Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with corporate L&D leaders

Jennifer Baker, Director of Talent and Leadership Development at Foot Locker North America and Founder of Jen in AI, joins us to talk about how learning and development is changing as AI reshapes what people need to learn, how they learn it and the value an L&D team brings to an organization.Jennifer shares how she built her way into L&D, from running two fashion boutiques and leading a retail store to creating her own training program before anyone asked her to. She explains why learning is moving closer to the work itself, why judgment is becoming one of the most important L&D skills in the AI era, and why learning agility, adaptability and curiosity matter more than trying to predict exactly what a job will look like five years from now.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 Why Jennifer built her way into L&D instead of setting out to work in the field.01:38 Jennifer’s 60-second path from retail to leading talent development at Foot Locker.03:28 From fashion boutiques to store manager: how Jennifer built her first training program.07:30 Why learning is moving closer to the actual work.09:53 Where AI is taking L&D over the next five years.14:17 The biggest challenge facing learning leaders right now.17:08 Why learning agility is the most important skill in the workplace.24:16 Jennifer’s go-to sources for industry news.30:17 The Adam Grant book Jennifer recommends for every aspiring L&D leader.35:14 Inside Jennifer’s LinkedIn Learning course on AI for instructional design.If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to “Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders,” brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference.RESOURCES MENTIONEDAssociation for Talent Development (ATD), the professional association Jennifer credits for research, chapter events and real-time industry information:https://www.td.org/Safe Space by Workweek, a private online community for HR and people professionals that Jennifer credits for candid, real-time peer advice:https://hateithere.co/community/safe-space“Hidden Potential” by Adam Grant, the book Jennifer recommends for anyone moving into L&D leadership:https://adamgrant.net/book/hidden-potential/“AI-Powered Content Creation: Train Your AI to Think Like an Instructional Designer,” Jennifer’s LinkedIn Learning course on using AI as an instructional design assistant:https://www.linkedin.com/learning/ai-powered-content-creation-train-your-ai-to-think-like-an-instructional-designer#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment

Alicia Turino-Sheppard, Director of Learning at Cognizant, joins us to talk about the shift happening inside L&D as AI takes over content creation and facilitation. Alicia leads a lean, consultative team supporting Cognizant's global Workday practice, and she makes the case that the professionals who stay relevant won't be the ones who build the best slide decks; they'll be the ones who think like business consultants.She also explores the difference between change resistance and change exhaustion, why she reads historical fiction instead of traditional leadership books, and the mentor lesson about asking for what you want that still shapes how she leads her team.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 Why L&D’s future belongs to consultants, not content creators01:35 Leading a lean L&D and talent team at Cognizant03:53 Where AI ends and the human touch begins06:25 From content creation to strategic consulting09:09 The mentor who helped Alicia earn her first promotion10:42 The career advice from her father she still follows14:22 Why Alicia reads historical fiction, not leadership books17:14 How to stay relevant in L&D18:44 Change resistance vs. change exhaustion21:10 Revisiting these AI predictions in a yearIf you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to “Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders,” brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference.RESOURCES MENTIONEDHarvard Business Review, cited by Alicia as a regular source of L&D and business insight:https://hbr.orgAssociation for Talent Development (ATD), the professional association Alicia references for talent development magazines and resources:https://www.td.orgCliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder), the Gallup assessment Alicia recommends for identifying team strengths:https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/home.aspx“Atomic Habits” by James Clear, one of the leadership books Alicia references:https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment #LeadershipTraining

Brad Ulmanu, Director of Learning Experience at Expedia Group, joins us to talk about why storytelling is one of the most important skills in learning and development. Brad started his career as a journalist before moving into L&D, and he ties storytelling to instructional design, eLearning content creation, and learning experiences people want to finish. A useful frame for any learning leader rethinking corporate learning and development.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 What great learning is actually competing with.01:56 How a journalism career led Brad into L&D.02:51 What made the move into L&D worth it for Brad.03:59 Brad's advice to his younger self.07:54 What Brad's learned about first impressions.09:37 The real AI challenge facing learning leaders.12:28 The most important skill in the workplace right now.13:29 Brad's go-to resource for L&D research.14:12 Two books every aspiring L&D leader should read.16:29 Why Brad's team designs learning like a media team would.If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to "Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders," brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference.RESOURCES MENTIONEDExpedia Group website:https://expediagroup.com/i4cp (Institute for Corporate Productivity), a research subscription Brad's team uses for L&D and future-of-work insights:https://www.i4cp.com“The Leader's Guide to Storytelling” by Stephen Denning, on using organizational narrative to spark action and align teams:https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Guide-Storytelling-Mastering-Discipline/dp/078797675X“The Design of Everyday Things” by Donald A. Norman, on mental models, feedback loops and human-centered design:https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262640374/the-design-of-everyday-things/#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #LeadershipTraining

