The end of September signifies many things including the end of the summer and the end of the
business 3rd quarter. It also signifies a host of new things such as the school year and football season. In the business world, this is when things get serious. It’s literally the 4th quarter and if your business is down, it’s time to put some points on the board as time is running out. If your business is up, it’s time to maintain and then carry that momentum into the next year.
In another month or two all of the pundits and so-called experts will start writing their end-of-year, “year in review” articles and blogs and many of them will say basically the same thing.
So, I am going to beat them to the punch and share some early thoughts about the year in review from a learning and talent development perspective.
Here are 5 things that happened this year that we should understand, appreciate, and keep our eyes on:
Corporate consumers of learning are demanding shorter learning engagements
“What can you do in an hour” has gone from an inside joke to a reality. Something has changed and it’s not for the better. Curiosity, exploratory learning, time for reflection, learn-by-doing, and mastery of skills seemingly don’t exist anymore and learning professionals don’t know what to do. Insightful leaders realize that the reason nobody can do anything anymore is because they don’t have the skills and they are unwilling to put in the time to develop them.
Shorter, more focused, more experiential, and unfortunately more prescriptive learning solutions will continue to trend until there is a breaking point and the pendulum will swing back the other way.
AI has exploded, but is it real?
It feels like if a new training solution doesn’t have some sort of reference to AI in it, nobody will listen. I want to share the following, don’t believe the hype. There is a lot of buzz out there and there is a lot of money being poured into AI solutions, but much of it is still vaporware at this point.
Here is the truth. AI is hard. Very hard. The magical solution based on science fiction is a long way off and it’s important not to get caught up in the hype because it simply isn’t ready yet.
It’s a hybrid talent development solution after all
The pendulum has reached an equilibrium. After going from all in-person to all virtual, learning has now found an optimization point that meets the needs of learners willing to put in the time to enhance their skills. That solution from the perspective of Advantexe looks like this:
- Virtual Kickoff – 1 Hour
- Virtual Connection Two – 2 hours
- Virtual Connection Three – 2 hours
- Virtual Connection Four - 2 hours
- In-Peron Connection Five – 4-8 hours plus meals and other activities
Advantexe has adapted quickly and the use of digital simulations creates the connections and learnings needed to develop the critical skills needed to be successful.
Learning and skills development are no longer a currency for success
Twenty years ago, developing new skills was one of the best ways of guaranteeing promotions and success. But that was when people stayed at one company for 40 years and cared about their careers and the companies they worked for. Today, employees are job hopping way too often because of a lack of resources, not because they have the desirable skills other companies desire.
Geopolitical issues are going to get worse and the impact on talent development will be harsh
The war on Ukraine, climate and weather issues, high-interest rates, and an extremely uncertain political environment in the United States are just the tip of the iceberg. These issues tend to be cyclical and based on previous data and cycles, we are going to be in for some rough times ahead.
If the pandemic taught us one thing it is to be resilient and versatile. The world of talent development should take a very proactive approach to the geopolitical issues that will continue by showing great resilience and versatility. Shorter, more focused learning engagements that have an impact should be on everyone’s minds and being developed today to counterbalance tomorrow's potential problems.
