-Lies-Statistics-Untangling-Politicians/dp/0520274709/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NIS0ITNOKV1A&keywords=lies%2C+damned+lies%2C+and+statistics&qid=1703693953&sprefix=Lies%2C+damned+li%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-1https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1989-98135-013https://www.amazon.com/Model-Thinker-What-Need-Know-ebook/dp/B07B8D3V9V/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12ZCGDWY9C3GI&keywords=The+Model+Thinker&qid=1703694035&sprefix=the+model+thinker%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1

In this episode, Markus and Jeroen van Hautte dive into the world of AI and L&D, but with a specific view towards the future of the Skills Based Organization (SBO). Jeroen shares his views on the future of work, the impact AI is going to have, and how it all fits in with the skills piece - in L&D, in HR, and in the wider organization. Jeroen is the co-founder and CTO of TechWolf, an AI start-up revolutionizing workforce skill management for global clients like Booking.com, GSK and United Airlines. A top graduate of Cambridge University, he's recognized by Forbes '30 Under 30' for his contributions to AI and mentorship in engineering. As an advisor and thought leader, he maintains a strong connection to research while steering TechWolf's product vision and fostering an inclusive, customer-driven engineering culture. You can find Jeroen and TechWolf on LinkedIn here: Jeroen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroenvanhautte/ TechWolf: https://www.linkedin.com/company/techwolf/ TechWolf's website is: https://techwolf.com/ Two more links referred to in the show are: A guide to building a resilient ecosystem A guide to building the foundations for your skill-based organisation

Clark and Matt are joined by instruction design guru and all around fantastic human, Julie Dirksen. Julie has been in the business for over 15 years creating highly interactive and more importantly, highly effective eLearning experiences for clients all around the world. But, Julie is more than that! She is one of the those go-to people in the industry. She is an expert that many other experts in our industry turn to and call a researcher translator. Meaning she digs into core issues… practical issues, in the work learning practitioners do. She figures out what the research says, and then puts it into succinct, useful bites that are immediately applicable. Her first book, DESIGN FOR HOW PEOPLE LEARN is one of those rare books in L&D that broke out and became a best seller beyond the industry. It is the go-to book for designers and trainers. Today, Clark and I get to talk with her about latest book, TALK TO THE ELEPHANT, DESIGN LEARNING FOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE. We talk about systems thinking and how the system can affect the factors that influence how and why one behaves as one does. We explore the individual factors such as motivation, incentives, and environmental factors. And more! As Clark will say in the episode, TALK TO THE ELEPHANT is a wonderful complement, a companion, to DESIGN FOR HOW PEOPLE LEARN. We originally planned to talk with Julie for just 20 minutes, One hour later… we were still going and felt like we could go on forever. Julie also joins us at the end for Best and Worst. You can find Julie at: https://usablelearning.com. Julie rattles off so many models and tools throughout the show, we recommend you simply buy the book to get more on each, as well as their respective references. For the links she directly references, here they are: The change ladder survey link is on the book page: https://usablelearning.com/elephant/ Julie’s "best" was Casey Fiesler. Her video on Fair Use is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2PuntvfN20 Casey has a shorter version here that skips the wolf-themed erotica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuDEgnxkGDg) The syllabus for her tech ethics course on tiktok is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tWdqYqYBHARbZXFQX4cybe88S-0twqvUu1xLhYnLgU4/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode, Digital Creator and Instructional Designer Adrienne Thomas takes us on a personal journey through the AI tools landscape, from the front line perspective of an experienced practitioner. Adrienne shares with us her personal journey, how she deploys AI tools in her day to day work and the value she derives from them, as well as her experiences from the courses she delivers where she introduces others to these tools and their applications. You can find Adienne here: https://digitalwisdom.life and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adwthomas/. Her course, coloring book and AI coaching is included on her linktree. Here are the links referenced in the episode: Gamma App: A new medium for presenting ideas, powered by AI. Create beautiful, engaging content with none of the formatting and design work.- https://gamma.app/ Pictory's powerful AI enables you to create and edit professional quality videos using text, no technical skills required or software to download: https://pictory.ai/ Animoto: https://animoto.com/ Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more: https://www.canva.com/ Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/ourdigitalwisdom

