AXIOM Insights - Learning and Development Podcast

On this episode of the AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast, host Scott Rutherford speaks with Jenessa Dowe Jacobs about what it takes to build an L&D function from scratch. Jenessa shares her framework of the “three Ps” (People, Process, Products) plus a crucial fourth—Politics—along with strategies for securing early wins and stakeholder alignment. She also explains how to turn grassroots learning into a sustainable system, apply Jim Collins’ Hedgehog Concept to culture, and position AI as a tool that frees L&D professionals to focus on people. This conversation is a practical guide for anyone looking to launch or refresh an L&D function that drives real business impact.

In this episode of the podcast, we're joined by Rick At Lee, senior vice president and director of enterprise learning at Truist. The discussion explores Truist's experience navigating its creation through the merger of BB&T and SunTrust Bank in 2019, including how learning was marketed and communicated throughout the organization, with a specific focus on the combination of leadership support and learner engagement that turned their original plans for a Teammate Growth Week into an organization-wide Teammate Growth Month, which is currently being implemented in its second year following a very well received first year.

In this bonus episode of the podcast, we are resharing a recording from a live stream discussion. This is a discussion with Dr. Guido Minaya (CEO and Chief Learning Officer at Minaya Learning Global Solutions) and Susan Nabonne Beck (Vice President of Learning Design and Strategy at AXIOM Learning Solutions). We cover the current experience using AI tools in L&D, and the pros and cons of how AI tools can be used to enhance the learner experience and the development of learning content. The discussion also explores the opportunity created by enterprise adoption or experimentation with AI, as the L&D function is a resource for AI skills development and helping the organization manage AI related risks. More information on this episode can be found at https://axiomlearningsolutions.com/podcast

Managing the capacity of a learning team is a core task of the learning and development leader. In this episode, we are joined by three experienced L&D leaders: Pam Moyer, Jay Letourneau, and Jason Ruff. Together, they explore how staff augmentation can be used to align the capacity of a learning team with business demand. In this conversation, they explore how learning teams can stay agile by supplementing their full-time or permanent staff with contract or contingent talent, without sacrificing quality, collaboration, or culture. In fact, they explain why and how bringing in a contractor can give your team what you need most, whether that's additional work capacity or specific skills or expertise. This discussion offers anyone managing learning clear guidance based on experience about how to plan resourcing strategies in alignment with business priorities, mobilizing augmented staff to fill in capacity or skills gaps, integrate contractors into your learning operations as part of a cohesive and high performing team, and how contractors can support your team through periods of business disruption, change and growth.

This episode explores the dynamics of gender, age, and experience in the workplace. We are joined by Laurie Johnson, a senior level learning consultant with the Boulder Crest Foundation, a nonprofit that supports combat veterans and their families; before this work, she was a senior leader of Accenture Federal with more than three decades experience in corporate learning; and Pamela Johnson, a senior attorney and Of Counsel with Halunen Law, where her legal practice specializes in handling sexual harassment, wrongful termination, whistleblower and retaliation claims. She is also a mediator with Johnson Benrud Mediation and Consulting, building on a 30 year career as an insurance professional and litigator. This episode explores both how organizations can and should prioritize the skills and perspectives of older women in the workforce, as well as considerations and actionable advice for driving cultural change and breaking down workplace barriers.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Guido Minaya, CEO and Chief Learning Officer at Minaya Learning Global Solutions, about the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence (HI) in workplace learning. The discussion highlights AI's growing role in corporate training, particularly in automating instructional design, enhancing personalized learning experiences, and improving productivity. Dr. Minaya emphasizes how AI, such as large language models like ChatGPT, can assist in content generation and real-time learner support, as well as enhance leadership coaching and soft skills development. He advocates for a project-based approach to skill development, encouraging organizations to use AI tools to solve real-world business challenges while also fostering collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving among employees. For L&D professionals, the key takeaway is the importance of balancing AI's efficiency with human creativity, focusing on better outcomes rather than just speed or cost savings.

