Christina Castelli, Head of Learning Operations and Measurement of Accenture, makes the case that L&D’s credibility with the business depends on one thing: connecting learning to outcomes before the training ever runs — not after.

Christina shares how she built Accenture’s SKY model, a learning-measurement framework designed to answer real business questions rather than justify program spend. She also explores what it means to use AI as an augmentation tool rather than a replacement, why discernment is the differentiating skill of the AI era, and how L&D professionals can start seeing generative AI as the opportunity to finally deliver the personalized, outcome-connected learning they’ve always wanted to build.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction.

01:30 How Christina’s path from consulting to social learning, design, operations and measurement led her to build and lead Accenture’s learning measurement function.

02:45 The tension that pushed Christina into measurement: L&D teams convinced of their own value, but unable to translate it into the language the business actually speaks.

05:04 Accenture’s SKY Model — and why identifying the business outcome has to happen before choosing a single metric, model level or measurement approach.

06:30 Why every section of the model connects back to the business outcome, and why not every program needs to measure every level.

08:13 What operationalizing measurement at scale actually looks like: a beginner guide, default approaches by audience size and an analytics dashboard built with the data team.

10:35 What Christina recommends for L&D professionals who don’t control the measurement standard — and why early stakeholder alignment changes the entire dynamic at the end.

11:15 Why you can’t be held accountable for data that was never available — and how to have that conversation with business partners before a program launches.

12:15 The mindset shift from vanity metrics to actionable insights — and the comment from a business stakeholder that crystallized everything for Christina.

16:36 Final measurement advice: think in a structured way, focus on what would actually answer the question and share what you can — rather than grasping for whatever looks positive.

17:45 “If you ask AI to replace you, it will. If you ask it to augment you, it will.” — what that means for learning developers navigating today’s AI inflection point.

19:25 The learning developer role at the AI crossroads: why handing off your thinking to AI is different from using AI to expand your thinking.

22:08 Why personal human understanding of content is still irreplaceable — and the risk of skipping the ingestion step that gives L&D professionals their real value add.

24:30 Discernment as the differentiating skill of the AI era: why polished output no longer signals quality, and what it takes to tell the difference.

26:45 A practical way into GenAI for L&D professionals: use it as a thought partner first, ask it what to prioritize and block 30 minutes a week as dedicated GenAI play time.

32:28 The mindset shift every learning leader needs right now: seeing AI as the opportunity to finally deliver the personalized, outcome-connected learning we’ve always wanted to build.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to “Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders,” brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Accenture website:

https://www.accenture.com

Kirkpatrick Model:

https://www.kirkpatrickpartners.com

#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment

Scott Switalski, Director of Enterprise Learning and Development of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, joins us to explore why leadership is the most critical skill in any organization, how L&D professionals can function as cultural tugboats, and what it really means to develop people with courage, curiosity and compassion.

Scott brings three decades of L&D experience across healthcare, human services, contact centers and Native American tribal government. He shares how his team at CHOP thinks about AI as an augmentation tool rather than a replacement, why participant-centricity is reshaping how learning experiences are designed, and how L&D teams can earn their seat at the table by speaking the language of the business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction.

01:30 How Scott’s path from practicing law to teaching Windows 95 in an HR office accidentally launched a three-decade career in L&D.

06:05 The two biggest shifts reshaping L&D right now and why one of them has nothing to do with technology.

08:09 What participant-centricity looks like in practice and why it’s one of the most powerful engagement tools available.

10:45 Why L&D teams that can’t speak the language of the business won’t survive as a function.

11:10 The metaphor Scott’s team lives by and how it defines every piece of learning work they do at CHOP.

15:16 The mentor who hired Scott on a hunch and gave him a front-row seat to building a training function from nothing.

18:15 The three skills Scott believes every person in an organization needs right now — titled leader or not.

21:30 Why Scott uses a Brené Brown definition of leadership as the foundation for all leadership development at CHOP.

23:21 The resource Scott turns to when he wants to think like the business leaders he serves.

23:50 The book Scott keeps returning to, and how he uses it as a live leadership development tool with executives.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to “Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders,” brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia website:

https://www.chop.edu

Harvard Business Review:

https://www.hbr.org

“Strong Ground” by Brené Brown:

https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Ground-Lessons-Leadership-Tenacity/dp/1984855743

“Nine Lies About Work” by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall:

https://www.amazon.com/Nine-Lies-about-Work-Freethinking/dp/1633696308

#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment

Peter Plumlee, Talent Development Manager of Ball Horticultural Company, explores why human connection remains L&D's most essential competency in an age of automation, what it really takes to lead a volunteer organization and how vulnerability is reshaping what great leadership development looks like.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction.

05:17 The unexpected early experience that set the foundation for Peter's entire L&D philosophy.

07:13 The first question Peter asks before he ever builds a learning solution.

08:23 Why Peter thinks L&D's biggest challenge right now has nothing to do with tools.

11:15 The role every L&D professional must step into as AI accelerates.

13:27 What leading volunteers reveal about what real leadership actually requires.

19:43 The mentor relationship that shaped how Peter thinks about connection and giving back.

25:53 What 100 leaders in a room taught Peter about vulnerability.

27:11 Why Peter is convinced AI will never replace L&D's most important skill.

28:19 The unconventional book that reframes community for every learning leader.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a 5-star review and subscribe to “Learning Leader Spotlight: Interviews with Corporate L&D Leaders,” brought to you by TrainingPros — because when you have more projects than people™, the right L&D consultant makes all the difference.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Ball Horticultural Company:

https://www.ballhort.com

ATD Chicagoland:

https://atdchi.org/

"The Secret Life of Trees" by Peter Wohlleben:

https://www.peterwohllebenbooks.com/the-hidden-life-of-trees

#LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #TalentDevelopment