Talent Development Leader

Hosted by ATD

Business EducationInterviews guests

Website RSS feed LinkedIn Facebook

Episodes

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

About the show

Sponsored by Cornerstone, The Association for Talent Development (ATD)'s Talent Development Leader podcast features monthly conversations with the greatest influencers in the talent development field. Tune in for the latest trends, hot topics, and future-focused ideas that current and aspiring TD leaders need to know. Learn more at www.td.org/talent-development-leader-podcast.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 22, 2026Episode 4931 min

The Upside of Downside Thinking: Why the Best Leaders Imagine Failure First

Most leadership advice focuses on vision, confidence, and execution. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, we consider how learning to anticipate failure might be the most important leadership skill. Matt Confer, Chief Strategy Officer at Abilitie and author of The Upside of Downside Thinking , joins us to discuss the power of premortems and productive dissent. We examine why naming potential failures can actually reduce anxiety, how leaders can avoid unintended consequences, and what talent development professionals can understand from the "cobra effect." Learn how to balance confidence with critical thinking and gain practical strategies for evaluating risk to avoid costly mistakes.

October 1, 2026Episode 4838 min

The Great Human Premium: The New Competitive Advantage in the Age of AI

AI may be changing the nature of work, but it is also elevating the importance of what technology cannot replace. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, bestselling author and personal branding expert William Arruda unpacks the concept of The Great Human Premium, and how the most valuable skills in the workplace are increasingly human. William shares which human capabilities organizations need to cultivate now like communication, judgment, creativity, self-awareness, and learning agility. He also discusses the hidden cultural costs of over-relying on AI, the Human Premium Matrix for organizational design, and the workplace shifts every CLO should be preparing for today. Listen to this conversation to gain a compelling roadmap for leading with humanity in the age of AI.

September 17, 2026Episode 4737 min

The Future of Immersive Learning: Why Design Matters More Than Technology

As AI dramatically lowers the barriers to creating learning content, organizations have an opportunity to rethink what makes learning truly engaging and effective. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Lars-Petter W. Kjos, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of We Are Learning, shares why immersion is not about avatars, VR, or realism alone. Instead, it's about creating meaningful experiences that challenge learners to make decisions, face consequences, and build capability. The conversation explores AI's impact on learning design, the growing accessibility of scenario-based learning, and the future skills talent development teams will need to thrive. Learn why scenario-based learning is experiencing a resurgence and what talent development leaders should do to prepare their teams for the next era of workplace learning.

August 10, 2026Episode 4637 min

Facilitation as a Leadership Practice: Transforming Learning Through the Five Personas

In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Moe Poirier, founder of Shift Facilitation and creator of the Five Personas of Facilitation , explains how talent development leaders can elevate facilitation from a tactical skill to a strategic leadership capability. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience, Moe shares how facilitators can adapt their presence through five distinct personas: the Sensei, Drill Sergeant, Superhero, Confidant, and Jester. Moe describes what great facilitation has in common with great leadership, how managers can apply the Five Personas in everyday conversations, and why human connection becomes even more valuable as AI takes on more content delivery. Listen to this podcast and learn how transformational facilitation not only creates transformative learning experiences, but shapes organizational learning culture and positions facilitators as ambassadors of an organization's learning brand and change strategy.

July 22, 2026Episode 4537 min

From Learning & Development to Talent Development: The Shift That Changes Everything

What separates organizations that treat learning as an expense from those that see talent as a competitive advantage? In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, learning strategist, author, and Tractus Learning founder Becky Willis explains why the profession must evolve from Learning & Development to Talent Development to remain relevant and drive business results. Becky explores why L&D often struggles to earn strategic influence, how leading organizations align talent initiatives with business goals, the metrics that matter, and the most common reasons transformation efforts fail. She also shares insights from her book, 7 Steps to Better Learning Engagement , and offers advice for TD leaders ready to become more strategic in the age of AI. Learn practical actions you can take immediately to become a strategic force for talent and business growth in your organization.

