Workplace Stories by RedThread Research

Donald H. Taylor, a seasoned L&D researcher and author, and Eglė Vinauskaitė, Director of Nodes and expert in AI adoption, dive into the seismic shifts that AI is creating in Learning & Development. They discuss how organizations have transitioned from pilot projects to full-scale implementation of AI tools. Key topics include the importance of team culture, the evolution of L&D roles, and the need for strategic partnerships. The conversation also touches on the three transformative futures for L&D: Skills Authority, Enablement Partner, and Adaptation Engine.

In this insightful talk, Peter Manniche Riber, the Digital Learning & AI leader at Novo Nordisk, shares his journey in developing AI-powered learning tools like the Dilemma Coach. He emphasizes the concept of 'believability' as crucial for AI adoption, revealing that employees engage more when they feel a personal connection. Peter discusses the importance of using the right data for effective personalization, balancing privacy with user experience, and how building tools in-house has fostered trust and transparency among users.

On the show this week, Nadia Uberoi, Head of People at Garner Health, joins us to explore how HR can move beyond compliance to become a solution-centric and outcome-driven function, aligning closely with the business’s mission and deliverables.Nadia shares practical details on how Garner Health has developed agile people systems and cultivated a high-candor culture rooted in real-time feedback and organizational transparency. We discuss how conscious alignment between HR and business strategy depends on both robust systems and hiring people with the right agile mindset.You’ll hear more about Nadia’s unique approach to performance management, Garner’s decision to publicly share 360 feedback, and how a culture of candor empowers everyone, not just HR, to take ownership of change. Nadia also offers an inside look at the mechanics of building and scaling an intentional organizational culture, and the lessons she’s learned from fast-growing companies.You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...[05:16] Aligning HR with business strategy and high candor cultures.[07:28] Seeking CEO buy-in for strategic alignment.[10:37] Balance short-term solutions and long-term infrastructure planning.[13:48] Focus on continuous improvement and clarity of responsibilities.[21:23] Quarterly planning with smaller, manageable initiatives enables better adaptability and faster impact.[29:04] Real-time feedback improved HR-business alignment by enabling quick adjustments.[33:31] Real-time feedback and collaboration enable immediate improvements.[48:22] Intentionally build and systematize culture for business impact.Resources & People MentionedPrinciples by Ray DalioLatticeGarner Health   Connect with Nadia Uberoi Nadia Uberoi on LinkedIn Connect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Haley Glover, Senior Director of Upskill America at the Aspen Institute, champions a future where skills are valued more than degrees. She argues that skills development is a societal necessity that strengthens communities and economies. Glover introduces the 'All Learning Counts' vision, advocating for portable skills recognition. She also highlights the importance of employer investment in skills for community health and describes the messy but necessary innovation ahead in the skills landscape. Her insights inspire a shift towards a skills-first hiring revolution.

Dr. Serena Gonsalves-Fersch, Global Head of Talent and Academy, shares her refreshingly candid perspective on the evolving role of Learning and Development (L&D) in today’s organizations.You’ll hear her challenge traditional approaches to employee learning, advocate for seamless integration between learning, talent, DEIB, and performance, and call out industry complacency.Serena also shares how her small but mighty team serves 14,000 employees across the globe by staying closely attuned to actual business needs and leveraging the power of data and AI—not just for content creation, but for true predictive insights.Listen in for a fascinating discussion that covers everything from the purpose of L&D, how technology is reshaping talent strategies, to the importance of connecting learning directly to organizational impact.  You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...[00:00] Integrated learning & talent strategy.[09:10] Rethinking organizational learning approaches.[21:47] Defining HR's role in automation.[29:04] Streamlining your learning and development team.[31:23] Creating GCP learning journeys.[34:49] Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in workplace policy.[40:34] AI's Role in boosting efficiency and elevating humanity.[47:08] Organizations as continuous learners.Resources & People MentionedCurious Advantage by Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown and Garrick JonesThe 70:20:10 InstituteLori Niles-Hofmann on LinkedInJay Wetterau on LinkedIn Nigel Paine Learning Technologies Awards Connect with Dr. Serena Gonsalves-FerschDr. Serena Gonsalves-Fersch, FLPI on LinkedIn Connect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

