The Mindtools L&D Podcast

Mind Tools Ltd
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The Mindtools L&D Podcast

The Mindtools L&D Podcast is a must-listen for anyone involved in Learning and Development or Human Resources. The weekly show features regular appearances from the Mind Tools team plus special guests to get right to the heart of issues affecting the L&D and HR communities. From learning needs analysis and evidence-based practice through to the impact of technology on work and hot topics at industry conferences, you'll get critical insights into the world of work, performance and learning.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Cyborgs, centaurs and the role of choice infrastructure

    It’s ‘Bring Your Paper to Work’ day at Mindtools Towers, as Ross G, Ross D and Dr Anna each take turns to share an academic study that they think has key insights for L&D professionals. We discuss: The impact of AI on critical thinking, as investigated in: Lee, H. P. H., Sarkar, A., Tankelevitch, L., Drosos, I., Rintel, S., Banks, R., & Wilson, N. (2025). The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers. How consultants who use AI act either as ‘cyborgs’ or ‘centaurs’ in: Dell'Acqua, F., McFowland III, E., Mollick, E. R., Lifshitz-Assaf, H., Kellogg, K., Rajendran, S., ... & Lakhani, K. R. (2023). Navigating the jagged technological frontier: Field experimental evidence of the effects of AI on knowledge worker productivity and quality. Harvard Business School Technology & Operations Mgt. Unit Working Paper, (24-013). Why we should go beyond 'choice architecture' to look at 'choice infrastructure' in: Schmidt, R. (2024). A model for choice infrastructure: Looking beyond choice architecture in Behavioral Public Policy. Behavioural Public Policy, 8(3), 415-440. During the discussion, Anna referenced our previous podcast with Erica Werneman Root, What does ‘AI literacy’ look like in organizations? She also mentioned a blog from Ralph Losey on centaurs and cyborgs. And we discussed Ross G's newsletter on augmentation vs upskilling. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D discussed Chesteron's fence. Anna discussed whether women can run faster than men over ultralong distances, via More or Less. As a brief aside, apologies for the slightly worse audio on Ross G's track this episode. After 430+ episodes, he's still making mistakes. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.   Or email custom@mindtools.com. Connect with our speakers     If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:  Ross Dickie  Anna Barnett  Ross Garner

    44 min

  2. 25 FEB

    Episode 433 – What does ‘AI literacy’ look like in organizations?

    The World Economic Forum’s recent ‘Future of Jobs’ report positioned ‘AI and big data’ and ‘technological literacy’ as skills that will become increasingly important over the next five years. But what do these skills look like in practice? What do we mean when we talk about ‘AI literacy’?  In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Anna are joined by Erica Werneman Root, legal consultant and co-founder of Knowledge Bridge, to discuss:  what ‘AI literacy’ means in different contexts;  the compliance implications of building AI literacy in organizations;  how L&D can help employees develop AI skills.  To find out more about AI literacy, check out Erica’s recent articles for IAPP.  For examples of how organizations are building AI literacy programmes, explore the AI Office’s ‘Living Repository of AI Literacy Practices’.  The blog Anna mentioned was ‘From Centaurs To Cyborgs: Our evolving relationship with generative AI’   In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Anna referenced research from Harvard, exploring the effects of AI on knowledge work.  Ross D mentioned OpenAI’s new ‘Deep Research’ tool. More trivially, he also shared Pierre Franey’s five-star recipe for turkey chilli.  For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.    Connect with our speakers     If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:  Ross Dickie  Anna Barnett  Erica Werneman Root

    40 min

  3. 18 FEB

    432 — Sales enablement for product teams

    In last week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, we explored sales enablement from the perspective of sales and marketing teams. But where do product teams fit in? Beyond building products, what role do these teams play in generating revenue?  For the second instalment in our two-part series on sales enablement, Ross D and Lara are once again joined by Darren Bezani, Chief Salecologist at Salecology, to discuss:  why it’s important to involve product teams in sales enablement;  the behaviors we want product teams to demonstrate;  how L&D can support this, beyond simply providing training.  To learn more about Darren’s work, head to salecology.com.  In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Lara mentioned A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass.  Ross D recommended Warren Zanes’ book Deliver Me from Nowhere, exploring the making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.  For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.    Connect with our speakers     If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:  Ross Dickie  Lara Kidd  Darren Bezani

    31 min

  4. 11 FEB

    Sales enablement for sales and marketing teams

    All sales training is sales enablement, but not all sales enablement is sales training.  In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross Dickie and Lara are joined by Darren Bezani, Chief Salecologist at Salecology, to discuss:  what ‘sales enablement’ means, and why it’s intentionally broader in scope than sales training;   what sales enablement is designed to achieve, beyond increased sales;  the role of managers in sales enablement.  To learn more about Darren’s work, head to salecology.com.  In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Lara recommended the ‘How to Unlock the Power of Your Subconscious Mind’ episode of Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s Feel Better Live More podcast.   Ross D discussed Ben Betts’ blog post ‘The fall of click-next e-learning: What Operator means for training’.  For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.    Connect with our speakers     If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:  Ross Dickie  Lara Kidd  Darren Bezani

