Digital Intelligence: The critical ‘missing skill’ in the L&D toolbox

📨 Subscribe | 🤖 AI Training | 🚀 Courses

Today’s Thoughts ☠️

Hey there 👋,

The term “L&D” is a weird one.

Although we have a whole industry named this, it means different things to different people.

No one person is an ‘L&D’ person, because L&D is not just one thing. It’s this huge universe of skills, tasks and roles. It’s messy, like most industries. You can have many different types of careers in our industry.

That’s what makes it so unique.

You can be an ‘L&D’ person but your thing is only leadership, or instructional design, or tech - you see where I’m going with this.

Despite the beauty of this diversity, I believe we have a core set of skills that’ll benefit each of us, no matter the role. I roll these up every year into my 7 skills every L&D pro needs.

There’s one skill that hasn’t had enough attention but is more critical than ever for us all.

Digital Intelligence.

Essentially, it is the art of being savvy, aware, and adaptable to new, current and emerging digital technologies.

To thrive and survive in the modern workplace, we need to do better here.

Today, we’re exploring why Digital Intelligence is the critical missing skill in the L&D toolbox, and how you can build this.

Get your tea or beverage of choice ready, 🍵.

We've got lots to discuss!

 TL;DR 📰

• Critical L&D skills in a digital world

• The power of Digital Intelligence for your career

• Why social media lies about workplace AI adoption

🙋‍♀️ Want to reach over 4,500 L&D pros? Become a Newsletter sponsor in 2025

 THE BIG THOUGHT 👀

Why Digital Intelligence Is The Critical Missing Skill in The L&D Toolbox

We’re biological beings living in an increasingly digital world.

I don’t believe anyone can refute that.

I’d say we live and work in a 70/30 split between digital and physical/human spaces. I sense it will increase more in the former’s column than the latter.

I’ve always been a tech nerd (I guess that’s obvs). Writing my first bit of code at 12, and then building my first PC at 13, opened my eyes to the power of being a tech-infused builder.

I’ve been in love since that day.

But I could never have predicted we’d be where we are today.

Despite my passion for all things tech, and focusing on ‘tech for good’ here, I always found myself an outcast in the wider L&D space. Only a small part of the industry seems to have any clue about utilising modern-day technologies, let alone understanding them.

I’m only here writing these words, building products and working with companies because of my curiosity about digital technologies.

Now, things are very different.

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.

I know, it sounds so serious, but I can’t overstate this enough.

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

Defining Digital Intelligence

I can’t be somewhat controversial and not explain my reasons.

So, let’s keep this simple.

Digital intelligence is about being savvy, aware, and adaptable with new, current and emerging digital technologies.

I can say with 100% confidence that my ability to adopt and adapt to new technologies has given me an edge over many of my peers. What they see as dark magic is just another sandbox for me to play in. And that only happens when you invest in yourself.

To be a high-performing modern L&D pro, you need to be digitally intelligent.

As learning and performance continues to be devoured by tech, it pays to be fluent in the language of technology.

Why is that? Because the role of L&D is evolving.

You’re no longer just an instructional designer or a trainer.

Today, building a cohesive learning tech stack—aka the architecture of different technology solutions—is a core skill for L&D professionals. You don’t need to be a full-blown tech guru, but you must have a baseline understanding.

This gives you credibility and the ability to be a better business partner.

And no, keeping up with tech isn’t just a nice-to-have skill, anymore.

I’m so hot on DI that I included it in my 7 skills modern L&D teams need, 5 rare skills of high-performing L&D pros and a core skill in building modern L&D teams.

So, you could say, I’m obsessed.

The 5 Components of Digital Intelligence

These aren’t set in stone, fyi.

We’ll have sub-categories across these, no doubt.

👩‍💻 Technical Proficiency

Understand the basics of the platforms you use daily. I’m talking about foundational knowledge - what tools exist, how they work, and how they integrate.

🤔 Digital Literacy

It’s never just about ‘how to use’ tools, it’s about understanding the why behind them. If you don’t know what problem you’re solving, and why x tool could help, then no tech is going to help you.

🔒 Data Protection

It terrifies me how little the average person knows about protecting their personal data. Most people are bleeding data without realising it. Don’t be one of them. Especially in this fast-moving AI era. We all let social media companies take so much, let’s not repeat those mistakes.

🫶 Ethical Awareness

I know when you drop the word ‘ethical’ it all sounds so serious. In reality, it’s more about common sense and being a good human. Every tech advancement comes at a price. Understand the ethical implications of what you do online. Copyright laws, algorithmic biases, data privacy—this stuff matters.