Join Melissa Kruminas, VP, Learning Experience and Enablement of Litmos, as she shares her path from asset management to leading learning at a learning company, and the moment a Six Sigma project taught her to tie training to a measurable business outcome.She also breaks down the "assumptive yes," a tactic she uses to drive training attendance and buy-in without waiting for permission, and explains why L&D teams don't need a five-star program when a fast, good-quality solution will do.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 Why L&D professionals hold themselves back by asking permission they don't need.02:20 From asset management at Fruit of the Loom to leading learning at a learning company.04:01 A Six Sigma project and the $70,000 lesson in measurable impact.06:27 The Yoda-and-Dumbledore mindset shift: making others successful, not being the hero.10:23 A blunt piece of feedback from a sales leader.10:56 Radical candor: caring enough to tell someone what they need to hear.13:54 The "assumptive yes": driving buy-in without asking permission.15:40 The pizza analogy: progress over perfection.17:47 AI and "learning in the flow of work," a decade after Josh Bersin coined it.22:23 Melissa's go-to L&D resources: including LinkedIn and “Smart Brevity.”If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to "Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders," brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference.RESOURCES MENTIONEDLitmos Website:https://www.litmos.com/Fruit of the Loom:https://www.fotlinc.com/Brandon Hall Group:https://brandonhall.com/Radical Candor:https://www.radicalcandor.com/“Leading in the Age of AI” by Dr. Brigette Tasha Hyacinth:https://brigettehyacinth.com/books/“Smart Brevity” by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz:https://www.axios.com/smart-brevityJosh Bersin:https://joshbersin.com/#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment

Allyson Roote, VP, Learning and Organizational Development of The Bonadio Group, joins us to discuss why training shouldn’t be the default solution to every performance problem. After building Bonadio’s learning and development function from a team of one to a team of nine, Allyson shares why she starts with diagnosis, not design, and how that approach leads to more effective solutions.She also explores how AI is making distinctly human skills even more valuable in L&D, and why adaptability and authenticity are among the most important workplace skills today. She closes by reflecting on the mentor whose approach continues to shape how she leads and develops her team.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 Introduction: Why not every performance problem calls for training.01:15 Scaling L&D at The Bonadio Group.02:56 From psychology to L&D, sparked by an executive coach.06:15 Why AI makes human judgment more valuable.09:00 Why training can’t fix the wrong problem.10:42 A mentor’s lesson: Know your worth before it’s recognized.12:27 Why adaptability matters more than ever.13:46 Authenticity, vulnerability, and Brené Brown’s leadership lessons.16:39 Building curricula that speak the client’s language.18:00 Two books for aspiring L&D leaders.If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to “Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders,” brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference.RESOURCES MENTIONEDThe Bonadio Group (the accounting and advisory firm where the L&D function grew from a team of one to nine):https://www.bonadio.com/Association for Talent Development (ATD) (a go-to resource for L&D industry news):https://www.td.org/Training Industry (another regular industry resource for L&D news):https://trainingindustry.com/McKinsey & Company (cited as a source for foundational learning and business research):https://www.mckinsey.com/AICPA & CIMA (followed to stay current on the accounting side of the work):https://www.aicpa-cima.com/Accounting Today (an accounting industry publication read to understand the client's world):https://www.accountingtoday.com/Journal of Accountancy (another accounting publication followed to build credibility with clients):https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/International Coaching Federation (ICF) (the organization behind the ACC coaching certification earned along the way):https://coachingfederation.org/“The Trusted Learning Advisor” by Dr. Keith Keating (the team calls it “TLA” and gives a copy to every new hire):https://www.thetrustedlearningadvisor.com/“Hidden Value” by Dr. Keith Keating (the other recommended book, by the same author):https://www.hiddenvaluebook.com/#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment