The Learning Culture Podcast

Today's episode features an enlightening conversation with our distinguished guest, Adriana Romero. Together, we dive deep into the intricacies of Sales Enablement, the journey from understanding a product to illuminating its real-world impact on customers and the team behind it.In this rich discussion, Adriana shares her wealth of knowledge, from the critical role of communication in enabling sales teams, to her personal mantra of letting go of full control and encouraging trust within organizations. We also explore her transformative advice to her younger self, urging an openness to mistakes and new experiences.With anecdotes on her own shift from Salesforce to OpenText, Adriana brings to light the common principles of productivity irrespective of audience differences. You'll gain insights into fostering a learning culture, not only for individuals but also for front-line managers—a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of sales organizations.Join us for a session that's as much about embracing our human elements in sales as it is about the systematic approaches to enablement.Adriana Romero's LinkedInAndrew's LinkedIn

In today's enriching episode, we have the pleasure of sitting down with the insightful Alex Zikakis, an Enablement Leader at Seismic. Alex brings to the table a fascinating comparison between nurturing skills in our children through Lego building and fostering strategic thinking within the competitive corporate landscape. We'll unpack the idea of coaching, whether it's for parents, guardians, or frontline leaders, delving into the art of enabling individuals for success both in the playroom and the boardroom.Alex and I will explore the challenges posed by remote work, market conditions, and the constant need for adaptability. We discuss the importance of shifting from short-term achievements to embracing a mindset tailored for long-term growth, and we'll tackle the practicalities of developing a competency model that hones key skills for remarkable performance.So whether you're a parent teaching resilience through colorful bricks, a manager guiding a team, or simply an avid learner looking for your next insight—you're in the right place. Andrew's LinkedInAlex Zikakis LinkedIn

In this gripping second part of our conversation with Brandon Fluharty, we dive deeper into the journey of self-mastery and the high stakes of performance.If you tuned in last time, you know Brandon is not just an expert in transforming professional performance; he's a beacon for those seeking to harmonize their work with their deeper purpose. Today, we'll continue to explore the essential practices that Brandon attributes to his incredible success, including the disciplined protection of time, energy, and attention, and how these contribute to daily wins.With valuable insights into his upcoming book, "Purposeful Performance," Brandon isn’t just theorizing; he’s living proof that a good personal operating system can make all the difference. So buckle up for a thought-provoking ride—and remember, if you're looking to make sustainable changes in your life, start by being patient with yourself and celebrating those small, purposeful victories.Andrew's LinkedInBrand Fluharty LinkedIn

In this episode, we have a special guest, Brandon Fluharty, a former Revenue Generator with years of experience in sales and the Founder of Be Focused. Live Great. This captivating conversation with Brandon is split into two parts because of the wealth of insights he shares.In part one, Brandon talks about his journey into sales and the valuable lessons he learned along the way. He discusses the importance of embracing natural human interaction over traditional sales tactics and the shift from a labor-based to a knowledge-based economy. We learn about his perspective on creating value and the concept of being a revenue creator beyond just sales professionals.Join us in part one of this insightful conversation with Brandon Fluharty as we uncover the transformational lessons and experiences that have shaped his approach to sales, learning, and personal development.Andrew's LinkedInBrand Fluharty LinkedIn

Ladies and gentlemen, hold onto your headphones, because the Learning Culture Podcast is back in action for Season 2! 🌟✨

Decisions that impact your success are often made without you. Having a personal brand means owning the narrative of what others say about you when you're not around.This week's Learning Nugget comes from a conversation about owning and honing personal brands with Andrea Wojnicki.Andrea is a communication coach, Consumer Psychology expert, and self-proclaimed obsessive over understanding "why you said what you just said."This obsession has driven her career. She worked in marketing at Kraft Foods before earning a Doctorate of Business Administration in Marketing at Harvard Business School (her dissertation was on word-of-mouth!).Fueled by deliberate practice and her insatiable desire to understand, Andrea created Talk about Talk, a learning platform to help executives boost their confidence and improve their communication skills.Whether you run your own business or play a vital role on a team, it's important to be in control of your narrative.Please sit back, relax, and enjoy my episode with Andrea Wojnicki.Andrea Wojnicki LinkedInAndrew Barry LinkedIn

Welcome back to the Learning Culture Podcast!This week’s Learning Nugget comes from a conversation with Karthik Puvvada. KP is a no-code builder, community leader, writer, podcast host, angel investor, and growth advisor for startups.He has become the famed “Build In Public” expert across the internet, publishing resource after incredible resource on the topic to help founders and creators leverage this framework and build an audience on the internet.The Build In Public Podcast features ambitious founders and creators chatting with KP about all things build-in-public.The Build In Public Hub is his media site to inspire and teach founders and creators to join the movement.Our conversation gets to the heart of KP's inspiration and expertise.There isn’t anybody out there that I’ve met who understands and can talk about these ideas so eloquently. KP packages his years of experience into digestible lessons for those exploring the world of building in public.Please sit back, relax, and enjoy my episode with KP.KP LinkedInAndrew LinkedIn

Welcome back to the Learning Culture Podcast!This week’s Learning Nugget comes from a conversation with Jeff Gothelf. This is a memorable snippet that captures the importance of storytelling as an essential leadership trait.Jeff is the co-creator of the methodology for Lean UX, and he’s the author of the award-winning book of the same name (among many others). His work has informed the way thousands of companies approach software and product design.Our conversation revolved around his book, Forever Employable, which chronicles Jeff’s transition from employee → agency owner → independent operator. Jeff applied his storytelling skills at every step of his journey toward thought leadership and the lessons from our conversation show how we can do the same. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this Learning Nugget with Jeff Gothelf.Jeff LinkedInAndrew LinkedIn

Welcome back to the Learning Culture Podcast! This week's Learning Nugget comes from a conversation with Scott Jeffrey Miller.Scott is an entrepreneur and a Senior Advisor of Thought Leadership for Franklin Covey, a world leader in consulting and training.His recent years have been dedicated to defining what it means to be recognized as a Thought Leader (hint: it takes more than just declaring yourself one).He's also a best-selling author and the host of the Franklin Covey-sponsored podcast called On Leadership with Scott Miller - a place from which Scott has been able to mine the wisdom of renowned business titans, authors, and thought leaders.Master Mentors is Scott's book detailing 30 of those conversations, a key insight for each of them, and prompts to apply them in your own pursuit of mastery.This conversation is an exploration of how Scott refined all the different transformational insights he has heard in his years interviewing these incredible personalities.Tune in to learn about:How to earn the title of Thought LeaderWhy you should focus on your Smallest Viable MarketThe importance of tough questionsDistilling transformational insights and sharing themI guarantee there is something in this episode for you. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this Learning Nugget episode with Scott Jeffrey Miller.Scott's LinkedIn Scott’s WebsiteAndrew Barry LinkedIn

This week's Learning Nugget comes from an episode with Stephanie Dua.It's all about developing a bias toward action, nurturing latent passions for learning, and creating professional environments for humans to thrive.Stephanie is the Co-Founder and President of Begin, an early-learning company with products like HOMER, the only learning program proven to increase reading scores with just 15 minutes a day.Beyond her expertise in learning, education, and entrepreneurship, she has an extensive background in public service:Former CEO of NYC Dept. of Education's fund for public schoolsWorked in various non-profit roles with the Carnegie Corporation, Robin Hood FoundationSenior advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates FoundationShe’s also a wife and a mother. So much of our conversation (and her inspiration for HOMER) draws on Stephanie’s career experiences, her upbringing, and her everyday life.Tune in to learn about:Stephanie's decision-making confidence and how to hone your own.How to use headwinds and obstacles as inspiration.Effective time management and the unsustainability of sprinting.The qualities of a successful public servantIntegrating "work" and "life," not "balancing."Sit back, relax, and enjoy this Learning Nugget episode with Stephanie Dua!Stephanie's LinkedInAndrew's LinkedIn