    31 min

  5. 4 FEB

    Digital learning for behavior change

    Those of who work in learning and development like to think we're in the business of behavior change. But we often don't have an in-depth understanding of what current behaviors are, or how to change them.  In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner is joined by Ross Dickie and Dr Anna Barnett to discuss:  methods for understanding behavior;  digital learning methods for changing behavior;  methods for measuring change.  During the discussion, Ross Garner described the Dunning-Kruger effect.  Ross Dickie mentioned libertarian paternalism, very much a friend-of-the-show.  Anna referenced the COM-B model of behavior change.  In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Anna recommended a presentation from the Behavioral Insights Team, and Ross G referenced his video on nudge theory.  Ross Dickie discussed Jevon’s paradox, based on Satya Nadella’s tweet about Chinese AI firm DeepSeek.  And Ross Garner recommended a thread on X, where famous movie scenes are recreated as Lego.  For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There you’ll also find details of our Manager Skill Builder, our on-demand management development program that intelligently adapts to every user.   Connect with our speakers     If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:  Ross Garner  Ross Dickie  Dr Anna Barnett

    42 min

  6. 28 JAN

    Developing leaders at the National Trust

    The National Trust is Europe’s largest conservation charity, established 130 years ago to look after the UK’s nature, beauty and history. Its leaders have diverse areas of focus, from protecting woodland to managing properties – and even running a gold mine!  In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Ross D find out just how the Trust develops these leaders, with Development Specialist Carole Thelwall-Jones.  We discuss:  how a leader needs to think ‘to be’ lists, rather than ‘to do’ lists;  how leadership development is structured at the National Trust;  how L&D professionals can help new leaders let go of what helped them succeed in the past.  During the discussion, Carole referenced Leadership: Plain and Simple, by Steve Radcliffe.  Ross G referenced our ‘Building Better Managers’ report.  Carole also discussed the 4D instructional design model, and Roffey Park’s report ‘The Expert as Leader’.   In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation – and the other 99%, by Conor Niland.  Carole discussed Roko’s basilisk and Stephen Fry’s lecture AI: A means to an end or a means to the end?  Ross G discussed ‘The Illusion of Explanatory Depth’.  For more on the National Trust, visit their website: nationaltrust.org.uk  For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There you’ll also find details of our Manager Skill Builder, our on-demand management development program that intelligently adapts to every user.   Connect with our speakers     If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:  Ross Garner  Ross Dickie  Carole Thelwall-Jones

    37 min

  7. 21 JAN

    The art and science of better questions

    Author, podcaster and award-winning filmmaker Topaz Adizes specializes in creating deeper human connections. So, in this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, he joins Ross Garner and Owen for an in-depth chat about:  how to formulate questions to build understanding;  how better conversations help us partner with our clients and stakeholders;  the benefits of online and in-person conversations.  In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed the growing capabilities of ‘Large Behavior Models’, via The Economist.  For more from Topaz, visit topazadizes.com  For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There you’ll also find details of our Manager Skill Builder, our on-demand management development program that intelligently adapts to every user.   Connect with our speakers    If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:  Ross Garner  Owen Ferguson  Topaz Adizes

    49 min

  8. 14 JAN

    Designing an award-winning blended learning programme

    At last year’s Learning Technologies Awards, Mindtools and South Western Railway won Gold in the ‘Best use of blended learning – commercial sector’ category.  In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast for 2025, Ross D and Claire are joined by Becky Eason, Leadership Delivery Manager at South Western Railway, to discuss:  The context in which the program was developed, and the problems it was designed to solve;  How we used focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and a valid and reliable behavioral survey to test assumptions and prove impact;  The results of the program and the changes we've made to it in response to evaluation of the pilot.  In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Claire gave her seal of approval to Wicked, Becky recommended the Netflix series La Palma, and Ross D wondered why he doesn’t listen to the Song Exploder podcast more often.  For more from us, visit mindtools.com.   There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.    Connect with our speakers     If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:  Ross Dickie  Claire Gibson  Becky Eason

    33 min
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4.7
out of 5
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About

The Mindtools L&D Podcast is a must-listen for anyone involved in Learning and Development or Human Resources. The weekly show features regular appearances from the Mind Tools team plus special guests to get right to the heart of issues affecting the L&D and HR communities. From learning needs analysis and evidence-based practice through to the impact of technology on work and hot topics at industry conferences, you'll get critical insights into the world of work, performance and learning.

Information

  • Creator
    Mind Tools Ltd
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2025
  • Episodes
    439
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mind Tools Ltd
  • Show Website
    The Mindtools L&D Podcast

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