Introduction to the Book: The CEO's Guide to Training, eLearning & Work.
For five years I’ve been working on a new book. Here I share an introduction.
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Author's Note:
The book: The CEO's Guide to Training, eLearning & Work: Empowering Learning for a Competitive Advantage. You can learn more about the book at the book's website (https://www.ceosguide.net/) or on Amazon (https://amzn.to/4674JGS).
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Preface
In the book, I write as if I'm writing to a CEO, letting him/her/they know how to manage their learning function to get a competitive advantage. I tell CEOs how they might manage us better and I tell them how they can get the most out of our good work.
The book is not just intended for CEOs and other senior leaders. It's also intended for us, learning and performance professionals, so we can empower ourselves to our full potential.
The book has received advance praise from leaders in the workplace learning field, including by the following people: 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗻, 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸, 𝗘𝗹𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗔𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗶, 𝗚𝘂𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗺𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗴, 𝗝𝗼𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀, 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗹 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗽, 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗠𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻, 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗢𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗡𝗶𝗸𝗸𝗶 𝗩𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼, 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗘. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸, 𝗥𝗼𝗯 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗳𝗳, 𝗥𝗼𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸, 𝗥𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗲.
What’s In this Article?
In this article, I’m going to tell you why I wrote the book and what I hope the book will accomplish. Writing the book has been a labor of love for me. It’s been a way for me, at age 65, to bring my life’s work together. It’s been a way for me to give back to the workplace learning field—to honor the dedicated professionals who have given their days, their energy, and their passion to the work, even when obstacles and frustrations made the work hard.
The book is also a way for me to introduce a new imperative for us as learning-and-performance professionals. When we think of our role in helping our organizations, when we think of our role in supporting the businesses we work for; we must become sophisticated business people. We must not just aim to create impact—that goal is often too fuzzy in practice. We must aim to create for our organizations and our learners a competitive advantage.
Two Audiences, One Overarching Goal
The book has this title: The CEO’s Guide to Training, eLearning & Work: Empowering Learning for a Competitive Advantage. It has two audiences and one overarching purpose.
For Senior Leaders and Managers -- I write the book for senior leaders and other organizational managers. I want them to know how they can support and manage their learning teams to create a competitive advantage.
For Us as Learning Professionals -- I write the book for workplace learning professionals. I want us to be partners with other organizational leaders. I want us to empower ourselves by building our capabilities and by having confidence in our work and practices. We owe it to ourselves and our profession to be assertive in utilizing proven practices—those forged in the crucible of scientific research, and those discerned after rigorous learning evaluation.
The goal of the book is written in the subtitle: Empowering Learning for a Competitive Advantage. We learning-and-performance professionals do important work. We help people in their current jobs. We help them in their careers. We help them with their sense of identity and their confidence. We help our organizations be stronger, more resilient, more competitive. Our work has ripple effects out in the world. It helps employees do well in their work. It helps them with their finances. It helps their families and communities. It helps society and nations and can contribute to the environs of all stakeholders. If we are empowered, the people and organizations around us are enriched.
The book is designed to give senior leaders the tools they need to better support our work. This is a crucial means of moving toward empowerment, but it is frail in comparison to building our own capabilities, confidence, and assertiveness. When we hit roadblocks that make it difficult for us to be effective, we must not just gripe, we must energize ourselves to achieve excellence. We must never grovel nor submit when we know how to create effective learning and performance. We must empower ourselves and feel empowered—not for us, but to enable us to help others be successful.
What’s In the Book?
I write the book as if I’m having a conversation with a CEO. I tell CEOs that training works; that there is a ton of research on that, and that the research shows that we are getting more effective every year. I also let them know that training doesn’t work in a vacuum; that other supports are necessary to maximize effectiveness. I tell them that training may not be the answer. That other performance improvement methods might be better.
I also tell senior leaders that there is an incredible body of research available and the best learning teams are using the science of learning to get a competitive advantage—even being more effective than the average learning team by 50 or 100%! I tell CEOs some secrets that we don’t like to think about. For example, I share that most of the data we show them is “crap data,” that it is mostly meaningless and doesn’t help their learning teams (us) make good decisions. I tell CEOs how to evaluate and hire their Chief Learning Officers. I offer three or four full pages of things to look for in evaluating their CLOs and learning teams.
I provide a number of easily implementable practices that learning teams can use to be more effective. I share information about workflow learning hacks, generative AI, the performance sciences, learning evaluation, leadership development, how to use research, and how to think about learning strategy.
The book has 50 super-short chapters, most two pages long. There are also extensive chapter notes at the back of the book for people who want to learn more; with tons of research citations supporting the ideas in the chapters.
Nine Sections
There are nine sections of the book:
Section 1 – Foundations to Get You Started
Section 2 – Fundamentals of Learning Practice
Section 3 – Learning and Technology
Section 4 – The Powerful Practicality of the Learning Sciences
Section 5 – The Performance Sciences and Performance Triggers
Section 6 – Making Research Work for Your Learning Team
Section 7 – Fixing the Crap Data Problem
Section 8 – Advanced Topics
Section 9 – Managing Your Learning Team
Fifty Chapters
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Chapter 2 – First Do No Harm
Chapter 3 – Training & Development Related to Organization Success
Chapter 4 – Weakness at the Heart of the Learning Field
Chapter 5 – Remembering and Forgetting
Chapter 6 – Author’s Introduction
Chapter 7 – How to Use this Book
Chapter 8 – Learning Data is Often Crap Data
Chapter 9 – Other Learning Evaluation Failures
Chapter 10 – Training is NOT Always the Answer
Chapter 11 – Training Does NOT Work Alone
Chapter 12 – Your Learners Don’t Always Know Learning
Chapter 13 – Why Your Experts Aren’t Always Great at Teaching
Chapter 14 – Avoiding Myths and Misconceptions
Chapter 15 – Managers and Learning
Chapter 16 – Managers’ Performance Checklist
Chapter 17 – Stop Your Managers from Demanding Stupid Stuff
Chapter 18 – Technology and Learning
Chapter 19 – Classroom Training vs. eLearning
Chapter 20 – Large Course Repositories: Be Very Careful
Chapter 21 – Generative AI: How Learning Can Help
Chapter 22 – When Training Pollutes
Chapter 23 – The Amazing Power of Learning Research: Retrieval Practice
Chapter 24 – More Amazing Learning Research: Spacing Learning Over Time
Chapter 25 – More Amazing Learning Research: Simulating the Work Context
Chapter 26 – More Amazing Learning Research: Feedback for Learning
Chapter 27 – The Performance Sciences
Chapter 28 – Performance Activation from Within the Work Context
Chapter 20 – Prompting & Performance-Support Tools
Chapter 30 – Research and Practice in Learning
Chapter 31 – Separating Good Research from Bad
Chapter 32 – Using A-B Testing in Learning
Chapter 33 – Data should Help People Make Decisions
Chapter 34 – Learning Evaluation As Decision Support
Chapter 35 – LTEM – The Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model
Chapter 36 – Performance-Focused Learner Surveys
Chapter 37 – Customer Education
Chapter 38 – Adding Learning to Leadership Development
Chapter 39 – Integrating Values and Ideas Across Your Learning Efforts
Chapter 30 – Training to Help Your Employees
Chapter 41 – Compliance Training: Effectiveness and the Law
Chapter 42 – Learning in the Workflow
Chapter 43 – Your Learning Leader
Chapter 44 – How to Tell If Your Learning Leader is Doing a Good Job
Chapter 45 – Your Learning Team Should Have a Strategy
Chapter 46 – A Full-Factor Learning Request Process
Chapter 47 – Outsourcing Your Learning Team?
Chapter 48 – What If Your Learning Team Wins Awards?
Chapter 49 – Learning Vendor Awards are Just as Problematic
Chapter 50 – Investing in Learning for a Competitive Advantage
Writing the Book
I started writing the book five years ago. I built it up, one chapter at a time. Many times, work got in the way, and I had to put the book aside.
