The Mindtools L&D Podcast
Mind Tools Ltd
Recent Episodes
What a year it was! In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, HowNow's Nelson Sivalingam joins Ross G and Ross D to reflect on 2025 and look to emerging trends in 2026. We discuss:
- AI (obviously) and how it's evolving
- the rise of instructor-led training
- how market consolidation is changing the choice of suppliers for L&D leaders.
During the discussion, Ross G referenced a number of new stories:
- Only 22% of organizations have a visible AI strategy
- Three in five workers say they use unapproved AI tools at work
- 95% of organizations see no measurable return on AI, partly due to 'workslop'
We also discussed Don Taylor's Global Sentiment Survey 2025, Don's AI in L&D report written with Eglė Vinauskaitė, and Hemsley Fraser's 2025 L&D Impact Survey.
Finally, Ross G referenced the 'enshittification' of AI products.
In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D shared an example of learning through lyrics.
Nelson discussed Gmail's new 'Manage subscriptions' tool.
And Ross G discussed the process of making a teaser trailer for his novel, Centauri's Shadow. You can view the trailer on LinkedIn.
For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment.
And for more from HowNow, visit getthehownow.com.
Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com
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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
How do you run an organization-wide learning function with just two people? At LV=, that's the main focus for Talent, Learning and Development Partner Rob Foster.
This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Rob joins Claire and Ross G to discuss:
- how building relationships throughout the organization helps support induction, mentoring and reverse mentoring programs
- how internal champions expand the impact of digital resources (like Mindtools!)
- advice for teams working on a similarly small scale.
In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross discussed the structure of Taylor Swift's 'The Fate of Ophelia'.
For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment.
Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com
Connect with our speakers
If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
The L&D industry has always talked about 'business value' as an elusive concept. Now, a new book from Laura Overton and Michelle Ockers, The L&D Leader: Principles and Practice for Delivering Business Value, articulates what that looks like in practice.
This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, they join Ross D and Dr Anna to discuss:
- how L&D teams can transition through different stages of maturity
- the role of data in shaping business value
- the role of community and where to find it in the post-Twitter world.
The book, The L&D Leader: Principles and Practice for Delivering Business Value, is available now from Kogan Page.
For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment.
Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com
Connect with our speakers
If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
In many organizations, not least within L&D, urgent and important short-term challenges often crowd out the bigger picture. So, how do we step back and take the long view?
In this week's episode, Ross D and Claire are joined by Nina Bressler, founder of Reimagined Value, to discuss:
- Nina's background and what she means by the term 'societal learning'
- How to work with business stakeholders to help them decide what to focus on
- How to measure the impact of long-term initiatives.
To find out more about Nina's work, check out Reimagined Value.
In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D mentioned the article 'Hollywood's Music Biopic Boom: Quantifying the Rise of a Soulless Genre' from the Stat Significant newsletter.
For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment.
Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com
Connect with our speakers
If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, Donald Taylor and Eglė Vinauskaitė have released four reports exploring L&D's use of AI.
In this week's episode, Don joins Ross D to discuss the latest report — AI in L&D: The Race for Impact. We cover:
- What's changed over the last three years, and why we're at an inflection point
- How L&D's use of AI has slowly matured over time, evolving into more sophisticated use cases
- A vision for the future of L&D, beyond content-creation.
You can download a copy of the full report here.
In 'What I Learned This Week', Don recommended the book Amorous or Loving?: The Highly Peculiar Tale of English and the English.
For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment.
Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com
Connect with our speakers
If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: