Why does so much great training fail to produce measurable results?

In this episode of The Human Side of Leadership, Dr. Pelè sits down with Greg Schinkel, CEO of Unique Training & Development, for a candid conversation between two leadership development practitioners who have spent decades wrestling with the same challenge: how do we turn learning into behavior change, and behavior change into business results?

Greg shares his journey from manufacturing and leadership development into the ongoing pursuit of better ways to activate and measure learning. Dr. Pelè traces his own perspective back to an extraordinary childhood experience during the Nigerian Civil War, where he learned a lesson that would shape his philosophy decades later: survival did not depend on one person. It took a village.

Together, they explore why traditional training measurement often stops short of results, the limitations of surveys and self-reported behavior, the roles managers and executives must play after training, and how AI is creating new possibilities for seeing behavior change as it happens.

Their central conclusion is simple but consequential: the learner cannot carry the responsibility for training success alone.

If organizations want development programs to create measurable results, participants must practice, leaders must activate, and organizations must leverage what they learn.

Training may begin in the classroom. Results happen in the village.

As technology and AI reshape the way we work, how do leaders embrace innovation without losing the human touch?

Joshua Evarts has spent more than three decades building businesses in technology. But some of his most important lessons about leadership came from an unexpected place: a cigar lounge he opened as a gathering space for conversation, community, and connection.

In this episode of The Human Side of Leadership, Dr. Pelè talks with Joshua, author of If Jesus Smoked Cigars, about why relationships remain at the heart of meaningful leadership, even as technology becomes more powerful.

Joshua shares how his battle with cancer deepened his appreciation for human connection, why technology should ultimately lead us back to better conversations, and what his cigar lounge taught him about creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued.

They also explore the growing role of AI, the importance of listening more than speaking, and why knowing that relationships matter isn't enough. Leaders have to turn that belief into everyday behavior.

Joshua's challenge to leaders is both simple and profound: don't try to transform every relationship at once. Start with one.

Because ultimately, great leadership isn't just about building a successful business. It's about building a culture strong enough to help people navigate the inevitable challenges of business and life without losing what makes us human.

Connect with Joshua Evarts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaevarts/

Why do some employees embrace AI while others resist it, quietly avoid it, or deliberately use it poorly?

According to behavioral scientist Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, AI adoption is not primarily a technology challenge. It is a human challenge rooted in three powerful emotions: fear of job loss, threats to professional identity, and shame surrounding the use of AI-generated work.

In this episode of The Human Side of Leadership, Dr. Pelè talks with Dr. Gleb about his new book, The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work: From Resistance to Results. Together, they explore why traditional change-management approaches often fall short, how leaders unintentionally trigger resistance, and why simply purchasing AI tools and telling employees to use them rarely produces meaningful results.

Dr. Gleb also explains how organizations can discover where AI will genuinely help employees, design tools around real workplace frustrations, and move from scattered individual experimentation to productive team-wide adoption.

If leaders want AI to deliver results, they must first address the psychology of the people being asked to use it.

Dr. Gleb Tipursky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-gleb-tsipursky/