BlueCat's Shelia Austin to speak at HRD's Learning & Development Canada Summit
AI is coming for learning and development. The recent L&D Global Sentiment Survey found that the option of having AI in a company’s L&D portfolio leapt by 4.5% in 2023 – with 70% of L&D practitioners looking into incorporating AI into their internal plans.
And Shelia Austin concurs. Speaking to HRD ahead of our upcoming L&D Summit, the VP of learning and development at BlueCat says that AI will continue to be the hot topic in organizational development.
In Austin’s team, they’re currently looking at what value AI can bring to their existing tech portfolio.
“We’ve been looking at those important things we do that take up a lot of time,” she says. “To see if there are vendors or technologies that could help with that gap, so we can work on things that have a bigger impact.”
AI’s impact on learning and development
An example of this includes creating knowledge check questions at the close of a learning program. While it’s not a difficult process, it can eat into precious time – so by implementing AI here practitioners can cut that down.
“That used to take quite a lot of effort – but now you can be working on something else,” adds Austin. “[AI] is certainly changing the learning landscape I think potentially more than other areas of the business. It’s exciting and also overwhelming.
“However, this really is where learning should be taking things. AI is helping us to be more learner centric than potentially it was before. You have individuals who may learn or process information differently. AI gives them other options to obtain the knowledge that they need in order to be successful and get the skills for their job right.”
In terms of staying ahead of these emerging trends, Austin recommends L&D leaders try to set some time aside to develop themselves in this way — something she acknowledges can be daunting.
For Austin, she dedicates time every week to keep abreast of any new development in the development space.
“I hold that time sacred,” she tells HRD. “And I ask my team to do the same. I look at the usual suspects like podcasts, LinkedIn – what my network are suggesting, especially when it comes to AI. There's lots of different tools that are out there that can help.
“I also look for webinars and [things] that make me feel a little uncomfortable. What I mean by that is things that I'm not 100% sure on - I may not be connected to the topic as much because it may make me feel a little uncomfortable. That usually means it’s something I need to learn and understand a little bit more so I can bring back to the business.”
Austin also relies heavily on her team – oftentimes picking up tips from their experiences and opinions.
“We definitely do a ton of sharing,” she says. “I think that is the essence of any learning development team.”
‘My team is laser focused on wellness’
Another piece of the L&D platform at BlueCat in 2024 will be a renewed focus on wellbeing, especially with the acquisition of two organizations last year and the setup of a large office in Serbia.
“With that comes different challenges and thoughts,” says Austin, who will be speaking at HRD’s upcoming L&D Summit.
“Everything from translating conversations to how different employees feel in different parts of the world to how we connect with people. My team is laser focused on wellness – and within that people leadership piece it’s no different to how it was before that global conversation. How do you connect with your employees? And I'm not talking about connecting over Zoom, I'm talking about connecting with an individual or your team when you potentially don't see them on a regular basis.”
They may, as Austin points out, have different cultural requirements which means that leaders need to be agile, compassionate and well-informed when connecting with new people.
“Getting people leaders the right training and development is important,” she says. “And then, because our business is growing, skills development is key. The skills that are needed now, as opposed to five years when I joined the organization, are very different. Different certifications are needed, our customers need different things, our partners need different things - so keeping that in mind are [the main] things that swirl around at BlueCat.”
‘I like to lead hands-off’
Understanding that need to evolve not only business strategy but personal skills and development is something close to Austin’s heart. At BlueCat, their approach to L&D is wholly unique, with Austin herself having started as a one-woman development guru.
“Five years ago, I was the first person on our team,” she tells HRD. “The team has obviously grown - we've taken on more and more parts of the business. I would say my leadership style to a fault is that I lead hands off. And I say to a fault sometimes because I'm super upfront when people join the team that I expect them to put up their hand if they need help.
“I will give them the support when they need it, but I really like people to have a ton of autonomy. Not everybody needs to or wants to be led like that and I think that that's a really important callout. Some people need a lot more hand holding. Nobody likes the word micromanager but some people need more structure.”
And at BlueCat, they seem to have found that balance between autonomy and comradery.
“My team has been successful by saying ‘Hey, I need help here.’ [It’s about] really owning their own project. I'd say that's how I lead and it's certainly evolved over time as I've become more comfortable in my own shoes and my team has felt more comfortable.”
Want to learn more about exciting new developments in the filed of L&D? Register for HRD’s upcoming L&D Summit here.