🏃‍♂️ Agility & Experimentation

New tools and platforms emerge daily. Move fast, but don’t break things. (Yes, I’m looking at you, early adopters who don’t read the fine print.) Don’t obsess over everything though. Pick smart and go deep on what matters.

The principles of Digital Intelligence for L&D

Ok, I know what you’re thinking…

What’s it about and how do you craft it?

I like your style.

To keep up, you’ll need:

• A solid grasp of technology: Not necessarily as an expert, but definitely as an informed user.

• An understanding of how different platforms interact: Because compatibility matters.

• Knowledge of what functionalities they offer: So you can leverage the right tools.

Keeping pace with technology helps you adapt, filter what’s valuable, and drive high-performing learning functions.

How to Improve

1/ Experiment

Try new tools, even if you don’t need them right now.

It’s the best way to stay ahead.

It’s one thing to read or watch me talk about tools, it’s another to see if they can be used practically in your work. I can never give you that answer, but experimentation can.

This isn’t just reserved for new tools.

You’ll be using lots of tools daily that contain many features but you only use/know of 1 or 2. So, dig a little deeper, see what’s on offer and if it can help you. Often this approach is where I find some of my most valued features to date.

2/ Stay connected

Blogs, social media and newsletters (like this one) can keep you in the loop of the latest, greatest and most useful stuff you need to know. If you stay informed, you stay sharp. I’m sure Rocky would have said something like that.

Outside of here, these are my go-to sources to keep in the loop:

• TechCrunch

• The Verge (tech blog, not the band, for you Brits)

• Google Labs

• YouTube: No one in particular, the algo does the work for me.

• Newsletters: I read ones from BCG, McKinsey and Microsoft. For learning tech specifically, I’d recommend Emerge, as they keep track of the big tech moves in our space.

I’m not the only one hot on this 😮

Although I’ve been hot on this for over a decade, it’s only now more research houses are pushing the same agenda.

Of course, this has been spurred on by our new best friend in AI.

It’s hard to take advantage of that if you can barely work your email app. I’ve said a lot during the last few years that it’s funny seeing a huge amount of L&D people position themselves as AI strategists when those same people can’t get around their organisation’s collaboration platforms.

Yes, the kids would call that “Shots fired!”

Anyway, in the World Economic Forums 2025 Future of Jobs Report, Digital Intelligence or “Technological Literacy”, as they call it, is a top 3 priority skill by 2030.

I’d say it’s the top 3 today.

Bottom line: Get smart with tech to go far.

Final Thoughts

While L&D is a bundle of skills, they mean little without the foundations in place.

Digital Intelligence is part of that.

If you want to thrive and survive in L&D, and beyond. Get on the tech train! Make it your partner, not a problem. There is no such thing as ‘not being a tech person’, everyone is, just at different levels of maturity.

I say this because I care about giving you an honest take on the skills that matter for now and your future.

→ If you’ve found this helpful, please consider sharing it wherever you hang out online, tag me in and share your thoughts.

👀 ICYMI (In case you missed it!)

• Will AI over-reliance mean the death of critical thinking?

• This is (probably) the future of workplace learning with AI

Till next time, you stay classy, learning friend!

PS… If you’re enjoying the newsletter, will you take 4 seconds to forward this edition to a friend? It goes a long way in helping me grow the newsletter (and cut through our industry BS with actionable insights).

And one more thing, I’d love your input on how to make the newsletter even more useful for you!

So please leave a comment with:

1. Ideas you’d like covered in future editions

2. Your biggest takeaway from this edition

I read & reply to every single one of them!

 TECH THOUGHTS 💾

Why AI Adoption Is A Much Longer Game Than You Might Think

“You’re being left behind”, “AI will take your job”, and other stupid statements litter most social networks.

The truth, however, is that the majority aren’t using AI that much, and they’re perfectly fine. It’s been 2.5 years since ChatGPT launched. A lot has changed, but for the average worker, the promised destruction from AI hasn’t arrived.

It (probably) never will.

True adoption in daily work and life takes time. A lot more time than you might realise. So, in this video, I explore what research can tell us about typical technology adoption, and how this could play out for the ‘AI takeover’.

🙋‍♀️ Want to reach over 4,500 L&D pros? Become a Newsletter sponsor in 2025

P.S. Wanna build your L&D advantage?

Here’s a few ways I can help:

• Build your confidence and skills with the only AI course designed for L&D pros.

• Become a better L&D partner with the Art of Performance Consulting.

• Get a backstage pass to exclusive industry insights, events and a secret monthly newsletter with a premium membership.