Drumroll please 🥁🥁🥁 Welcome to the final episode of Season 1!I’m joined by none other than Amy Volas to put the cherry on top — in a very special way.Amy is the founder of Avenue Talent Partners, a business that helps early-stage SaaS startups hire executive sales and CS leaders. She’s an incredible follow on LinkedIn and a dear friend of mine.Amy also tells it like it is. Unprompted, this episode evolved into a hot-seat… for me.It’s a vulnerable and constructive conversation about positioning, clarity, and the idea that what you know doesn’t earn trust; how you show up does.Together, Amy and I Windex-ed the window through which I’ve been looking at my company. You’ll have to tune in to learn more about that reference!Without further ado, sit back, relax, and enjoy this last episode of Season 1 with Amy Volas![P.S. The long-time listeners among us will have realized this podcast season has been 74 episodes long! We’ll move into an exciting and more singularly focused season two after a short break.]Amy’s LinkedInAndrew's LinkedIn

This episode from the vault is with Nat Eliason -- a writer, founder of Growth Machine, and an all-around, self-described internet thinkboi.He’s also a massive proponent of self-directed, or non-traditional learning.His career, while starting from a traditional perspective, took a non-traditional and self-directed turn. He and I explore some of the key components of that journey, such as:the far transfer of skills,constructing your own curriculum,learning out loud, andproof of work.Nat is a popular guy; lots of people that are familiar with his work bring up writing, running an online business, or growing his SEO agency. But not many people have picked his brain on the topic of education. And boy, is he a wellspring of knowledge when it comes to education.Tune in for an in-depth, unfiltered episode on self-directed learning and the future of education. Topics covered:The challenges of change and non-attachmentThe innate human desire for certainty and securityEmbracing uncertainty and self-directed learningThe importance of creating guardrailsThe value of practical experience versus certificationsMuch, much more.Without further ado, please sit back, relax, and enjoy my episode with Nat Eliason.Guest LinksNat’s TwitterNat’s WebsiteNat’s YoutubeGrowth MachineNat's LinkedInAndrew Barry LinkedIn

Today’s episode is about the mental friction that holds back a sale, why sellers struggle with it, and Sean Adams’ approach to overcoming it.Sean is the Head of Sales and Partnerships at Iorad, a platform that helps you create tutorials quickly and easily. He’s also a big part of the enablement and sales community on LinkedIn.Selling through Sean’s eyes is about understanding circumstances, not features. For sellers who have never truly been in their customers’ shoes, that’s a tall order.He and his team at Iorad approach that challenge with the Jobs To Be Done framework. This conversation became a practical discussion of how to apply the framework to the sales process.This is a Learning Culture Podcast bread-and-butter kind of episode.It’s filled with stories and tactical insights that you can bring into the fold of your work today.With that, sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode with Sean Adams.Sean’s Adams LinkedInAndrew Barry LinkedIn

Last week, Paul Slack of Vende Digital walked us through a masterclass on marketing in 2023. Here’s the link to that episode if you missed it.Today we’re back for part 2, breaking down the barriers between sales and marketing — a challenge that I know hits home for lots of our listeners.Paul is a former sales guy that now runs a digital marketing and demand generation company, so he is well-informed from both perspectives.We agree that enablement plays a valuable role in bringing these two functions together for the greater good of the company, and Paul gets incredibly tactical in this episode about how to set up sales and marketing for success.Please sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode with Paul Slack.

