Frontline managers have to support decisions they didn’t make, translate organizational goals into actions, identify meaningful opportunities for people to develop, remember to acknowledge successes, regulate their emotions, and resolve team conflicts. And they're usually 19-years-old.

This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, one of our favourite guests - JD Dillon - returns to the show to share insights from his upcoming book on the role of frontline managers. We discuss:

• The pressures faced by frontline managers
• How to help these managers feel confident in their roles
• How AI chat bots and digital communities can help managers respond to daily challenges.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Anna discussed the impact of the climate crisis on education.

JD discussed the banana pose.

Ross shared how to spot a suspicious statistic, via More or Less.

For more from JD, check out his website frontlineplaybook.com, jdwroteabook.com, and axonify.com.

For more from us, including details of our upcoming app (soon!) visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

• Ross Garner
• Dr Anna Barnett
• JD Dillon

Exciting news at Mindtools Towers this week, as we launch our first 'Expert Skill Bite' course with Dr Markus Bernhardt, available now to all Mindtools Content Hub users!

To share more about what the course covers, and how it builds capability over time, Markus joined Ross G and Claire to discuss:

• Why a 'big top-down AI strategy' is never coming
• How to help managers build AI skills
• What to do if your organization bans AI tools.

Log in to Mindtools.com now to subscribe to the Skill Bite and try it for yourself!

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Claire recommended 'How to stop being so phone addicted (without self-discipline or meditation)', from the Search Engine podcast.

Ross discussed the latest exciting news from the world of Wordpress plugins.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

• Ross Garner
• Dr Markus Bernhardt
• Claire Gibson

This week, we're handing the reigns of The Mindtools L&D Podcast over to our friends at Assemble You. Including the show notes!

In this excellent interview, Adam sits down with Ross Garner and Paul Buller of Mindtools to explore one of the most pressing topics in L&D today: the role of AI in content creation and the future of learning.

Ross is Chief Learning Officer at Mindtools and a former Learning Designer of the Year. He’s also a long-time podcast host and co-author of the L&D Dispatch newsletter. Paul is Head of Content at Mindtools, an executive coach, and an expert in leadership and organisational psychology with a track record in leading hybrid learning teams at global organisations.

In this episode, Ross and Paul unpack how AI is reshaping what we create, how we design learning experiences, and the skills L&D professionals need to thrive in this new landscape.

They share their reflections on:

• Why content creation jobs are shifting—not disappearing
• How AI can free up time to focus on behaviour change and learning design
• The continued importance of authentic human connection in digital learning
• Practical ways to integrate AI into workflows without compromising quality
• How L&D can defend against “internet slop” with trustworthy, research-backed content

Ross and Paul give thoughtful, grounded insights into what AI means for learning teams today—and why embracing it with optimism and intentionality is the smart move. If you’re navigating the shift to AI-enhanced learning design, this is a must-listen episode.

Duolingo AI Revolution: https://drphilippahardman.substack.com/p/duolingos-ai-revolution

Connect with them on LinkedIn
Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-garner/
Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pbuller/

To find out more about the performance support available for leaders and managers, from Mindtools, visit mindtools.com. And, good news! You can now add Microsoft Shorts from Assemble You to your subscription.

Remember 'performance support'? Amid all the talk of AI, adaptive learning, and skills, it's kind of been forgotten.

But not by us! Or by respondents to Don Taylor's Global Sentiment Survey, who ranked it 11th hottest trend this year (up two from last year).

In the first of a two-part series of crossover episodes with our partner Assemble You, Ross G and Paul are joined by Adam Lacey to discuss:

• What makes great performance support?
• What conditions make performance support effective?
• What role does AI play in all this?

To find out more about the performance support available for leaders and managers, from Mindtools, visit mindtools.com. And, good news! You can now add Microsoft Shorts from Assemble You to your subscription.During this episode, Ross G discussed extended cognition and the productivity paradox.

Paul discussed Gloria Gery's definition of performance support.

Ross also discussed the book Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro, and our 2016 report 'The Secret Learning Lives of Managers' (which I was able to find and put on Dropbox).

We also discussed the World Economic Forum's 'Future of Jobs 2025' report.

And in 'What I Learned This Week', Paul recommended the book Kill the Unicorn, and Adam recommended The Anxious Generation.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

• Ross Garner
• Paul Buller
• Adam Lacey

Armed with a STEM qualification or two, you might think technical brilliance is all one needs to succeed in the space sector. Is this the case though?

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Anna are joined by Victoria Craig to discuss:

• the importance of ‘soft’ skills in a ‘hard’ science environment;
• sector-specific skills gaps;
• how L&D can bridge these gaps.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross reminisced about playing a Sega game called Mickey Mania. Take a look at the game’s Wikipedia page.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

• Ross Garner
• Dr Anna Barnett
• Victoria Craig

Having the opportunity to set up a new team can be both exciting and daunting. Where would you start when it’s an L&D team?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Head of People Development Daneille Ware speaks to Gemma and Ross about her approach to creating an L&D team from scratch. We discuss:

· The triggers for creating a new or evolved L&D department

· How to get started with quick wins

· Using data to support decisions

In ‘What I Learnt This Week’, Ross mentioned the two-part Star Wars related episodes of the Rewatchables called ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan.'

Gemma also talks about a podcast, but one with a very different tone. She listened to Dr Chatterjee speak to Erling Kagge about solitude on 'Feel better, Live more'.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. 

You can also subscribe to our newsletter.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on LinkedIn.

• Danielle Ware
• Ross Garner
• Gemma Towersey