In this episode of the AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast, we're joined by technologist and technical training expert John Kidd to discuss the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in learning and development (L&D). The discussion explores the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, exploring how these tools can enhance performance by automating tasks and accelerating content creation. This potential is also discussed with a cautionary note to understand the limitations of AI, emphasizing the need for human oversight to ensure accuracy and quality. John also highlights the importance of teaching prompt engineering and integrating AI into training processes to boost efficiency and innovation across technical and non-technical roles. Ultimately, this discussion highlights how and why AI is not about replacing jobs but augmenting them, allowing professionals to focus on more strategic tasks while leveraging AI to streamline repetitive functions. This episode offers advice for organizations exploring the use of AI to support L&D operations as well as broader business operations.

Communication is a critical skill in every organization. At the same time, presentations and other public speaking make many people uncomfortable. On this episode of the AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast, we speak with Neil Thompson, a former engineer who, after identifying his own need to advance his presentation skills, is the founder of Teach the Geek, which includes learning resources and a podcast dedicated to helping technical staff improve their presentation skills.

Managing change is a cyclical and ongoing challenge for organizations, and it can come in many forms: mergers/acquisitions, economic shifts, and regulatory change, to name a few. During times of change, learning and development can play an important role in navigating the change and creating the groundwork of success. In this episode, we're joined by Nina Hollon, founder and CEO of Catalyst Learning Strategies, who shares her perspective and expertise developed over a career in training, including more than 20 mergers and acquisitions, including a learning leadership role in the largest merger in the history of the Wealth Management sector.

In the development of learning programs, there is no more important element than the learner! In this epsiode of the AXIOM Insights Learning & Development Podcast, we are joined by two learning strategists and instructional design experts, Susan Nabonne Beck (Vice President of Learning Design and Strategy at AXIOM Learning Solutions) and Vanessa Alzate (CEO of Anchored Training and owner of Kirkpatrick Partners) for a discussion about designing learning experiences with the learner's experience in mind, including how instructional designers can understand the learner, how to engage with and understand organizational stakeholders, how to choose the right training delivery method and content development tools, how to embrace accessibility of your learning content, and more.   

Grant funding to support skills training for the workforce is available from most U.S. states and a number of local governments. How can you navigate the sources of funding for training, and what do you need to know? In this episode, we're joined by Krysta Van Ranst, the founder of BuildingPPL, an organization which specializes on assisting businesses to apply for workforce development grant funding to support their training and performance goals.

As organizations of all types and sizes respond to changes in business conditions and markets, there is an increase in usage of "fractional leadership" across multiple functions to provide expertise and leadership abilities to the organization but at a reduced cost compared to a full-time executive leadership position. The "fractional" movement has created opportunities for businesses to consider senior-level fractional roles in learning and talent development, and in this episode we're joined by Charlene Zeiberg, Chief Learning Consultant with Zeiberg Consulting, to explore the role of a Fractional Talent Development Partner - what it is, how it works, and its benefits.

Effective learning relies on the effective use of language. In order to ensure the learning experiences you develop are effective, they must be understood and experienced by the learners as intended. That's why translating and localizing learning content is a critical element of creating effective learning. In this episode of the AXIOM Insights Learning and Development Podcast, host Scott Rutherford speaks with two translation and localization experts: Nicholas Strozza, CEO of Interpro Translation Solutions, and María Fagrelius, Project Manager, Interpro Translation Solutions.

Organizations that focus on the mental well-being and mental health of their workforce can improve productivity, decrease turnover and control costs; it may also make a company a more attractive workplace to prospective employees. In data shared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 81% of workers said they will be looking for workplaces in the future which support mental health. Creating a workplace that supports healthier and more engaged employees requires support on multiple levels—including training for leaders and managers to be able to support the mental health of their people. In this episode, we’re joined by Susan Minaya, the chief learning strategist and COO of Minaya Learning Global Solutions. Susan is a Certified Executive Coach and has developed a learning program for leaders, to give them the information and tools they can use to support the mental wellbeing of the people they lead.