In this episode, we offer up three independent segments. Matt Richter is joined first by Nidhi Sachdeva. Nidhi is both an evidence-based learning designer and a researcher. She just completed her PhD in the spring, and the two talk about the differences between learning and performance. Then, Guy Wallace is in the house. Guy needs no introduction, having been a performance analyst and instructional architect for a few decades now. We talk about his latest book, The L&D Pivot Point, published by LDA Press. Finally, in our third segment, the inimitable Thiagi joins Matt for a new series we will intermittently run called “A Person of Interest.” Thiagi shares his biography… his story with us. You can find Nidhi most easily on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidhi-sachdeva-toronto/, or her blog with Jim Hewitt here: https://scienceoflearning.substack.com Guy can be found here: https://eppic.biz/guy-w-wallace-2/ And, Thiagi here: https://thiagi.com. Nidhi references the work of Paul Kirscher, John Sweller, and Richard Mayer and their article, Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching. You can find it here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_1?needAccess=true Matt & Nidhi refer to the cognitive architecture and instructional design when discussing complex skills. He references the Sweller, van Merrienboer, and Paas article from 1998: Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design found here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1022193728205 They also deviate and start talking about SDT (Self-Determination Theory), and you can learn more about that here: https://selfdeterminationtheory.org And, Matt wrote an article about SDT in the context of learning found here: https://ldaccelerator.com/lda-blog-1/open-the-motivational-door-and-let-the-learners-in-and-keep-them The 85% Rule for Optimal Learning can be found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12552-4 Scott Rigby and Richard Ryan, Glued to Games: How Video Games Draw Us In and Hold Us Spellbound. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-01778-000 Guy’s book, The L&D Pivot point can be purchased here: https://ldaccelerator.com/the-ld-pivot-point Thiagi studied with Albert Elsen. Here’s more info about him: https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/awards/honoree/1453.html BEST AND WORST REFERENCES: Daniel Willingham Tik Tok on the fallacy of rereading for studying. Ok… there are a ton of Tim Tok videos by Dan. We aren’t sure exactly which one she referred to, but after going through several to find it, we recommend the whole darn Willingham channel. It’s great. https://www.tiktok.com/@daniel_willingham

In this episode, Markus and Josh delve into the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence on both organizations and individual professionals. They emphasize the urgency for individuals to proactively engage with AI technologies, particularly in the fields of education and corporate training. The discussion also navigates through the ethical and strategic complexities that accompany this technological shift. Tune in to gain insights into how individual initiative in AI adoption could be a decisive factor in career and organizational success. Links referred to or promised in the episode: Classes https://go.joshcavalier.com/masterclass Patreon https://www.patreon.com/JoshCavalier 150+ Prompts for Education https://www.joshcavalier.com/150Prompts YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@joshcav LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcavalier/