June 30, 2026Episode 4442 min

The Capability Blueprint: Connecting Skills, Performance, and Strategy

What sits between a company's strategy and the skills of its workforce? According to Ben Satchwell, Head of Capabilities at Acorn PLMS, the answer is capability. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Ben breaks down the layered relationship between skills, competencies, capabilities, job design, and performance. He explains why many competency frameworks become shelfware, and offers actionable guidance for talent development leaders who want to build systems that create real value. Listen and learn how to begin designing capability frameworks that will help your organization move beyond training activities and toward meaningful business outcomes.

June 11, 2026Episode 4341 min

Leading from Within: The Power of Personal Vision with Kimberly Currier

A clear personal vision can be the difference between reacting to life and intentionally leading it. In this episode of ATD's Talent Development Leader podcast, Kimberly Currier, global talent and leadership development executive, explores why personal vision is a foundational leadership capability. She shares how such a purpose can guide decisions, build resilience, and help leaders stay grounded through change. Learn how to develop your own personal vision; integrate it into your organization's leadership development initiatives; and use it to foster an organizational culture rooted in clarity, authenticity, and shared purpose.

May 14, 2026Episode 4233 min

From Cost Center to Strategic Driver: Reframing Talent Development in Tough Times

When budgets shrink, talent development leaders must do more than defend their programs—they must demonstrate their value through communication and influence. In this episode of the Talent Development Leader podcast, Amii Barnard-Bahn, former Fortune 5 executive and top leadership coach, breaks down a strategic communication model for elevating TD's role in the business. Learn how to communicate with clarity, strengthen your team's value proposition, and guide your organization through layoffs and disruption. Become a leader who re-engages and "re-recruits" the people who stay, and turns tough moments into opportunities to rebuild trust and commitment. Amii's Resources: https://www.barnardbahn.com/resources

April 30, 2026Episode 4144 min

The Future CLO: Leading Learning as a Strategic Business Enabler

The role of the Chief Learning Officer is at an inflection point. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Tracie Cantu, Chief Learning Strategist at Your CLO and author of Running L&D Like a Business, breaks down how and why the CLO role has evolved beyond managing training and into enabling enterprise performance. Listen and learn what's keeping L&D stuck in reactive modes, where CLOs struggle most when juggling operational excellence with business agility, and why reframing learning as performance enablement can dramatically change how the business engages with L&D. Finally, hear Tracie's take on what the CLO role may look like five years from now—and the actions learning leaders should take today to stay ahead.

April 16, 2026Episode 4041 min

Preparing Leaders and Learners for Human‑AI Collaboration with Patrick Lynch

AI is transforming work—but not in the ways many leaders fear. In this episode of Talent Development Leader podcast, Patrick D. Lynch, 2026 Thinkers50 Radar thought leader, AI Faculty Lead at Hult International Business School, and one of the world's leading voices on human‑AI collaboration, explores why the future of work is less about job loss and more about job transformation. Patrick brings a rare blend of Fortune 500 executive experience, behavioral science rigor, and real-world insight to the creation of his THRIVE framework, which is helping leaders worldwide design AI adoption as elevation, not replacement. Listen and learn how to preserve humanity and judgment in the human‑AI equation, what creative decision making looks like for a workforce of humans and agents, how to build long-term capability with the THRIVE model, and why leadership and learning matter more than ever in the age of AI. Join Patrick at the 2026 ATD International Conference and Exposition in Los Angeles, CA, May 17-20, to hear him speak about these topics and more.

Is this your show?

Claim this listing to keep it up to date, reach guests who want to pitch you, and manage bookings with Guestify.

Claim this listing

More Business podcasts

Business Of Weather | Weather Intelligence For Improved Decision Making

BusinessTechnology

Domain Details Page

BusinessInvesting

The Bottom Line

Alexander Spencer

BusinessInterviews guests