In this episode of the podcast, we explore the process of using e-learning to support the growth of professional development learning, through the experience of education non-profit HILL for Literacy. In the most recently completed school year, HILL for Literacy has supported the professional development of more than 8,500 teachers and school administrators, with learning content which helps teachers apply scientifically-grounded literacy instructional techniques in the elementary school classroom. Through this professional development learning, HILL has affected the education of more than 184,000 students. HILL for Literacy’s professional development programs were developed to be delivered through in-person workshops. Since 2019, HILL has undertaken a transformative initiative to expand their reach through virtual delivery of their content, with a combination of virtual coaching and synchronous and asynchronous virtual delivery (e-learning). In this episode, we are joined by HILL for Literacy’s director of research and development, Cindy McGurl, and marketing director MarcyKate Connolly. Cindy McGurl served as a consultant and coach on state, district, and school projects for more than twenty years, including implementing whole district/school literacy change models, using data to drive instruction, adopting instructional practices that support diverse learners, and program evaluation. As the Director of HILL Online, she now drives the process of developing tools and applications to make those projects more efficient, scalable, and sustainable. MarcyKate Connolly served in marketing roles at several nonprofit arts organizations before landing at HILL for Literacy, where she found a mission she was passionate about—teaching children how to read—that matched with her skillset and dovetailed perfectly with her work as a children’s book author.  

In this episode, we discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for learning and development. Tools like ChatGPT and other large language model (LLM) and generative AI tools can be a transformative element of workflows, including in the creation of text and visual learning content. But the adoption of AI goes deeper than learning content, and as AI is integrated across the enterprise, it represents a digital transformation which can position learning and development as a strategic partner in the business. In this discussion, we hear from three experts in the theory and application of transformation technologies. Judy Pennington is a Management of Technology Fellow and the James J. Renier Chair in Management of Technology with the Technological Leadership Institute at the University of Minnesota. Judy's career has focused on the intersection of people and technology, specializing in IT workforce transformation, IT leadership development, IT learning and development, culture, and change management. She was previously Managing Director and CIO Fellow with Deloitte Consulting and a member of the faculty and leadership team for the CIO Next Generation Academy. David Nguyen, Ph.D., is a Management of Technology Senior Fellow and the Edson W. Spencer Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the Technological Leadership Institute at the University of Minnesota. David has a background in the startup world by way of research in human-computer interaction (HCI), and in the innovation space, has published numerous articles on novel technologies and interactions. As an inventor, he has filed or issued more than 40 patents. He earned his doctorate in Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. Susan Nabonne Beck is Vice President, Learning Design and Strategy with AXIOM Learning Solutions. An experienced and expert learning and development practitioner, Susan specializes in e-learning design, development and strategy. Susan has extensive experience creating custom learning with an emphasis on user/learner experience and measurable outcomes, and her career includes roles leading learning and development teams for multiple Fortune 50 companies.    

In this episode of the podcast, we take a look at the pressures and opportunites in workforce development and learning in the healthcare sector, a highly regulated sector that has faced extreme pressures over the past five years. How can healthcare organizations support their workforce needs, especially in the face of demographic pressures which forecast significant shortages in skilled healthcare roles? Our panelists for this discussion are Dr. Lamata Mitchell, vice president and Chief Learning Officer with AdventHealth; Hillary Miller, vice president and Chief Learning Officer with PennState Health; and Geoffrey Roche, Director of Workforce Development, North America with Siemens Healthineers.

In this episode, we explore learning leadership with Adele Cook, the Chief Learning Officer of the State of Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), including how the agency serves and supports its stakeholders and learners. In this interview, we explore how DES gains alignment and buy-in for learning programs, and how making the skills and expertise of the L&D team available has been able to produce alignment, trust and collaboration with business partners. In addition, this episode explores how DES, a public agency, approaches measuring effectiveness and return on investment of its learning initiatives, and how risk mitigation and cost avoidance are key parts of their learning effectiveness metrics.

In this episode, we focus on learning leadership with an interview with Tracy Salters, the Director of Global Learning and Development at American Airlines. With a learner population of between 135,000 and 150,000 learners globally, Tracy’s team of 22 learning professionals are responsible for managing programs across multiple disciplines and topics. The conversation explores the focus on culture, and how the learning team gathers information and outcomes data to understand the needs of the organization. The conversation also highlights a new managers’ learning program which went “viral” within the company, growing beyond the program’s initial scope and reach, driven by internal champions who recognized and advocated for its value and impact.