Throughout this decade so far, organizations have been facing the challenge of staying ahead of the curve more than ever before. A key solution lies in fostering a culture of continuous learning. In a recent episode of “Coding Temples: Agile Leaders,” Evan Shy sat down with Ryan Taylor, Chief Enterprise Product Officer at Coding Temple, to delve into the transformative power of continuous learning.
(Don’t just read how the conversion went. You can watch the full discussion or listen on Spotify, too!)
Ryan Taylor: A Lifelong Passion for Learning and Development
With over two decades of experience in ed-tech and product leadership, Ryan Taylor’s journey began as a software engineer at KnowledgePlanet building one of the industry’s first SaaS-based Learning Management Systems (LMS) and evolved into prominent product leadership roles at learning organizations such as Mzinga, CorpU, Udemy, ISACA and Sales Impact Academy. His passion lies in helping organizations grow to have a more positive impact on the world and society. Ryan is also passionate about social and cohort-based learning methodologies, which combine collaborative, structured, and deeply engaging learning experiences, going beyond traditional self-paced online learning solutions to deliver higher learning impact.
“We have the technology today to eliminate the need for tedious surveys that overburden our teams and only tell a partial story. Instead, we can analyze existing, unstructured data to more deeply understand our past and current efforts. By examining our previous learning experiences, initiatives, and their outcomes, we can more effectively gauge our strengths and pinpoint precise areas for improvement.” – Ryan Taylor
The Evolution of Ed-Tech and Learning Outcomes
While the ed-tech industry has undergone significant transformations, Ryan emphasizes that current learning solutions predominantly focus on basic 1st order metrics like completion rates and time spent watching videos, neglecting deeper insights. They rarely delve into the second and third-order metrics, such as the enhancement of talent capabilities and the measurable impact on business outcomes, which are crucial for truly evaluating the effectiveness and impact of learning interventions.
Evan and Ryan shed light on a pressing issue that CEOs and other organizational leaders often face: their strategic projects are stuck on the back burner, mainly due to skill shortages within their teams. This challenge, as Ryan points out, isn’t just a roadblock but a perfect opportunity for organizations to take a closer look at where they stand. By identifying both their strengths and the skill gaps holding them back, they can craft a clear, actionable plan. This plan puts learning at the heart of their business strategy, enabling them to push those strategic initiatives from the backlog into reality. It’s a practical approach to overcoming a common hurdle, proving that targeted learning is not just beneficial but essential for organizational growth.
The Role of Leadership in Creating a Learning Culture
Ryan points out that a significant challenge in nurturing a culture of continuous learning is our natural preference for immediate solutions. However, Ryan underscores the critical need for leadership’s active engagement in learning and development. Leadership’s role, as Ryan sees it, is pivotal. By steering teams to view learning not just as a task but as a strategic asset, leaders can positively influence organizational growth. Moreover, Ryan debunks a common myth: that learning impedes execution. He brings to light evidence showing that integrating learning within an organization’s strategy doesn’t hinder progress; rather, it propels it forward. Ryan emphasizes that when learning becomes a core component of strategic planning, it accelerates innovation and development, making it clear that a well-crafted learning strategy is indispensable for driving organizational success.
Ryan also mentions there’s this myth that he keeps running into – that somehow, learning is at odds with execution. When learning is integrated into an organization’s strategic plan, it doesn’t slow down execution at all. In fact, it does the opposite. It speeds it up. Making learning a part of the strategy not only accelerates progress and innovation but also clearly demonstrates that a sophisticated learning strategy is vital for organizational growth.
Learning and Execution: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Ryan is working on introducing a free trial program designed to test the hypothesis of integrating learning and execution into one process. This program aims to provide participants with hands-on experience, guided by experts, in a cohort-based learning environment.
Ryan also shared his ambitious vision for the Skill Accelerator program, aiming to make it accessible and impactful for organizations across various industries. The ultimate goal is to put learning at the core of business strategy, empowering organizations to go further, together.
He describes their approach as developing the ‘GPS of learning,’ a system designed to provide precise navigational guidance for an organization’s learning journey. This system is structured to map out the path to knowledge mastery, ensuring a clear and focused progression for learners
Evan expressed his excitement about the Skill Accelerator program, sharing that his organization is not only investing in it but also implementing it internally. Ryan concluded the conversation by expressing his commitment to making the AI Accelerator program a game-changer in professional development and organizational success.
How to Get Involved
Interested in transforming your organization’s approach to learning and execution? Coding Temple is offering a free diagnostic for organizations interested in piloting our AI Skill Accelerator program. This diagnostic is your first step towards experiencing the benefits of our program that is tailored to your strategic business objectives, and designed to drive execution and fast-track success within your organization.
This is a chance to be at the forefront of skill acceleration and business execution, leveraging our expertise to empower your team with the tools they need to go further and farther, together.
Sign up here to embark on this journey with Coding Temple and stay ahead with the latest in AI-driven learning and development.
Stay tuned for more updates and join us on this exciting path to empower your organization through accelerated skill development and business execution with Coding Temple!
