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Today’s Thoughts ☠️

Hey there 👋,

I feel in a strange and mischievous mood this week.

Exposure to too much of the same boring and basic advice I hear in our industry sends me a bit loco from time to time.

This has caused my mind to create, ruminate and often spurt out what can be seen as hot takes, dubious speculation and controversial to the norm.

Whatever the norm really is these days.

This brings me to us, right now, sharing these words. A subject we don’t nearly cover enough as an industry is the skills that will get you ahead not only in L&D, but life overall.

I’m not talking about more technical or training skills either.

20 years, different roles and connections with top performers has shown me what enables you to grow. Today, we’re exploring the 5 rare skills no one talks about to become a successful L&D pro.

Get your tea or beverage of choice ready, 🍵.

We've got lots to discuss!

→ Much love to today’s sponsor, The Art of Performance Consulting ❤️

👀 In today’s chat:

• 5 skills you need to win the game of L&D
  

• All-in-one or best in class learning tech ecosystems?

• The best skills measurement platforms in 2024

[🚨I only have two spaces left for my 2 week bootcamp to build your advantage with AI in L&D starting this September. Get the details]

THE BIG THOUGHT
5 Skills No One Talks About To Become a Successful L&D Pro

Attracted by the juicy title?

I spent a long time on that one (with a copious amount of tea).

To be a high-performing learning strategist/valued strategic partner and future L&D leader.

You need to craft skills that aren’t of the traditional L&D mould.

Yet, they’re of human necessity. Technical skills can take you so far. Your most human skills and abilities are what give you the edge.

Here’s 5 that will do that:

1. Writing

Writing is a super-powered skill.

You do it every day. From emails to text messages – you’re a writer.

Hogwart’s very own headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, once said “Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.”

Good writing is good thinking.

→ Clear thinking is clear writing.

Words can make people millions of dollars, change cultures and win hearts. So, yeah. Pretty dam powerful. Don’t make the mistake of outsourcing this to AI.

AI can help you but never outsource your thinking to it.

To think is to write, to write is to think.

This is not just a L&D thing. It’s great for life in general. As L&D pros, we spend a lot of time trying to win hearts and minds. Writing is a gateway to do this.

Plus, you’ll get really good at writing persuasive emails!

The best writing stays with you

I’m sure you’ve read a set of words that stay with you.

Perhaps, they’ve even changed you.

For me, this came through a Monday morning email from a former CEO of a company I worked with.

It started blandly. As per usual. I slid my eyes through the usual dribble of sales, results and how stock market analysts were happy about something. Then something caught my eye.

This CEO used a short paragraph to share their career experience.

Then the most goosebump-inducing paragraph revealed itself:

I think about that paragraph every week.

I’ve repeated it hundreds of times, and written it maybe thousands more.

Perhaps that fictional wizard is right.

→ Always work on your writing.

🤘 Resources for you:

• How to improve your writing

2. Marketing

Marketing is not just an industry.

It’s something we each do, every day, in many ways. You market your skills to a potential employer, you market ideas to business leaders and you even use marketing techniques to convince your crush to go on a date with you.

It’s one of those things (like everything on this list) which is woven into the fabric of living.

I’m not the best experience designer, coach or facilitator.

But I’m a damn good marketer.

This and writing give me an edge in my career. I’ve been able to get results and climb that annoying corporate ladder to senior roles because I understand how to wield these skills for performance.

I guarantee it will do the same for you.

🤘 Resources for you:

• The ultimate guide to marketing for L&D

3. Sales (aka positioning products for success)

This might be the one that takes you off guard the most.

Selling and L&D, WTF!

Like it’s close sibling in marketing. The art of selling is something you do a lot more than you know. It’s incredibly useful because we’re in the business of influencing people to make change.

From courses to events, we are trying to sell tickets to those shows.

Sales is about great communication. It’s not inherently evil, yet people have used its power in nefarious ways. That’s not what I’m talking about.

To get another perspective, I collaborated with ChatGPT on the below overview:

Sales, at its core, is the process of persuading or influencing a potential buyer to exchange their money for a product or service.

For those of us navigating the intricacies of L&D, think of sales as the art of matchmaking in the business world. We connect the dots between a need (often one the buyer wasn't fully aware they had) and a solution (your product or service) that can fulfil it.

Sales isn't just about transactions

It's about understanding, communication, and building relationships.

In our world, sales can also be viewed as an educational journey. Where the salesperson (you) guides the customer through a learning process. You help them understand their own needs, the value of the solution offered, and how it can enhance their life.

The art of selling enables each of us the potential not just in driving revenue, but in fostering understanding, growth, and long-term partnerships.

At its heart is the ability to listen, educate, and inspire.

[Note: I think ChatGPT did ok with about 60% editing from me. Collaborate don’t delegate with AI, folks]

🤘Resources for you:

• How to position your L&D products for success

4. Storytelling

I never truly understood storytelling’s power until the second decade of my career.

I thought it was one of those woo-woo things people say.