In this episode, podcast host, Matt Richter is joined by Nigel Paine, organizational learning and leadership expert. Together, they spend the whole episode exploring that nebulous and vague concept of leadership. They fail to definitively lock in a definition for leadership— thus demonstrating one of the inherent challenges organizations face when leveraging LD programs. But, more importantly, they look at what we can do, when we effectively develop leaders within organizational contexts. Leaders are all about managing… managing the context. No one style, approach, model, theory, or consultant prescription will work in all scenarios… of at all. So, what is one to do? Focus on flexibly adapting and managing that aforementioned context. Recognize that that there are so many different perspectives— the leaders, the followers, other players, etc. And then find ways to accept and leverage those different perspectives. In other words, leadership is utterly founded on adaptation and change. It is about systems thinking. To paraphrase Keith Grint, leadership is all about working to solve those wicked problems we face. Nigel answers the question about how we can predict or forecast whether someone will be a good leader. Which then leads to a discussion of how we conceive of leadership in our culture and how we describe leadership success. Below are some references and notes from the show: We referenced both Barbara Kellerman and Jeffrey Pfeffer: Kellerman, B. (2012). The End of Leadership. New York: Harper Collins. Kellerman, B. (2015). Hard Times: Leadership in America. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Pfeffer, J. (2015). Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time. New York, Harper Business. Matt mentioned some of the Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus management comparisons reference: Young, M., & Dulewicz, V. (2007). Similarities and Differences between Leadership and Management: High-Performance Competencies in the British Royal Navy. British Journal of Management, 19(1), 17-32. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2007.00534.x And the book from them is LEADERS: Strategies for Taking Charge. Nigel mentioned John Kotter. Here are two references that sum up his work nicely. Kotter, J.P. (2001) What Leaders Really Do. Harvard Business Review. December 2001. Adapted from A Force for Change: How Leadership Differs From Management (pp. 3–8), by J. P. Kotter, 1990, New York, NY: Free Press. General Electric’s Crotonville Leadership Institute was actually opened in 1956, not in 1947, as Nigel stated. We referred to Keith Grint and his article: Grint, K. (2005). Problems, problems, problems: The social construction of ‘leadership.’ Human Relations. 58 (11), 1467-1494. The originators of wicked and tame problems: Rittel and Webber. Rittel, H.W.J. and Webber, M.M.. (1973) Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences. 4, pp. 155-169. Peter Senge and The Fifth Discipline. You can find the book anywhere books are sold. Winston Churchill. There are a ton of biographies about Churchill. Matt’s favorite’s are the William Manchester volumes. Neville Chamberlain reference: Self, R. (2013, September 30). Was Neville Chamberlain Really a Weak and Terrible Leader? Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24300094. Tina Kiefer— and others— on the drawing a Leader exercise: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/health/women-leadership-workplace.html?smid=url-share Joseph Devlin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joseph-t-devlin_learningstyles-brainmyth-activity-7113156889688854528-RFWZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

In this episode, Markus and Chris Pedder, Chief Data Scientist at OBRIZUM, discuss the rise and utility of large language models (LLMs) in L&D, including their limitations, as well as ethical concerns.

In this episode, we reboot the Truth in Learning podcast. After catching up with Will Thalheimer, and introducing Clark Quinn, we give a brief update on the direction of the show. We then explore the question, "What should every CEO know... care about... concerning learning and development?" In fact, Will will share some of his recent insights into the topic based on his new and upcoming book. Folks can find Will at https://www.worklearning.com/. Learn about his upcoming book here: https://www.ceosguide.net/ Then, Kat Koppett, renowned expert on applied improvisational theater techniques and storytelling, joins the conversation with Matt and Clark. Together, they explore what is meant by storytelling in the context of learning, and learning and development. They discuss some of the academic and research disciplines that are foundational to applied storytelling, referencing psychologist Jerome Bruner, cultural theorist Mieke Bal, applied researcher Roger Shank, and others. You can find Kat at: https://www.koppett.com/. Finally, the team brings back the best and the worst-- where hosts and guests share their best and worst observations in the industry.

