Workplace Stories by RedThread Research

• Beyond Training: How to Prove L&D Isn’t Just Overhead: Dr. Keith Keating

  Many organizations see learning and development (L&D) as a cost center rather than a strategic driver of value, but what if that mindset is costing them far more than they realize?In this episode, Dr. Keith Keating explains why we’re moving from a “knowledge economy” to a “value economy,” where it’s not what we know but what we do with it that matters.He shares practical ways for L&D teams to make their impact visible, bridging the disconnect with CFOs and earning a seat at the strategy table. Through his own journey from high-school dropout to Chief Learning Officer, Keith challenges learning leaders to see themselves as problem-solvers and value creators. He offers frameworks like the Value Creation Compass to help map L&D’s role in business growth, resilience, and customer value, showing that when L&D stays hidden, organizations lose far more than training budgets: they lose adaptability and talent. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...(00:00) Intro.(00:22) Keith’s background and why his book matters.(04:58) The shift to a value economy for L&D.(08:50) Keith’s personal journey from dropout to leader.(15:10) Economic, personal, and societal value explained.(19:30) Four key disconnects between L&D and CFOs.(25:40) The Value Creation Compass model.(39:20) Risks if L&D’s value stays hidden.Resources & People Mentionedhttps://www.bdo.ca/en-ca/Hidden Value by Dr. Keith KeatingConnect with Dr. Keith KeatingConnect with Dr. Keith Keating on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

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• Stop Guessing: How J&J Gets Precise About Skills w/ Bas Debbink

  Most organizations claim to care about employee development, but upon closer examination, their approach to skills is often vague, subjective, or downright confusing. They might assume people will simply "figure it out" on the job or resort to one-size-fits-all training. If you've ever wondered why your learning investments don’t seem to translate into impact, it might be because you’re still guessing when it comes to skills.Today, you’ll hear how Johnson & Johnson’s tech organization stopped playing the guessing game. With clear processes to identify, assess, and verify skills, both digital and power skills, they’re not just hoping development happens; they’re engineering it. You'll learn how they use both talent leader insight and AI-driven inference to build a skills-based ecosystem that actually works, without overwhelming employees or managers.By the end of the conversation, it’s clear this isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about building a practical, scalable system that aligns employee growth with business needs and helps people know, with confidence, exactly what’s next in their development journey. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...(00:00) Intro.(02:32) Bas’s career path and transition into L&D.(05:08) Structure and priorities of J&J’s tech learning organization.(09:00) How J&J defines, identifies, and verifies critical skills.(17:34) Messaging, buy-in, and the cultural side of skill building.(23:47) How AI and tech are reshaping development and learning systems.Resources & People Mentionedhttps://fortune.comhttps://degreed.comConnect with Bas DebbinkConnect with Bas Debbink on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

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• Leadership as a System, Not a Trait, with Cher Murphy

  In this episode of Workplace Stories, Dani Johnson talks with Cher Murphy, Partner, Head of People+Talent Practice at ON Partner, founder of The Murphy Advisory, and faculty member at Pepperdine and the University of Michigan. Drawing from her deep experience in executive coaching and leadership development, Cher shares how leadership is evolving in response to rapid technological, political, and organizational change. She emphasizes that while AI and data can enhance decision-making, human traits like discernment, empathy, and the ability to communicate clearly remain irreplaceable. Leaders today must move from a mindset of control to one of clarity, especially as strategic planning windows shorten and collaboration across functions becomes essential.Cher also reflects on the erosion of trust in organizations and how leaders can rebuild it through transparency, consistency, and shared logic. She introduces the concept of leadership as a system—not just a set of traits—which, when embedded across all levels of an organization, can outlast any one individual. The conversation touches on the future of leadership development, the convergence of people functions, and how leaders can balance data and intuition to make better decisions. Ultimately, Cher makes a compelling case that strong leadership is still—at its core—a deeply human endeavor.You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...(00:00) — Intro & Cher’s background(04:00) — Leadership mindsets, speed, and trust(12:00) — Rebuilding trust & communication challenges(20:00) — Structural shifts and cross-functional collaboration(26:00) — AI’s role, human skills, and decision-making(32:00) — Universal leadership traits & leadership as a system(39:00) — Succession, culture fit, and final reflections on meaningResources & People Mentionedhttps://www.onpartners.comhttps://www.jeffwetzler.comConnect with Cher MurphyConnect with Cher Murphy on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

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• Why Your Strategic Plan Might Be Trapping You, with Lisa Kay Solomon and Jeffrey Rogers

  Most leadership development still clings to certainty, quarterly goals, strategic plans, official futures etched in stone. But what if that mindset isn’t just outdated, it’s dangerous? In this episode, Dani Johnson and Stacia Garr sit down with futurists and experience designers Lisa Kay Solomon and Jeff Rogers, two minds helping rewire how leaders think about the future, not as a distant unknown, but as a daily design challenge. What unfolds is a conversation that’s as practical as it is provocative, revealing how our obsession with predictability might be blinding us to the signals we most need to see.For learning leaders, especially those in HR and people analytics, this episode offers a wake-up call. Future thinking isn’t a luxury or a moonshot exercise. It’s a leadership muscle, and the longer it goes untrained, the more fragile our organizations become. Lisa and Jeff unpack what it really means to design for the future, not just in abstract vision decks, but in how we design meetings, questions, experiences, and even relationships. Their approach is grounded in curiosity, humility, and a radical shift from answers to inquiry.By the end, listeners don’t just understand why futures thinking matters, they feel invited to do something about it. The conversation offers not just hope, but tools: from rethinking design as a vehicle for emergence, to spotting and disrupting “official futures” inside their own organizations. Whether you’re planning your next L&D initiative or shaping strategy for a shifting workforce, this episode shows you how to lead with intention, not from the past, but toward what’s possible. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...(00:00) The overlooked leadership skill hiding in plain sight.(03:30) Meet the minds behind Elevate: Futurists with a purpose.(09:00) From theory to traction: Making futures thinking useful now.(15:00) Design that disrupts: How to spark new thinking in any room.(22:00) The silent trap: How a single “official future” keeps orgs stuck.(30:40) Elevate’s true mission: Courage, connection, and change for learning leaders.Resources & People Mentionedhttps://lisakaysolomon.comhttps://rdcl.is/Connect with Lisa & JeffConnect with Jeffrey Rogers on LinkedInConnect with Lisa Kay Solomon on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

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• "Wait, You Still Make People Fill Out HR Forms?" with Josh Novelle

  Many teams don’t realize how much time their people are losing to repetitive tasks and clunky systems. From filling out HR forms to bouncing between platforms, what’s called “employee experience” often adds up to unnecessary friction. The real problem? No one’s questioning whether those steps need to exist at all. There’s an unspoken assumption that better design means more interface, more features, more engagement. But what if the most valuable tech quietly solved problems in the background, no logins, no dropdowns, no disruption?Josh Novelle, Global Head of People Solutions at Convatec, argues that it’s time to rethink how we define value in HR tech. In his world, the best tools don’t ask people to step out of their workday to interact with them, they fit invisibly into the flow. He points out how incentives from vendors often run counter to what organizations need, and how this misalignment quietly drains productivity. From nudging employees to use their leave before burnout hits, to questioning why booking time off isn’t already embedded in your calendar, he challenges long-held assumptions with clear, practical alternatives.This conversation goes beyond tool choices. It raises a bigger question: what if your systems could work together behind the scenes to deliver support without demanding attention? As the boundaries between work, systems, and experience blur, the teams that win won't be the ones with the flashiest platforms. They'll be the ones who make their tech nearly disappear. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...(00:00) Redefining employee experience beyond HR systems.(08:50) Choosing tech partners and surfacing vendor misalignment.(18:00) The rise of headless tech and middleware's quiet power.(27:10) Subtle interventions that reduce burnout.(35:00) Where AI fits into employee experience.(44:30) Why leadership development fails without operational alignment.Resources & People Mentionedhttps://www.convatecgroup.comhttps://www.learningtechnologies.co.ukConnect with Josh NovelleConnect with Josh Novelle on LinkedInConnect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

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