Latest / The Science of Leading / Future-Proofing Teams Through Data and Continuous Learning

Transcript

Future-Proofing Teams Through Data and Continuous Learning · The Science of Leading

• 0:00
  Welcome back to The Science of Leading!
• 0:01
  I'm Claire Monroe, here with the ever-wise Edwin Carrington.
• 0:05
  Today we're diving into something that's-honestly-changed the way I think
• 0:09
  about leadership development: actually using real data to move the needle.
• 0:09
  Because
• 0:13
  Edwin-I keep seeing companies throw so much money at leadership programs,
• 0:17
  but...
• 0:17
  nothing really sticks.
• 0:19
  Are we seriously that bad at trusting our gut?
• 0:19
  Intuition isn't worthless,
• 0:23
  Claire.
• 0:23
  But when it comes to leadership development?
• 0:26
  Relying only on gut instinct can be an expensive mistake.
• 0:26
  There's a study
• 0:31
  by Dr.
• 0:32
  Llewellyn van Zyl that found 70 percent of employee engagement is tied
• 0:36
  to leadership quality.
• 0:38
  Seventy.
• 0:39
  Yet most companies still roll out one-size-fits-all programs-nothing
• 0:44
  customized, no connection to actual performance data.
• 0:44
  The result?
• 0:49
  Activity without progress.
• 0:51
  You're moving, but you're not going anywhere.
• 0:51
  That hits hard-because yeah,
• 0:55
  I've seen it.
• 0:56
  Same workshops, same frameworks... people nodding along,
• 0:59
  and then nothing changes.
• 0:59
  So, if I'm a leader who's,
• 1:03
  like, done with wasting time-where do I start?
• 1:06
  What does using data actually look like in this?
• 1:06
  It starts with a leadership
• 1:11
  capability model-but not some templated theory.
• 1:14
  This one's built from data inside your organization.
• 1:14
  You define what excellent
• 1:19
  leadership looks like-based on evidence.
• 1:22
  That means pulling insights from past performance,
• 1:25
  assessments, peer reviews.
• 1:27
  And then you identify which specific competencies actually predict success.
• 1:27
  You're
• 1:33
  not guessing anymore.
• 1:34
  You're aligning leadership with business outcomes-and you've got the
• 1:38
  numbers to back it.
• 1:38
  So no more stealing Apple's playbook and pretending
• 1:42
  it'll work at your logistics company?
• 1:42
  Exactly.
• 1:45
  After that, you build a roadmap.
• 1:47
  Not just "here's a list of soft skills," but a real map-using predictive
• 1:52
  models to connect capabilities with results.
• 1:52
  When you track things like
• 1:57
  job demands, resource availability,
• 1:59
  motivation, and key outcomes-you begin to see which gaps actually hurt
• 2:03
  performance.
• 2:04
  Then you create hyper-personalized plans.
• 2:04
  It's leadership development
• 2:09
  that fits the person, the role,
• 2:11
  and the business mission-not whatever's trending on LinkedIn this week.
• 2:11
  That
• 2:16
  actually makes sense.
• 2:17
  It sounds more complex-but weirdly,
• 2:19
  it's clearer.
• 2:20
  Like, if you're fixing a car, you want the right tools,
• 2:23
  not just a bigger toolbox.
• 2:23
  But what actually surprises people when they
• 2:27
  see this data for the first time?
• 2:27
  Almost always?
• 2:31
  Blind spots.
• 2:32
  Either something they thought was a strength turns out to be... not.
• 2:37
  Or there's potential they never realized they had.
• 2:37
  But here's the key-it's
• 2:43
  not about judgment.
• 2:44
  It's about clarity.
• 2:44
  That's when people shift from being passive learners
• 2:49
  to active participants.
• 2:51
  Because now, development has purpose.
• 2:54
  It's targeted.
• 2:55
  It's personal.
• 2:55
  And that's what finally creates momentum.
• 2:58
  Because when you're dealing with reality-you're not just guessing anymore.
• 3:02
  You're not throwing darts with your eyes closed.
• 3:02
  Right.
• 3:05
  The whole conversation changes.
• 3:05
  Leadership development becomes an ongoing
• 3:10
  process-grounded in evidence, tied directly to impact.
• 3:10
  You're not replacing
• 3:16
  intuition-you're informing it, sharpening it.
• 3:16
  That leads perfectly into
• 3:22
  what we're talking about next-hiring.
• 3:22
  We've mentioned this before,
• 3:26
  but it keeps coming up: the skills companies need are changing fast.
• 3:30
  What made someone a perfect fit last year might be totally irrelevant
• 3:35
  next year.
• 3:35
  How are companies supposed to keep up with that kind of change?
• 3:35
  That's
• 3:40
  the challenge.
• 3:41
  Work is evolving-partly because of tech like AI and automation,
• 3:45
  but also global shifts like sustainability and remote structures.
• 3:45
  Degrees
• 3:50
  and job titles just don't cut it anymore.
• 3:53
  More companies are flipping their hiring model-from credentials to capabilities.
• 3:53
  What
• 3:59
  can this person actually do?
• 4:00
  And more importantly-can they learn fast?
• 4:00
  So less "What school did you
• 4:06
  go to?" and more "Show me how you think."Are there ways to spot that
• 4:06
  learning
• 4:10
  ability early?
• 4:10
  Yes.
• 4:13
  The first step is scanning your own industry's trajectory.
• 4:17
  Use trend reports, forecasting tools,
• 4:20
  even your own internal shifts.
• 4:20
  Then bring in platforms like GoPerfect.
• 4:25
  These tools don't just highlight current skills-they spot growth capacity.
• 4:25
  And
• 4:31
  here's the bigger move: ditch rigid job descriptions.
• 4:34
  Instead, build developmental pipelines.
• 4:34
  Hire people for how they'll grow-not
• 4:40
  just how they look on paper today.
• 4:40
  That reminds me-you mentioned a tech
• 4:44
  company you worked with that did this.
• 4:46
  What changed for them?
• 4:46
  They redefined their approach completely.
• 4:50
  Instead of filtering for degrees and checkboxes,
• 4:53
  they started tracking adaptability and collaborative skill.
• 4:53
  They mapped
• 4:58
  emerging needs regularly and invested in cross-training.
• 4:58
  So when the market
• 5:02
  shifted, they didn't panic.
• 5:04
  They had people ready to step into new roles.
• 5:04
  Adaptability became part
• 5:10
  of the culture-not a last-minute scramble.
• 5:10
  That also makes me think about
• 5:15
  inclusion.
• 5:15
  Because if your tools are biased,
• 5:17
  you're probably screening out amazing people without even realizing it.
• 5:17
  Absolutely.
• 5:22
  That's where platforms like ByeBias come in.
• 5:25
  They anonymize applications-so you focus on ability and growth potential,
• 5:30
  not unconscious bias.
• 5:30
  When you mix inclusive hiring with a learning-focused
• 5:35
  culture, your teams become more resilient-and far more innovative.
• 5:35
  So it's
• 5:40
  not people versus tech-it's people with tech.
• 5:40
  The AI helps you spot patterns.
• 5:46
  But humans still build the trust and culture.
• 5:46
  Exactly.
• 5:49
  Tech speeds up the process.
• 5:51
  But humans still make the decisions that matter.
• 5:51
  Okay,
• 5:55
  last topic-and I love this one.
• 5:57
  Continuous learning.
• 5:57
  Let's be honest-no one's really "future-proof" unless
• 6:01
  they're learning all the time.
• 6:01
  Edwin,
• 6:04
  what strategies have you seen actually work-like,
• 6:07
  companies that live this idea?
• 6:07
  The most effective ones make learning part
• 6:11
  of the workflow.
• 6:12
  Not a bonus.
• 6:14
  Not a box to check.
• 6:14
  They build a growth mindset into daily life-promoting
• 6:19
  resilience, experimentation, and progress over perfection.
• 6:19
  Microlearning
• 6:25
  is a great tactic.
• 6:26
  Short, focused modules that fit busy schedules and keep people leveling
• 6:30
  up without disruption.
• 6:30
  That was huge for me early on.
• 6:33
  I joined this scrappy peer-led group at my first job.
• 6:36
  No one was "senior"-we just tackled a wild project together.
• 6:36
  And I swear,
• 6:41
  I learned more in that chaos than I did in any course.
• 6:44
  It was the collaboration that made it stick.
• 6:44
  Exactly.
• 6:47
  Collaborative learning mirrors how we solve real problems-across departments,
• 6:52
  with different perspectives.
• 6:52
  That's why team projects,
• 6:56
  mentorship, and peer teaching are so effective.
• 6:56
  And with today's tools-LMS
• 7:02
  platforms, just-in-time content,
• 7:04
  even VR-you can personalize learning at scale.
• 7:04
  The key is integration.
• 7:10
  Learning isn't something you add after the work.
• 7:13
  It is the work.
• 7:13
  Yeah, like... performance reviews that include learning
• 7:18
  goals.
• 7:18
  Or regular one-on-ones that actually ask,
• 7:21
  "What are you working on learning right now?"And then-you track it.
• 7:25
  You measure if people are actually getting better,
• 7:27
  or just... busier.
• 7:27
  Right.
• 7:30
  The ROI isn't about how many courses get completed.
• 7:34
  It's whether those skills drive performance,
• 7:37
  retention, innovation.
• 7:37
  And none of this works without leadership buy-in.
• 7:42
  If execs treat learning like a side project,
• 7:45
  it'll never scale.
• 7:45
  I love that.
• 7:48
  And hey-if you're listening and wondering how to start?
• 7:48
  You can test out
• 7:53
  OAD's tools-like behavioral assessments-for free at o-a-d-dot-a-i.
• 7:53
  It's
• 7:58
  honestly such a smart way to reduce friction in hiring,
• 8:01
  and help people grow in the right roles.
• 8:01
  Because that's where the real
• 8:05
  edge is.
• 8:05
  When learning, hiring, and leadership all align-that's when companies
• 8:11
  stop playing catch-up... and start leading from the front.
• 8:11
  Couldn't have
• 8:15
  said it better.
• 8:15
  Thanks for being here,
• 8:17
  Edwin.
• 8:18
  And thanks to all of you listening to The Science of Leading.
• 8:18
  Stay curious,
• 8:21
  stay connected-and we'll see you next time.
• 8:21
  Until then,
• 8:25
  Claire.
• 8:25
  Take care, everyone.