Three Questions Series: #2

Pradheep Sooriyanarayanan, Experienced Learning & Development Specialist

?? What's one thing you're most excited about around the future of work and learning?

Pradheep: With automation increasingly replacing routine work and AI (Artificial Intelligence) expanding into everyday life, the future of work will be more exciting and challenging.

Technology in the near future can eliminate half of our existing jobs, and make some roles irrelevant. Which means roles the employees hired to do today is likely to change in a matter of months. In other words, employees have to constantly upskill and retrain to stay relevant in the business.

While we have an ever-growing list of nano-degrees, MOOCs, technical forms and many other platforms for hard or technical skills, L&D’s prime focus should on behavioral/soft skills that support employees to handle change, uncertainty, failure, and tackle problems that are not yet known or even fully understood. These skills are not easily replicated by machines.

??What's your approach to your own learning/self-development?

Pradheep: In this fast-changing business scenario, it is important that we as L&D professionals adapt and re-skill ourselves.

My approach towards learning/self-development is gradual with definite milestones. Introspection is an important part of my self-development to be a better version of myself in all possible ways. Collaborative learning via networking is yet another important part of my self-development. Currently, my learning is focused on areas of psycho metrics and also few reads related to the impact of AI/automation in L&D.

?? What's your current favorite learning-related resource, writer/speaker, anecdote or quote?

Pradheep: There's a few I'd like to call out as go-to resources:

- Learning-related resources: Articles from Association for Talent Development (ATD), Harvard Business Review (HBR), Forbes, Brandon Hall, and a few other on-the-go, random L&D reads.

- Writer/Speaker: Clark Quin, Cathy Moore & recently David James’s L&D podcast

- Quote: “ANYONE WHO STOPS LEARNING IS OLD, WHETHER AT TWENTY OR EIGHTY.” — HENRY FORD

Please join the discussion via the comments, and check back at #3Q4 to follow this series.

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