490 — Creating the environment for self-directed learning

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1. 

   E495 · 12 May 2026 · 35 min

   495 — Driving performance with AI

   If AI is so transformative, how come it's so hard to adopt? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast , Ross G is joined by Mindtools Kineo AI Strategy Director Rodrigo Bolaños to explore: the hype surrounding AI's potential the reality experienced by many organizations how to drive AI adoption at scale. During the discussion, Ross G referenced: ' The state of AI in 2025 ' (via McKinsey) ' The AI Adoption Reality Check ' (via Thomson Reuters) ' Many workers are using unapproved AI tools at work ' (via TechRadar) ' 38% of AI-suing employees admit to sending sensitive work data '…

2. 

   E494 · 5 May 2026 · 35 min

   494 — What we learned at Learning Tech 2026

   Last week, the Mindtools Kineo gang attended the Learning Technologies exhibition and conference, Europe's largest L&D event. And so, this week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast , Ross D, Ross G, Gemma and Matt are regrouping to discuss: our personal highlights from Learning Tech what the conference tells us about the shape of the industry the key themes that emerged over the course of the two days who and what industry conferences are for in 2026. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G mentioned the Stat Significant newsletter. Ross D recommended A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre. For more…

3. 

   E493 · 28 Apr 2026 · 40 min

   493 — Developing the timeless skill of communication

   Throughout human history, technology has disrupted the way we communicate with one another. But according to Andrea Pacini, the fundamental principles behind effective communication haven't changed, and are as relevant today as they were in the past. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast , Andrea joins Ross D and Anna to discuss his forthcoming book, Timeless Presenter . We cover: what the book is about, and how it differs from Andrea's previous book, Confident Presenter why the principles of communication don't change, even as tools and technology do why nobody cares about…

4. 

   E492 · 21 Apr 2026 · 42 min

   492 — Enabling frontline workers to succeed

   80% of the world's workforce are deskless, but L&D teams spend most of their time worrying about the 20%. Speaker, advisor and author JD Dillon is on a mission to change that with The Frontline Enablement Playbook . In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast , JD joins Ross G and Ross D to discuss: why the 80% get neglected why frontline managers are the most important people in the business strategies for supporting deskless workers. To find out more about JD, visit jddillon.com . For the book, visit jdwroteanotherbook.com In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D discussed Casey…

5. 

   E491 · 14 Apr 2026 · 49 min

   491 — Better meetings, more psychological safety, and cognitive offloading

   It's once again 'Bring Your Paper to Work' day here at Mindtools Kineo, as Ross G, Dr Anna and Ross D each take turns to share an academic study that they think has key insights for L&D professionals. In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast , we discuss the following papers: Rogelberg, S. G., Kreamer, L. M., & Gray, J. (2026). 'Thirty years of meeting science: Lessons learned and the road ahead.' Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 13 , 415–442. Castro, S., Englmaier, F., & Guadalupe, M. (2024). 'Fostering psychological safety in teams:…

6. 

   E489 · 31 Mar 2026 · 45 min

   489 — Are you levelling up your managers?

   Manager s are inundated with potential development areas , from technical skills to complex behaviors . But a re you focusing on the right ones ? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast , our in-house Insights experts Dr. Anna Barnett and Dr. Nina Harrison speak to Claire about: how recent research reveals some unexpected co-benefits to managerial skill building how these insights can help us to look at organisational problem areas differently. You can download the infographic at mindtools.com/thought-leadership/reports/building-better-managers-infographic . In 'What I Learned…

7. 

   E488 · 24 Mar 2026 · 39 min

   488 — L&D is a bit more complicated than that

   Completion stats are a vanity metric. Happy sheets are pointless. Revenue impact will get you a seat at the table. We've all heard these statements from conference stages. Some of us, your hosts included, might even have said them. But in this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast , we wanted to dig a little deeper. We invited Evolve L&D's Tom McDowall to join Ross G and Claire, to discuss: why the context behind completion metrics is crucial to understanding them how to design effective learner surveys how 'metric chains' help broaden our understanding of learning impact. During the…

8. 

   E487 · 17 Mar 2026 · 51 min

   487 — The future of e-learning interfaces (Rebroadcast)

   Hello listeners! No new episode this week, but we wanted to take the opportunity to dig into the vault and revisit an old favorite from 2024 with Ben Betts. At the time we recorded this one, Ben had receently published a blog post, in which he wrote that 'the LMS is the first point of entry to learning; the front-of-house of our industry.' While that front-of-house may look a little different now than it did twenty years ago, and despite the oft-repeated claim that the LMS is dying, it remains the default gateway to digital learning in organizations. But are things changing? To answer that…

9. 

   E486 · 10 Mar 2026 · 42 min

   486 — How to escape the 'hero trap'

   Often, leaders are promoted into their roles because of their ability to solve problems. But that strength can become a weakness when it leads to dependency, creating an environment where the leader is always swooping in to save the day. In t his week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast , Ross D and Cammy are joined by Bill Flynn, CEO of Catalyst Growth Advisors and author of The Hero Trap , to discuss: what the 'hero trap' is and why leaders fall into it; why the behaviors that bring early success often limit growth later on; how leadership development programs need to change to address…

10. 

    E485 · 3 Mar 2026 · 41 min

    485 — What will be hot in workplace L&D in 2026?

    In the introduction to the latest Global Sentiment Survey report, Donald Taylor describes this year's results as 'the most significant' in the survey's history. In t his week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast , Don joins Ross D and Ross G to discuss: whether interest in AI has peaked; why Don believes the results reflect a breaking of old norms; the steady climb of 'showing value' and the relative decline of 'learning analytics'; the key challenges L&D professionals are facing; the things these professionals are doing now that they weren't doing a year ago. You can download a copy of…