In this episode (recorded on September 29, 2020— the day of the first US Presidential debate) we are joined by our friend, Gary DePaul, PhD. We explore: We start with a deep dive debating the definition of leadership and its Rorschach-like characteristics. Then, we bring up that old chestnut as to the differences between management and leadership. Gary proposes a unique slant on this conundrum. Matt links the discourse of leadership in business more concretely to history and politics. The discussion navigates through semantics, leadership semiotics, and the effect definitions have on practical issues in leadership discourse. We argue the roles, responsibilities, and practices of leadership. And, of course, we debate the how, the why, and the what of leadership development. Gary referenced Mary Parker Follette. You can learn more about this American social worker and management consultant here. Matt references James MacGregor Burns. You can learn more about this historian here. Matt references Peter Northouse and his book, LEADERSHIP: THEORY AND PRACTICE. Will keeps bringing up the practical side of the issue (an excellent point in the discussion)… what do leaders do? Who leads and who follows? What are the roles of followers? And, can we develop toward those functions? We discuss several tropes in the field, such as, “Everyone can lead,” “Everyone should lead,” and “Everyone can be taught to lead.” The guys relate the issues of reliability and validity as they pertain to leader training. Matt references the book, LEADERSHIP BS, by Stanford professor, Jeffrey Pfeffer, sharing several findings that stipulate leadership development is hugely invested in, but either poorly measured or measured as ineffective. You can find the book here. Will shares a literature review, arguing against Matt’s premise. Leadership Training Design, Delivery, and Implementation: A Meta-Analysis by Christina N. Lacerenza, Denise L. Reyes, and Shannon L. Marlow, Dana L. Joseph, and Eduardo Salas. You can find it and purchase it here. Matt tells of Ronald Reagan’s storytelling as a leadership technique. The reference for that is THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE: THE RISE AND FALL OF NIXON AND THE RISE OF REAGAN by Rick Perlstein. Matt’s book referenced is THE LEADERSHIP STORY: A NEW MODEL FOR LEADERSHIP (ePub version). Or, the Kindle Version here. We refer to several studies on the perception of women in leadership roles. A summary of those studies with embedded links is in this New York Times article. Of course, Will brings up the issues around measurement and evaluation. Finally, we end the episode briefly digging into what is ethical leadership, as well as courageous leadership. We have also put together a list of references and resources. CLICK HERE. The list is by no means exhaustive and complete. It is a set Matt uses in his program, The Leadership Development, Development Workshop. Due to time constraints in the episode, we skipped The Best and the Worst this round. Our guest, Gary, is an author, speaker, and leadership consultant with Gary DePaul Consulting. With more than 20 years of practitioner and academic experiences in performance improvement, Gary helps elevate the performance of individuals, teams, and organizations. His areas of practice include leadership development, organizational evaluation, speaking events, workshop facilitation, and executive coaching. He can be found at: https://www.garyadepaul.com Gary has written several books worth reading. WHAT THE HECK IS LEADERSHIP AND WHY SHOULD I CARE? NINE PRACTICES OF 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP: A GUIDE FOR INSPIRING CREATIVITY, INNOVATION, AND ENGAGEMENTTHE MOST EFFECTIVE AND RESPONSIBLE CLINICAL TRAINING TECHNIQUES IN MEDICINEGary is also the moderator, along with our friend, Guy Wallace, of HPT Treasures, an blogging site with tons of HPT practitioners providing monthly articles. Both Will and Matt are contributors, as well. You can find it here.

Will and Matt are back after a six month hiatus. For their return, they catch up the Truth in Learning community on what they have been doing--primarily focusing on the six-month Learning Development Conference 2020, or LDC. LDC was an inaugural global event with over 300 participants. An all-digital conference with over 60 live, synchronous programs and 20+ asynchronous workshops. In this episode our itinerant podcasters spend a few minutes talking about the passing of Roger Kaufman, a giant in the field of performance improvement. We were so lucky to have him on the show. The "I'm a Coach... Really... I Am" Episode where he and Will had a one-on-one conversation. In Will's eulogy, he mentions the recent creation of The Kaufman Center, created this year, as the custodian of Roger's legacy, a think tank dedicated to promoting Roger's Mega thinking in social value-adding projects and ideas. Then, we spend the majority of the episode talking about the issues surrounding Smiley Sheets, or “Learner Surveys” as Will now calls them. We explore the: Will has recently been updating his book, Performance-Focused Smile Sheets: A Radical Rethinking of a Dangerous Art Form. DON'T GO BUY THIS VERSION OF THE BOOK. Will's second edition is a significant upgrade and he wants you to buy that one when it comes out. We also (BIG NEWS) announce our next venture—The Learning Development Accelerator (LDA), the new L&D professional organization that will have a plethora of services, programs, conferences, and resources for members. Website to come. And, of course, we end the episode with The Best and the Worst. Matt goes after the application of The Collective Intelligence. NOTE: Matt wants to be clear, his comments on voting were irreverent and mostly sarcastic. Will wants to be clear, he sometimes knows what Matt is thinking.