CIPD

Why does the question of L&D's return on investment refuse to go away, decade after decade? What does it really mean to measure success as a learning and development function — and are we often measuring the wrong things entirely? And as organisations transform at pace, what will businesses be asking of L&D professionals in five years' time that they aren't asking today?

Jo Squires, CIPD Learning Designer, is joined again by David James, Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning and host of The Learning and Development Podcast, where in part two of this two-part special, they explore how L&D can build credibility and prove its impact, the enduring skills that will keep the profession relevant, and what lies ahead for L&D as the world of work continues to change.

Recorded: 7 August 2026

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Additional resources:

L&D tools: Building your business case – a practical pathway
L&D tools: A performance-led approach to skills and capability planning
Article | Performance focused L&D business partner

Your next listen:

HR People Pod – Ep 55: L&D – From order-taker to strategic partner - with David James
CIPD Podcast 202: Evidence-based L&D – Asking the right questions
The Learning and Development Podcast with David James
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How often do we shy away from tough conversations, or avoid workplaces issues in the hope they’ll simply resolve themselves? It’s human instinct to avoid the uncomfortable, after all. But what impact is this avoidance having in our workplaces? Performance issues go unaddressed, poor behaviour gets worked around, and tension between colleagues is smoothed over rather than named. Left unresolved, these situations can breed misunderstanding, strain relationships, and quietly erode culture and performance. So what do courageous conversations actually look like in practice?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month's guests – Joan O'Connor, Head of Leadership Practice at 10Eighty; Jo Carlin, Chief People Officer at Effective Energy Group; and Corinne Micallef, director, facilitator and coach with the National Theatre's Theatreworks programme – as they explore how people professionals, line managers and business leaders can move from avoidance to having courageous conversations.

In this episode, our panel explores:

Why courageous conversations are a core leadership skill rather than a nice-to-have – and what happens when organisations avoid them. How does silence become an organisational risk?
What’s the difference between a ‘difficult’ conversation and a ‘courageous’ one. How can we build embed courage as a daily practice.
What holds people professionals, business leaders and line managers back from speaking up – and what helps them push through it?

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Your next listen:

CIPD Podcast 214: Success starts small – Building sustainable workplace habits
CIPD Podcast 212: Creating a culture of psychological safety at work
HR People Pod – Episode 52: Courageous leadership, clarity and organisational falafel – with Diana Osagie

More from this episode:

CIPD Profession Map – Professional courage and influence

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can L&D build the infrastructure, capabilities and credibility needed to become a true growth engine within organisations? What role should L&D play as businesses adopt a more skills-based approach? And when it comes to habitual learning, is the responsibility with the organisation, the individual, or both?

Jo Squires, CIPD Learning Designer is joined by David James, Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning and host of The Learning and Development Podcast, where in part one of a two-part special, they explore how L&D can position itself as an engine for growth and the importance for individuals to make learning a habit.

Recorded: 7 August 2026

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Additional resources:

L&D tools: A performance-led approach to skills and capability planning
Analysis | How L&D can create value: Focussing on skills development
L&D tools: Building your business case – a practical pathway

Your next listen:

CIPD Podcast 232: The journey to a skills-based organisation: The role of L&D
HR People Pod 54: Future planning as a discipline – with Tom Cheesewright
The Learning and Development Podcast with David James
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Curate, create, communicate – why are these three Cs so pivotal to future-proofing your career? What's the risk of dehumanising work through automation? And how can we help leaders think about the future without oversimplifying it or overwhelming them?

CIPD Director of Profession David D'Souza is joined by Applied Futurist, Tom Cheesewright as they explore why planning for the future isn't a one-off decision, but a discipline organisations have to build in.

Recorded: 09 June 2026 at CIPD Festival of Work

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Your next listen:

CIPD Podcast 213: Skilling up your organisation now and for the future

CIPD Podcast 232: The journey towards a skills-based organisation: The role of L&D

HR People Pod – Ep 49: Business impact | Employee empowerment | Change readiness in an AI world

HR People Pod – Ep 43: Inside Davos – AI, work and the future of identity - with Allyn Bailey

More from this episode:

Topic: AI in the workplace

Thought leadership: The future of work – Insights for senior leaders on drivers of change

Analysis: Evolution of the people profession
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As business priorities shift, skills shortages intensify and technology changes the nature of work, organisations need a clearer view of the skills and capabilities they have — and how to deploy them where they can create the greatest impact. But how can learning professionals support the building of new capability at pace and scale, when many organisations still struggle to see what skills exist in the workforce, to what level of expertise, or to move that capability to where it's needed most?

Join Nigel Cassidy and this month's guests – Shona Marshall, Founder of The ASM Difference; Laurell Hector, Managing Director at McManus HRD; and Andrew Jacobs, Learning Strategist and Founder of Llarn Learning – as they explore L&D's role in supporting the shift to becoming a skills-based organisation.

In this episode, our panel explores:
Why L&D is critical to enabling skills-based transformation, by responding to business priorities and driving the performance they require
How skills intelligence, taxonomies and internal marketplaces can inform smarter, workforce planning, internal mobility and learning investment.
What must change in how learning is designed and delivered – moving away from linear, one-off training programmes towards continuous, skills-led development that keeps pace with changing skills landscape.

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Your next listen:
CIPD Podcast 231: The journey to a skills-based organisation
CIPD Podcast 207: HR’s next top operating model
HR People Pod – Episode 48: Leadership reflections | Skills visibility | Workload creep

More from this episode:
Guide – Skills matching: Using and deploying people’s skills effectively in the workplace
Analysis – How L&D can create value: Focussing on skills development
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.