Paul Slack joins the Learning Culture Podcast this week for an episode on how to succeed in B2B marketing in 2023.Paul is the CEO of Vende Digital, a digital marketing and demand generation company that works with B2B companies.For the last several months Paul and I have gone back and forth on LinkedIn. I finally got him on the podcast to share his clear and fresh view on marketing.Here’s a quick glimpse. There is a correct mindset to adopt when creating content for and interacting with buyers:The buyer has access to perfect informationThey are able to learn what they need on their ownThey can make rational decisionsPart 1 of this conversation is about deeply exploring this somewhat counterintuitive approach, as well as exploring the spaces where marketing and sales overlap.Part 2 (tune in next week) will be all about breaking down the barriers between marketing and sales.Make sure your pen is full of ink — I furiously took notes during this chat, so I’m sure you’ll find lots of practical takeaways, too.With that, enjoy this Learning Culture Podcast episode with Paul Slack!Paul Slack  LinkedInAndrew Barry LinkedIn

Jon Selig is a sales trainer who uses the comedy writing process to help clients deliver memorable messages in sales conversations.He teaches not a sales methodology … but a way for sellers to more deeply understand prospects and the problems they solve for them, then come up with pattern-interrupting, creative (and funny) ways to get their attention.This is an invaluable skill for anyone in skills to have.This episode is about demystifying what Jon does and learning tons from him in an unorthodox way.It goes without saying that this was a fun one. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode with Jon Selig.Jon Selig LinkedInJon Selig WebsiteAndrew Barry LinkedIn

This week’s guest is Sheryl Buscheck, the new Director of Global Revenue Enablement at Juniper Networks.We reflect on Sheryl’s career and the lessons she has learned leading up to this new role – she’s responsible for onboarding and Juniper’s Ramp to Productivity Programs.Today’s topic is the human challenges of changing your go-to-market strategy. A relevant problem for you listeners, I’m sure.These are all things that come to mind when I talk about learning culture, so it was thrilling to unpack all of this alongside Sheryl and to hear her perspective as a change management professional.For new and returning listeners alike, if you’re enthusiastic about helping people navigate change, you’re going to get plenty of actionable insights from this episode.Please sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode with Sheryl Buscheck.And if we’re not connected already, head down the page to find links to Sheryl’s and my LinkedIn so we can keep the conversation going.Sheryl Buscheck LinkedInAndrew Barry LinkedIn

This week’s guest is Sheryl Buscheck, the new Director of Global Revenue Enablement at Juniper Networks. She’s responsible for onboarding and Juniper’s Ramp to Productivity Programs.The topic of our full upcoming episode is the human challenges of changing your go-to-market strategy. A relevant problem for you listening, I’m sure.These are all things that come to mind when I talk about learning culture, so it was thrilling to unpack all of this alongside Sheryl and to hear her perspective as a change management professional.But in this "Rapid Fire 5" segment, I gather her first thoughts on five key questions related to learning and enablement.Sheryl Buscheck LinkedIn

This week's episode features Katie Pariseau, the Head of Enablement at TrustRadius. She landed in that role a year and a half ago and brings to it lessons from a career that began in social marketing.If you've ever heard Don't Mess with Texas, that's social marketing.Katie worked at an agency whose job is to come up with those kinds of campaigns - advertising that changes behavior for social causes.She and I spent our conversation exploring the lessons she extracted from her fascinating career. As an intern, she interviewed smokers and litterers, uncovered and addressed unconscious behaviors, and fed her insights to the copywriting and creative teams to devise powerful ad campaigns.Tune in for a template- and example-filled episode. Katie and I used our time together to apply her career insights to coaching and enabling people.This was a really fun one for me and I know you'll enjoy it, too. So please sit back, relax, and enjoy my episode with Katie Pariseau.Katie Pariseau LinkedIn

Joining me this week is Katie Pariseau.Katie is the Head of Enablement at TrustRadius. She's been in that role for a year and a half and brings to it lessons from a career that started in social marketing, which  is advertising that changes behavior for social causes. Things like anti-litter campaigns, stopping smoking, and water conservation.Our full upcoming episode is packed with examples, practical things that you can use, and almost templates, with some specific questions that Katie uses as go-to questions. But in this "Rapid Fire 5" segment, I gather her first thoughts on five key questions related to learning and enablement.Katie Pariseau LinkedIn