→ I was wrong.

I’m a big believer that good stories entertain people, but great stories change people.

We’ve been telling each other stories since the dawn of time.

It’s not a radical new concept which can be turned into a flashy tool or methodology by an education provider (although I’m sure they’d try!). If you’re like me, you love nothing more than a good old story to inspire you to do something great, or, in some cases, put you into the sleep we so crave.

We connect through stories.

I spend countless hours watching, reading and listening to some of the best and worst at it (that’s conference life for ya). It helps shape my own style.

Connection through telling stories

I had my ‘aha’ moment on a trip to South India.

I’d been sent by the powers that be by my ‘then company’ to launch a new learning platform for 15,000 colleagues. I like to imagine a Bat signal was raised to call for me. In reality, I was handed an Emirates plane ticket and shoved into a car at 5 am to an airport.

It wasn’t until the high of my first business class experience had worn off that I started to realise I might be in for more than I bargained for.

I was to spend the next 2 weeks meeting, greeting and persuading people who had never met me to use this ‘awesome’ learning tool. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t shake the thought of “Why should they?”

To them, I was another crony sent by HQ to do its bidding.

They thou must use this tool, and make thou use this tool you shall! Yes, I speak in my head in a Shakespearean tone sometimes.

The point is I had no business telling these people anything.

I had no credibility or trust built. My bargaining chip was ‘HQ sent me’. It’s certainly not a card to make you popular. I had to change my approach.

It was time to shift into this storytelling thing.

Instead of telling people “You’ve got to do this because HQ says so”. I did the opposite.

I spent 2 weeks telling a story. Each day I wrote a chapter with those around me. I talked about the power of tech for learning, how each colleague can transform their skills with this opportunity and what it means for them.

I didn’t talk about the company at all.

I created a working group in the office to own the tool. I wanted everyone to collaborate and write the story with me. This was one way of doing that.

You want to know the result now, right?

Fret not, it’s great news.

That approach led to the most successful launch I had in my time with that company.

Storytelling works, kids.

Resources for you:

• 4 lessons that will improve your storytelling skills 

5. Digital Intelligence

We are all digital people living in a digital world.

Well, technically, we’re biological people in an all-consuming digital world. But that just didn’t rhyme with Material Girl by Madonna. I digress as the tea supply is low as I type.

This skill isn’t exclusive to our industry. It’s a must for every human.

I’ve spent too much of my career watching people shy away from tech. We just cannot do that anymore. I hate to sound like one of those morons on social media that says “Do this or be left behind”. But I’m going to make an exception here.

If you don’t invest in your digital intelligence you will be left behind.

Defining Digital Intelligence

Let’s keep this simple.

It’s about being savvy, aware and adaptable with new digital technologies.

You don’t need to be an expert but you must be aware of what’s available. Be curious, always.

I’m 100% confident that my ability to adopt and adapt to new technologies has given me the edge over many of my peers. What is dark magic to them is like playing in a sandbox for me. This only happens when you invest in yourself.

Our world needs more digital-savvy pros.

As the world of learning continues to be eaten up by tech. You would be wise to become fluent in the language of technology to become a valued strategic business partner.

Resources for you:

• The 7 skills every L&D pro needs for today’s world

📝 Final Thoughts

• Look outside to get better inside our industry

• Craft diverse human skills

• Add your L&D skills to create your edge

Till next time, you stay classy learning friend!

SMART THOUGHTS

🤔  How to build a high-performing learning tech ecosystem

Last week, we explored a decision making framework for buying new learning tech.

That’s one part of the process for a high-performing tech ecosystem. Your next stop is understanding what type of ecosystem your company needs.

Do you need an all-in-one solution or a variety of single tools to craft a best in class solution? Solve that puzzle today.

💡 Analysing the market panic over AI

While the potential of AI is immense, its path to profitability is still unclear.

In L&D, you know we love a good old talk about ROI.

Lessons from history suggest that even early leaders like Nvidia (makers of chips that power AI tools) might face unexpected challenges. Just as with past technologies, the "killer app" for Gen AI might surprise us all.

As we integrate AI into our work, the road ahead is unknown and can be full of terrors, greatness and downright weirdness.

🔥  The best skills tech on the market today

True skill measurement is a continual ambition we all try to reach.

When I began my career, little tech was available to support with tracking skill development. Thankfully, times have changed and with that, a bunch of interesting tools to help you measure employee skill development.

I put my detective hat and cloak on to investigate some of the top tools in today’s market.

How I can help you

1. My L&D toolkit stack + AI For L&D Lab with 50 zero-cost tools.
   
   

2. The AI For L&D Crash Course: Build your confidence and skills with AI tools in L&D. Packed with practical use cases and step by step tutorials. Trusted by 300 + L&D pros.
   
   

3. Join The Cult of Thoughts ☠️: A backstage pass to exclusive industry deep dives, events and a monthly newsletter for L&D rebels.
   
   

4. Stalk me on LinkedIn for daily insights, tools and frameworks.

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