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 discussion, we referenced Dr Will Thalheimer's book Performance-focused smile sheets.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Claire discussed the design of the London Tube map.

Ross G discussed a novel genetic modification technique known colloquially as 'agriculture'. And it's recent acceleration.

To find out more about Tom, visit evolve-ld.com. For more on the IDTX conference, see idtx.co.uk.

For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service.

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:

• Ross Garner
• Claire Gibson
• Tom McDowall

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 question and others, Ben joined us to discuss:

• the many eras of the LMS, and how we got to where we are now;
• the forces that have shaped e-learning interfaces over time;
• how AI and other changes in the tech landscape might usher in a new era.

You can read Ben's blog post, 'What's the Next Generation of E-Learning Interfaces?', on his website.

For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service.

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:

• Ross Dickie
• Owen Ferguson
• Ben Betts

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 this 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 this issue;
• how we can help leaders make the shift from problem-solvers to systems-architects.

You can pre-order The Hero Trap here, and find out more about Bill's work on his website.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D recommended the podcast Rabbit Hole.

For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service.

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:

• Ross Dickie

• Cammy Bean

• Bill Flynn

Cafes, restaurants and car washes all use points and rewards to drive behaviors. Can we do the same with our Learning Management Systems?

In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Incentli's Jeff Campbell speaks to Ross G and Ross D about:

• how digital currencies give LMS administrators levers they can pull to drive behavior
• the role of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on learning
• the impact of branded swag on learner advocacy

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D discussed GitHub commits (super fun to bet on!)

For more from Incentli, visit incentli.com. Incentli are a Mindtools Kineo partner, so if you would like to discuss integrating points and rewards with our Totara LMS please do get in touch by contacting custom@mindtools.com.

For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com or kineo.com. There, you'll also find details of our Learning Management Systems, Content Hub for leaders and managers, and custom learning design service.

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:

• Ross Garner
• Ross Dickie
• Jeff Campbell

If you're going in for surgery, make sure to get scheduled first thing. When you buy new clothes, wash them before you wear them. Never use a ceramic cup in a coffee shop.

These are the kind of insider secrets that get shared on Reddit, and we thought it would be fun to ask the L&D community on LinkedIn to share a few of their own.

And boy, did they have secrets to share!

In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Cammy review the top responses, including:

• we can't achieve much if we don't change the environment
• we all know that 'one and done' doesn't work
• we don't design for how people learn

To view all of the 'secrets', check out our newsletter 'The insider secrets that L&D pros want you to know'.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G defended Runna.

For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, and our off-the-shelf courses.

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:

• Ross Garner
• Cammy Bean

To help organizations reap the benefits of AI while meeting regulatory requirements, many L&D teams are rolling out AI skills programs. But how do we design these programs in a way that shapes consistent, compliant behaviors, while helping colleagues develop the judgment they need to navigate messy, real-world situations?

In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Cammy are joined by Alyn Kinney, Senior Learning and Development Manager at T-Mobile, to discuss:

• how organizations are supporting AI skills development;
• the potential drawbacks of a top-down, skills-based approach;
• how to deliver practical, problem-based AI skills programs at scale.

If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to check out Alyn's newsletter, Nerd Out.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D recommended C. Thi Nguyen's book The Score.

For more from Mindtools Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, and our off-the-shelf courses.

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:

• Ross Dickie
• Cammy Bean
• Alyn Kinney

Pressure from above, pressure from below; little appreciation from either. That's the experience of work for many middle managers!

This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, author Gary Cookson joins Ross G and Dr Anna to discuss his new book, The Squeezed Middle, with a focus on:

• why managers are so misunderstood and undervalued
• the skills middle managers require to succeed
• how we can all help build middle managers.

During the discussion, Ross G referenced the World Economic Forum's 'Future of Jobs Report 2025', Gallup's 'State of the Global Workplace 2025' report, and McKinsey's Power to the Middle which we discussed in episode 416.

Anna referenced our own reports, 'Building Better Managers' and 'The Empathy Problem'.

Gary's book, The Squeezed Middle, is available for pre-order now.

In 'What I Learned This Week', after Anna and Gary's barrage of facts, Ross G discussed Planet Nine.

Finally, Ross G and Anna both referenced our Manager Skills Workshops, which combine upfront assessment, peer feedback, project-based learning and AI Skills Practice. To find out more, visit mindtools.com.

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:

• Ross Garner
• Dr Anna Barnett
• Gary Cookson