Barack Obama #atd2018 Keynote on Learning, Resilience & Leadership

"Most things that are worth doing are hard. But the great thing about us as humans is that we can achieve great things as a team." - President Barack Obama, Association for Talent Development (ATD) 2018 Opening Keynote

Earlier this morning, the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, delivered the opening keynote at the Association for Talent Development (ATD) International Conference & Exposition in San Diego, California in front of an audience of 10,000+ people.

Image credit: Debbie Richards, Houston ATD Chapter via Twitter @cre8iveii

It's been almost a decade since Barack Obama won his historic first Presidential election in 2008 - a decade that's seen profound social, demographic and technological changes that have reshaped how we live, work, connect, communicate and learn.

MAJOR technology revolutions in the USA have included significant increases in broadband connectivity, the launch of social platforms and adoption of mobile devices. [Pew Institute, 2017]

During Obama's two terms in Office, the USA went from the start of smartphones and social, to machine learning and AI.

Consider these technology advances launched while President Obama's was in Office:

• 2007 - same year as Obama's first Presidential candidate campaign saw the release of the first Apple iPhone
• 2008 - Obama was the first Presidential candidate to announce his running mate - Joe Biden - via social media (Twitter)

• 2009 - Obama was the first President to start a White House YouTube channel - beginning with video of the Whistle Stop Train Tour for Inauguration Weekend 19th January 2009 and, later, featuring weekly White House updates until the end of his second term in office
• 2010 - midway through Obama's first term saw the release of the first Apple iPad
• 2012 - the Obama 2012 Campaign was the first of its kind to leverage Big Data, analytics and Nudge Theory to rally voters and influence Presidential election outcomes [MIT Review, 2012]
• 2016 - the Obama Administration publishes the first report on the impact of Artificial Intelligence #AI, machine learning and deep learning - "Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence" [Executive Office of the President National Science and Technology Council Committee on Technology]

These significant shifts have forever changed - and continue to change - the world, workplace, work, workforce and workers - and have, consequently, dramatically transformed our practice in the fields of learning, performance, training & talent development.

How has your personal practice been affected?

We have a long road ahead as we tackle what's now, new, next in the 4th Industrial Revolution and this era of Artificial Intelligence, while working to close the growing #SkillsGap and transitioning to the global #SkillsEconomy.

Who are you looking to for inspiration and leadership?

How are you showing up to lead?

"It's okay to fail, as long as you learn from it!" - Barack Obama, 2018 ATD Keynote

Are you willing to fail forward?

How are you staying resilient?

"People respond when you expect a lot from them." - Barack Obama, 2018 ATD Keynote

What do we expect from ourselves as training, learning and talent development professionals?

What expectations are YOU willing to RISE to?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Trish Uhl, creator of the Learning Systems Engineering Framework?, engineers dynamic, responsive, adaptable learning systems and leads project teams in design and development of data-enabled, results-driven learning experiences. As founder of the Talent & Learning Analytics Leadership Forum, Trish works with heads of Talent & Learning Development globally on setting and executing strategy for learning transformation and data-enablement projects. In addition, Trish works with talent and learning leaders on the professional development of their L&D teams, expanding the team's focus from instructional products, to engineering dynamic learning systems leveraging data science, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive modeling to promote positive people impact and organizational success.

Trish regularly keynotes conferences, teaches workshops and works directly with client leadership teams across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Connect with Trish on LinkedIn, follow her on Twitter, watch her interviewed onYouTube and read her blogs here on LinkedIn.

Recent Articles:

TechTarget - "How AI and machine learning help in upskilling employees"

HRZone - "Start the Workplace Learning Analytics Journey"

Upcoming Events:

Featured Speaker, Tools to Engage the Modern Learner, Training magazine Masters Series |Online

Featured Speaker, Adobe e-Learning Summit | Washington DC

Keynote, New Zealand Association for Training & Development (NZATD) Conference | Aukland, NZ

Keynote, Association for Talent Development (ATD) St Louis LEARN Conference | St Louis, MO USA

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, AI, Machine Learning, Instructional Design, Corporate Training, Compliance Training, Learning Analytics, Workplace Learning Analytics, Talent Development, Talent Management, Learning Transformation, Learning Effectiveness, Data Driven L&D, Data-Enabled, Future of Work, Data Science, Advanced Analytics, Learning & Performance, Learning & Talent