Rogue L+D Hotshots with Tom Bailey

Most training requests are just guesses and they’re costing you more than you think.

Most organizations are flooded with training requests. But what if those requests are solving the wrong problems? This episode explores how shifting from a training mindset to a performance mindset can completely change the value L&D delivers. It breaks down how to challenge assumptions, ask better questions, and focus on measurable outcomes that actually move the business forward.
Nigel Harrison, a psychologist and global expert in performance consulting with decades of experience advising organizations worldwide, shares a practical model for uncovering real performance gaps and identifying solutions that go far beyond training. The conversation dives into how to build trust with stakeholders, avoid becoming an order taker, and reposition L&D as a true business partner driving meaningful results.

Key Takeaways
I’ve learned that most requests for training are actually requests for solutions—not clearly defined problems—and jumping straight to delivery adds no value.
I now focus on identifying performance gaps first, using questions to uncover what’s really happening and what success actually looks like.
I’ve realized that building rapport and understanding the client’s world is what allows me to challenge assumptions without resistance.

Timestamps
[00:00] Introduction to performance consulting
[01:30] Why training is often the wrong starting point
[03:00] The shift from training to performance thinking
[05:00] Why managers jump to solutions
[07:00] How to respond to training requests effectively
[10:00] The 3 phases of the performance consulting model
[12:00] Measuring performance gaps (not training outcomes)
[16:00] Why training needs analysis is flawed
[20:00] Psychology, rapport, and influencing clients
[28:00] Real-world example: solving without training
[35:00] The shift to virtual coaching and better outcomes
[39:00] The single most powerful question to ask

Links
Nigel Harrison on LinkedIn
Performance Consulting
Tom Bailey on LinkedIn
Tom Bailey Website
Books by Nigel Harrison

Most L&D teams are solving the wrong problems and Natal Dank explains why

A pioneer in business and HR agility, Natal Dank joins the Rogue L and D Podcast to challenge everything you think you know about learning and development.
Natal is a globally recognised workplace transformation specialist, author of Agile HR and Agile L&D, and Executive Director at PXO Culture. Known for her evidence based, value led approach, she works with organisations worldwide to improve performance, productivity, and the experience of work.
In this episode, Natal shares why L&D must stop jumping to solutions and start solving real business problems. She breaks down what it means to work product led, how to prioritise the right challenges, and why Agile as an industry may have lost its way.
If you want to move from delivering training to driving measurable impact, this conversation is essential listening.

Key Takeaways
You need to stop treating requests as learning problems and instead focus on solving real business challenges that impact performance
You should prioritise ruthlessly because there are always more problems than capacity and not all are worth solving
You must test and validate solutions early rather than jumping straight into building full programmes

Timestamps
[00:04:10] Delivering value vs delivering training
[00:05:15] Employee experience as a product
[00:06:20] Why onboarding is a shared problem
[00:07:10] The real skill is prioritisation
[00:08:05] Stop jumping to solutions
[00:11:35] It is not a learning problem
[00:13:10] Design thinking in L&D
[00:14:05] The internal job marketplace experiment
[00:18:00] Measuring real performance outcomes
[00:19:15] Agile HR is dead explained

Links
Natal Dank on LinkedIn
Natal Dank’s Website
Tom Bailey on LinkedIn
Tom Bailey Website
PXO Culture

The most powerful learning does not happen in classrooms, it happens in the middle of the job
In this episode of the Rogue L&D Podcast, Tom Bailey is joined by Andy Lancaster, Chief Learning Officer at Reimagine People Development and former Head of Learning at the CIPD.
Andy reflects on over three decades in learning and development and explains why performance, not courses, should be the true focus of the profession. He explores learning in the flow of work, systemic thinking, psychological safety and how technology, including AI, should enable experienced practitioners rather than replace them.
The conversation also dives into reflective practice, burnout, wellbeing, innovation under pressure, and why the best learning solutions often come from the people doing the work. Andy shares personal stories, career lessons, and practical advice for anyone working in L&D, HR or people development.

Key Takeaways
Learning is most powerful when it supports performance in real work, not when it pulls people away from it.
Technology and AI should amplify experienced practitioners, not replace human judgement and empathy.
The greatest learning impact often comes from collaboration, reflection and drawing on hidden capability within organisations.

Timestamps
[00:00:00] Podcast introduction and positioning of Rogue L&D
[00:01:14] Andy Lancaster’s background and learning philosophy
[00:03:06] Instructional design, AI and why humans still matter
[00:05:27] Why performance should be the real focus of L&D
[00:08:02] Learning in the flow of work and systemic thinking
[00:09:43] High impact L&D example created with minimal budget
[00:14:58] AI as real time performance support in healthcare
[00:17:36] Burnout, wellbeing and reflective practice
[00:31:02] Creativity, silversmithing and rediscovering lost passions
[00:38:57] Change, vision and the transtheoretical model of behaviour change

Links
Andy Lancaster on LinkedIn
Reimagine People Development
Tom Bailey on LinkedIn
Tom Bailey Website

What if AI isn’t threatening your job — but exposing how we work?

AI isn’t just another tool rollout, it’s reshaping how people think, work, and relate to their jobs. This episode explores why most AI initiatives struggle, what really drives adoption, and how learning and people teams can lead change without fear, guilt, or burnout. It’s a practical and human conversation about mindset, skills, and designing work that actually supports people.
Drawing on decades of experience across major UK brands and now as a consultant and author, Erica Farmer shares insights from large-scale transformation, neurodivergence, and the realities of running a modern L&D business. As co-founder of Quantum Rise Talent Group and author of AI for People Professionals, she brings a grounded, people-first lens to one of the biggest shifts facing workplaces today.

Key Takeaways
I’ve learned that AI adoption fails when we treat it like a system rollout instead of a human shift. Hearts and minds always come before skills and tools.
AI isn’t about working faster — it’s about removing mental load so people can do more of what actually matters. That’s the real productivity gain.
If L&D doesn’t lead experimentation and mindset change, someone else will. And that’s how the function becomes irrelevant.

Timestamps
[00:00:00] Introduction & purpose of the podcast
[00:01:45] Erica’s background and move from corporate to consultancy
[00:06:10] The realities of running an L&D business
[00:10:45] AI as more than productivity — the mindset shift
[00:14:20] The personal “AI dividend” and neurodivergence
[00:17:30] Why AI adoption fails in organizations
[00:19:50] Best L&D experience and human-first change design
[00:27:10] Career failure, neurodivergence, and growth
[00:33:40] Comic-Con, Marvel, and leadership metaphors
[00:42:30] Advice for L&D leaders facing AI disruption

Links:
Erica Farmer on LinkedIn
Quantum Rise
Tom Bailey on LinkedIn
Tom Bailey Website

What happens when you let someone interview you on your own podcast and ask what you really think about L&D?
This episode dives into the real truth behind modern L&D, exploring what actually moves performance, what does not, and what most learning teams never say out loud. Listeners will hear how to shift from order taker to strategic partner, why measurement still gets ignored, and how to influence the business by talking the language senior leaders actually use. It is an honest, practical conversation that cuts through the fluff and gets to the heart of what makes L&D valuable.
Kirsty Lewis, award winning founder of School of Facilitation, takes over the microphone and interviews Tom Bailey, ATD award winner and recognised L&D leader. Together they explore the mindset, skills and experiences that shape a high performing people development function, from commercial acumen and internal selling to the influence of AI and the role of real world experiences. For anyone who wants to elevate their L&D impact, this conversation offers grounded insights and fresh thinking without the jargon.

Key Takeaways
I realised that the most powerful shift in my career happened when I stopped acting like an employee and started thinking like a consultant.
I learned that the vehicle does not matter as much as the outcome, and that measuring real performance is the thing most L&D teams skip.
I saw how much better my work became when I stayed connected to the outside world rather than repeating what had always been done.

Timestamps:
[00:00] Welcome to the takeover and setting the tone
[01:00] Why Tom hates being a podcast guest
[02:00] How Tom discovered his real motivation
[03:30] Why business knowledge matters for L&D
[05:15] Sales skills and commercial background shaping L&D success
[07:30] The hidden reality of internal selling in L&D
[09:00] Tom’s biggest soapbox about impact and measurement
[12:30] Why AI will disrupt instructional design
[15:00] The L&D experience that changed Tom’s career
[32:00] Tom’s biggest fails, best lessons and advice for practitioners
[40:00] Final reflections and why the L&D community matters

Links
Kirsty Lewis on LinkedIn
School of Facilitation
Tom Bailey on LinkedIn
Tom Bailey Website