In this episode of Workplace Stories, we sit down with Zane Zumbahlen, Chief People Officer at Wedgwood Veterinary Pharmacy, to explore how vulnerability in leadership can catalyze organizational change.With a 30-year career spanning IBM, CTCA, and global roles in Sweden and Japan, Zane shares candid stories that reveal the power of low-ego, high-confidence leadership. From active listening sessions that rebuilt trust among skeptical managers to structural programs that flipped the risk equation for women leaders, Zane's journey is a masterclass in how HR leaders can move from intention to impactful systems.His approach blends authenticity, experimentation, and a relentless drive to make things better, one conversation at a time.You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...(00:00) Intro(04:21) How vulnerability accelerates trust and change.(12:45) The real-life risks of emotional leadership.(18:50) Driving systemic transformation from the HR seat.(22:33) A roadmap for active listening that leads to measurable action.(35:10) Building female leadership pipelines in risk-averse cultures.(47:52) Examples of HR-led innovation across global contexts.(56:15) Rethinking how credibility and compassion coexist in leadership.Resources & People Mentioned:Wedgwood Veterinary PharmacyAdam Grant on Personal Branding and TrustConnect with Zane Zumbahlen:LinkedIn: Zane ZumbahlenConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Many organizations see learning and development (L&D) as a cost center rather than a strategic driver of value, but what if that mindset is costing them far more than they realize?In this episode, Dr. Keith Keating explains why we’re moving from a “knowledge economy” to a “value economy,” where it’s not what we know but what we do with it that matters.He shares practical ways for L&D teams to make their impact visible, bridging the disconnect with CFOs and earning a seat at the strategy table. Through his own journey from high-school dropout to Chief Learning Officer, Keith challenges learning leaders to see themselves as problem-solvers and value creators. He offers frameworks like the Value Creation Compass to help map L&D’s role in business growth, resilience, and customer value, showing that when L&D stays hidden, organizations lose far more than training budgets: they lose adaptability and talent. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...(00:00) Intro.(00:22) Keith’s background and why his book matters.(04:58) The shift to a value economy for L&D.(08:50) Keith’s personal journey from dropout to leader.(15:10) Economic, personal, and societal value explained.(19:30) Four key disconnects between L&D and CFOs.(25:40) The Value Creation Compass model.(39:20) Risks if L&D’s value stays hidden.Resources & People Mentionedhttps://www.bdo.ca/en-ca/Hidden Value by Dr. Keith KeatingConnect with Dr. Keith KeatingConnect with Dr. Keith Keating on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Most organizations claim to care about employee development, but upon closer examination, their approach to skills is often vague, subjective, or downright confusing. They might assume people will simply "figure it out" on the job or resort to one-size-fits-all training. If you've ever wondered why your learning investments don’t seem to translate into impact, it might be because you’re still guessing when it comes to skills.Today, you’ll hear how Johnson & Johnson’s tech organization stopped playing the guessing game. With clear processes to identify, assess, and verify skills, both digital and power skills, they’re not just hoping development happens; they’re engineering it. You'll learn how they use both talent leader insight and AI-driven inference to build a skills-based ecosystem that actually works, without overwhelming employees or managers.By the end of the conversation, it’s clear this isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about building a practical, scalable system that aligns employee growth with business needs and helps people know, with confidence, exactly what’s next in their development journey. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...(00:00) Intro.(02:32) Bas’s career path and transition into L&D.(05:08) Structure and priorities of J&J’s tech learning organization.(09:00) How J&J defines, identifies, and verifies critical skills.(17:34) Messaging, buy-in, and the cultural side of skill building.(23:47) How AI and tech are reshaping development and learning systems.Resources & People Mentionedhttps://fortune.comhttps://degreed.comConnect with Bas DebbinkConnect with Bas Debbink on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Cher Murphy, Partner and Head of People+Talent Practice at ON Partners, shares insights on the evolving nature of leadership. She highlights the essential blend of human traits, like empathy and communication, alongside technological advancements. Cher discusses the erosion of trust and how transparency can rebuild it. She introduces leadership as a system that transcends individual traits and reflects on the critical balance between data and human intuition in decision-making. Ultimately, she makes a compelling case for the deeply human essence of strong leadership.

Most leadership development still clings to certainty, quarterly goals, strategic plans, official futures etched in stone. But what if that mindset isn’t just outdated, it’s dangerous? In this episode, Dani Johnson and Stacia Garr sit down with futurists and experience designers Lisa Kay Solomon and Jeff Rogers, two minds helping rewire how leaders think about the future, not as a distant unknown, but as a daily design challenge. What unfolds is a conversation that’s as practical as it is provocative, revealing how our obsession with predictability might be blinding us to the signals we most need to see.For learning leaders, especially those in HR and people analytics, this episode offers a wake-up call. Future thinking isn’t a luxury or a moonshot exercise. It’s a leadership muscle, and the longer it goes untrained, the more fragile our organizations become. Lisa and Jeff unpack what it really means to design for the future, not just in abstract vision decks, but in how we design meetings, questions, experiences, and even relationships. Their approach is grounded in curiosity, humility, and a radical shift from answers to inquiry.By the end, listeners don’t just understand why futures thinking matters, they feel invited to do something about it. The conversation offers not just hope, but tools: from rethinking design as a vehicle for emergence, to spotting and disrupting “official futures” inside their own organizations. Whether you’re planning your next L&D initiative or shaping strategy for a shifting workforce, this episode shows you how to lead with intention, not from the past, but toward what’s possible. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...(00:00) The overlooked leadership skill hiding in plain sight.(03:30) Meet the minds behind Elevate: Futurists with a purpose.(09:00) From theory to traction: Making futures thinking useful now.(15:00) Design that disrupts: How to spark new thinking in any room.(22:00) The silent trap: How a single “official future” keeps orgs stuck.(30:40) Elevate’s true mission: Courage, connection, and change for learning leaders.Resources & People Mentionedhttps://lisakaysolomon.comhttps://rdcl.is/Connect with Lisa & JeffConnect with Jeffrey Rogers on LinkedInConnect with Lisa Kay Solomon on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES