Customizing Corporate Training

Global Leader Group has served nearly 200 organizations so far, but if there’s one thing that I am proud of, it's this: Our customizable learning programs that fit your organization's real needs and budget. Let me explain. We have a learning program called The Leadership Code that includes several modules focused on helping leaders develop their people. ↳Module 1 is about Leading Yourself: This is all about how you bring your own style and mindset into leadership. ↳Modules 2 and 3 are about Leading the One:  This is useful if you’re managing individuals or a small team. ↳Module 4 is about Leading the Many: This comes into play when you’re leading other leaders or managing at an enterprise level. The full experience is typically a two-day program, but we understand that not everyone has that kind of time or budget. So, we adapt. We give you a list of capabilities and tools we can teach, and based on that, we customize the session depending on your needs. Our approach is modular and flexible, so we can tailor the experience to fit what you need most. But what if you're not sure where to start? That’s exactly why we use a simple 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦 to guide customization. We use this for our larger leadership programs as well as individual executive or cohort coaching. We don't guess what’s important, we ask. We have a learning library of around 45 topics. Of course, it’s not possible to cover all of them in one program, so we work with individuals and teams to prioritize. Here’s how: Step 1: We ask each organization: What’s going to make the biggest impact for your leaders? For each topic, they rate it as high, medium, or low impact.  Step 2: Then we assign a score: ▪️High impact: 8–10  ▪️Medium: 5–7  ▪️Low: 1–4 (we typically skip these) Step 3: Once scored, we focus on the highest-impact areas first, starting with 10s and moving downward based on the time we have. We also take input from the participant’s line managers. This ensures we’re designing something that supports both personal growth and team outcomes. This helps us design a coaching or learning plan that’s highly tailored, whether for an individual or for a group of leaders within the organization. That’s how we ensure the Leadership Code program stays flexible, relevant, and impactful. In today’s fast-paced world, leadership development can’t be one-size-fits-all. It has to be practical, focused, and built around what really matters to your people and to the organization. That’s what we aim to deliver with The Leadership Code—a learning experience that meets leaders where they are and helps them grow in the areas that count. -------------------------------------------- 📌If you're looking to invest in leadership development that actually sticks, let’s talk. We’ll help you build a program that fits your people, your priorities, and your pace.

A lot of time and money goes into corporate training—but not nearly enough comes out of it. In fact, companies spent $130 billion on training last year, yet only 25% of programs measurably improved business performance. Having run countless training workshops, I’ve seen firsthand what makes the difference. Some teams walk away energized and equipped. Others… not so much. If you’re involved in organizing training—whether for a small team or a large department—here’s how to make sure it actually works: ✅ Do your research. Talk to your team. What skills would genuinely help them day-to-day? A few interviews or a quick survey can reveal exactly where to focus. ✅ Start with a solid brief. Give your trainer as much context as possible: goals, audience, skill levels, examples of past work, what’s worked—and what hasn’t. ✅ Don’t shortchange the time. A 90-minute session might inspire, but it won’t transform. For deeper learning and hands-on practice, give it time—ideally 2+ hours or spaced chunks over a few days. ✅ Share real examples. Generic content doesn’t stick. When the trainer sees your actual slides, templates, and challenges, they can tailor the session to hit home. ✅ Choose the right group size. Smaller groups mean better interaction and more personalized support. If you want engagement, resist the temptation to pack the (virtual) room. ✅ Make it matter. Set expectations. Send reminders. And if it’s virtual, cameras on goes a long way toward focus and connection. ✅ Schedule follow-up support. Reinforcement matters. Book a post-session Q&A, office hours, or refresher so people actually use what they’ve learned. ✅ Follow up. Send a quick survey afterward to measure impact and shape the next session. One-off training rarely moves the needle—but a well-planned series can. Helping teams level up their presentation skills is what I do—structure, storytelling, design, and beyond. If that’s on your radar, I’d love to help. DM me to get the conversation started.

Most corporate learning is built only for the top 5%. Let me be honest here: That’s not a learning strategy. That’s an exclusion strategy. I’ve seen it too many times: ↳ Fancy e-learning portals ↳ “Leadership” programs for the already successful ↳ Long-winded courses that nobody finishes And guess what? ❌ The people who need it most never get it. ❌ The people in the field, on the floor, in the trenches. They’re left behind. Because corporate learning still makes one fatal mistake: 📉 It assumes employees will come to the content. But here’s the shift that changes everything: ✅ Push learning to where people already are. SMS. Slack. Teams. Short, sharp, useful. Delivered daily, not dumped annually. It’s not just about “training” anymore. It’s about performance, momentum, and inclusion. Here’s what future-ready learning looks like: 1️⃣ Make it personal → Relevance beats length every time 2️⃣ Make it fast → No more 2-hour modules. Try 2 minutes. 3️⃣ Make it mobile → Learning should fit into the day, not take it over 4️⃣ Make it conversational → Talk like a human, not a textbook 5️⃣ Make it visible → Leaders must walk the talk too On the latest HR Leaders Podcast, I sat down with Ryan Laverty, Co-Founder, President at Arist, to unpack how AI is transforming corporate learning by making training radically faster, more personalized, and more effective. We explored what it takes to deliver impactful learning to everyone, not just the top 5% of self-directed learners, using tools employees already use like SMS and Teams. 🎯 Top Takeaways: ⚙️ Build Training in 3 Minutes with AI → AI-powered tools now create personalized learning in minutes, not weeks. 📈 Reach Beyond the Top 5% → Push content directly to disengaged learners with smart delivery systems. 💬 Meet Learners Where They Are → SMS and Teams drive 95%+ engagement when used correctly. 🤖 Rethink Your LMS → LLMs and orchestration agents are replacing bloated, outdated systems. 🌪️ Organizational Agility Starts with Learning → Train your teams as fast as the market moves. This episode is a wake-up call for every HR and L&D leader rethinking how learning actually happens in 2025. ⬇️ Watch the full episode below. 📥 Save this post for later ♻️ Repost to share Ryan’s insights with your team

The Roadmap to Strategic Learning Alignment Corporate learning shouldn't be an afterthought—it should be a business accelerator that fuels growth, agility, and innovation. The key? Aligning L&D with business strategy. Here’s how to make it happen: 1️⃣ Define Business-Centric Learning Objectives Your corporate academy must be directly linked to strategic priorities: ✅ Digital Transformation – Are your employees equipped with AI, data analytics, and automation skills? ✅ Market Expansion – Do teams have the cross-cultural competencies and industry knowledge to scale into new markets? ✅ Innovation & Agility – Are employees trained in problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration? 💡 Action Step: Partner with executives and business unit leaders to define learning objectives tied to company goals. Every course should have a direct line of sight to business impact. 2️⃣ Embed Learning into Daily Workflows 📌 Microlearning for just-in-time learning 📌 AI-driven personalization for adaptive learning paths 📌 On-the-job training to make learning actionable 3️⃣ Measure Impact with Business Metrics 📊 Productivity Gains 💰 Revenue Growth 👥 Talent Retention 4️⃣ Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning 🏆 Recognize & reward learning 📢 Get executive buy-in 💡 Encourage experimentation & real-world application Your Way Forward: Define Business-Centric Learning Objectives as a Strategic Advantage Organizations that treat learning as a strategic function gain a competitive edge—boosting workforce agility, performance, and business outcomes. 📖 Want to dive deeper? Read the full breakdown in my latest newsletter ⬇️ Are you ready to turn L&D into a growth driver? Let’s start the conversation. 🚀 --- ♻️ Did you enjoy this post? Repost it so your network can learn from it, too. And follow me Christina Jones for more content like this. #LearningAndDevelopment #BusinessStrategy #Upskilling #CorporateTraining #FutureOfWork

Where "Corporate Learning" fails today is because it is being delivered like "Corporate Training." "Corporate Learning" and "Corporate Training" are being used interchangeably, which is the root of the problems with the effectiveness, engagement, and ROI of these efforts. "Training" is a top-down, one-size-fits-all, and content-first approach. It is useful when the objective is to deliver information and guidelines to employees - like compliance training, corporate policy training, leadership training, etc. "Learning" is a bottom-up, personalized, and learner-first approach. The objective is to build knowledge and skills at an individual level to get work done well. Unlike training, it is nuanced by each individual's role, goal, tasks, environment, perimeter, and proficiency. So, learning path, content, depth, and modality have to be unique and dynamic for every learner. In our research for GoodGist, we spoke with several professionals from knowledge-based industries on the effectiveness of today's corporate learning and content. We found a univocal response that it isn't effective. The reasons were that the generic e-learning content either lacked the depth they needed to do their work or had too much unnecessary information not immediately relevant to their work. So, they were only using those resources as "guidelines" (akin to "training") and doing their own search to find information specific and relevant to their work. This was even more in software company teams, which are now tasked with delivering much more in much less time while keeping abreast of the constantly changing tools and technology landscape. For them, learning is not separate from everyday work but an integral part. This also brings up the important issue of time. An average employee spends nearly 1/3rd of their workday in knowledge search, which is 33% less time to get work done. But that's not all. Since this knowledge is not usually managed, the need to access the same information by the same individual or other team members requires a repeat search. This isn't just causing a silent stress for the knowledge workers; businesses are also incurring a high cost due to productivity loss. So what's the solution? We need to think outside the box of "corporate training" delivery. It is time to equip our teams with the right technology and tools to learn, manage knowledge, and work in a blended way that today's fast-paced business world demands. Tools that enable learning the way it should be - bottom-up, personalized, on-demand, and concise. Personalization doesn't mean directing people to pre-canned course content but is about dynamically generating content specific to individual needs. And where knowledge is implicitly managed in a collaborative way. Let's discuss. #corporatelearning #unleash #futureofwork

Designing training programs that actually transform learners? Start with this timeless truth: People don’t learn just by listening. They learn by doing. One of the models I often use while designing development interventions is the 70-20-10 model of learning. Originally developed by McCall, Eichinger, and Lombardo, this framework continues to remain relevant — even in an age of AI-driven learning and digital platforms. Here’s how it breaks down: 1) 70% – Experiential Learning - Learning by doing. On-the-job tasks, stretch assignments, simulations, and real-life decision-making. This is where actual transformation happens. It’s the space where knowledge turns into capability. 2) 20% – Social Learning - Learning from people. Through feedback, coaching, mentoring, peer discussions — we learn by observing, reflecting, and engaging with others. It deepens context and creates community. 3) 10% – Formal Learning - Learning from structured content. Workshops, courses, textbooks, instructional videos. Still important — but only a small piece of the bigger puzzle. When I design workshops, I treat this model not as a formula — but as a design principle. The formal workshops (10%) introduce key concepts. The social components (20%) reinforce it through feedback and peer exchange. But it’s the on-the-job application (70%) that brings the real shift. Because people don’t remember slides — they remember experiences. The 70-20-10 model is a reminder that learning isn’t an event. It’s a process. Transformation doesn’t come from knowing… it comes from doing. If you're building learning programs for your organization, start by asking: “Where will this show up in their real work?” That’s where learning becomes meaningful. #LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #ManishKhanolkar

Most corporate training is forgettable. Let’s be real—how many times have you clicked through an eLearning module, answered the quiz, and instantly forgotten everything? That’s because information alone doesn’t drive learning. Stories do. We’re wired to remember narratives, not PowerPoint slides. A compelling story taps into emotion, creates context, and makes learning stick. So, how do you bring storytelling into eLearning? Here are three ways: 1️⃣ Start with a relatable character – Give your learners someone to connect with. Instead of generic scenarios, create personas facing real workplace challenges. 2️⃣ Create a problem worth solving – Don’t just dump information. Frame it as a challenge, mystery, or dilemma learners must navigate. 3️⃣ Use narrative-driven feedback – Instead of “Correct” or “Incorrect,” give responses that advance the story. Let learners see the consequences of their choices in a meaningful way. The best eLearning doesn’t just teach—it immerses. It makes learners feel something, and that’s what leads to real behavior change. Have you seen a great example of storytelling in training? Drop it in the comments! Let’s swap ideas. ⬇️