If I’m honest in thinking about how this book got started, I had hopes that this book would help make it easier for me to be an independent consultant. Truth be told, making a living as a consultant—while doing the extra work of sifting through scientific research—has been damn difficult. Rewarding! Yes! Always lucrative? No! Indeed, during the five years of writing this book I had to give up my consulting practice and get a real job with a steady paycheck. No crying! All the work has been valuable! But there were times over the five years that I felt serious angst that the book was languishing.
When I finally finished my first draft, I shared it with over 30 folks from the learning field—a wonderful diversity of backgrounds, experience levels, and jobs. I got tons of good advice about how to make the book better. I rewrote chapters, got rid of some, reorganized the book, dove into the fields of generative AI and customer education and did some deep reflection about workflow learning to add additional chapters. Also, there’s a ton of other logistics required behind the scenes that took time—copyediting, getting a cover designed, making marketing plans, building a Kickstarter campaign, building presentations, developing talking points—not to mention getting new ideas to improve the book.
There are a few tasks left to do, but I am very happy with the book. I think it has value and will make a difference in our work and in our credibility. Readers will be the ultimate arbiters, but already in the chapters I’ve released to the public as articles, people are reporting that the ideas shared are transforming their work. Good early news!
Book Reviewers
The following people gave me substantive feedback on the book; many reading the whole book, some providing expert guidance on specific chapters. This book would be so much worse without their critical guidance.
Adam Neaman, Christina Reagle, Clark Quinn, Debbie Smith, Dick Clark, Donald Clark, Elham Arabi, Gale Stafford, Guy Wallace, Ilona Boomsma, Jack Phillips, Jane Bozarth, Jerry Hamburg, Jos Arets, Josh Cavalier, Julie Dirksen, Karl Kapp, Kellie Chamberlain, Lance Crow, Mark Nilles, Markus Bernhardt, Matt Richter, Megan Torrance, Michael Allen, Michelle Ockers, Nick Howe, Nikki Vassallo, Patti Phillips, Patti Shank, Paul Matthews, Rob Brinkerhoff, Roy Pollock, Ruth Clark, Sharon Castillo, Stella Lee, Steve Foreman, Thomas Harrell, Vince Han.
Notable Testimonials
Here are testimonials the book has received, in alphabetical order by first name:
Will Thalheimer has once again provided us with essential wisdom. In his inimitable style, he lays out the flaws in the L&D business, peppered with the too-often neglected realities of how humans learn. This is a book that needs to be understood throughout the organization, from the CEO down to L&D.
Clark Quinn, Quinnovation.com, Research-to-Practice Consultant, Speaker, Author
Will has written a book that is passionate and pithy. He’s not taking it anymore. After a lifetime researching and reflecting on what not to do, he’s come up with a two–barrel shotgun blast that says – listen up – let’s stop mucking around and get this right. It’s a plan… no a masterplan… by a master of his craft.
Donald Clark, Author of AI for Learning and other books
The book is a most remarkable collection and an indispensable resource for not just the CEOs, but any learning professional – whether at expert or entry level. It also proves a valuable text for master’s programs offering an in-depth research-backed glimpse of all the intricacies that go into the work and decisions for training and performance support.
Elham Arabi, PhD Researcher, Speaker, Global Learning Consultant at Higher Ed. & Corporate
There are so many things I like about Will Thalheimer's latest book, The CEO's Guide to Training, eLearning & Work. Will anchors learning to performance requirements, encourages collaboration between L&D and business stakeholders, and guides us to the learning sciences and away from poor practices influenced by myths and misunderstandings in learning practice.
Guy W. Wallace, President, EPPIC (retired)
(Fanboy. When people ask me about Will that's what I say.) I admired Will's work from afar for more than a decade then close up for a year. I learned something in every article, post, and conversation. This book gets to the heart of the matter: how to make learning work. Direct, research-informed, and clear… just what every leader needs. Highly recommend!
Jerry Hamburg Performance Consultant
Will Thalheimer's book is an indispensable resource for CEOs and learning leaders who are serious about cultivating talent and driving performance in their organizations. With a laser-sharp focus on empirical evidence and practical strategies, Thalheimer demystifies the complex world of corporate learning. He goes beyond the conventional wisdom to offer a guide that is thought-provoking, evidence-informed and actionable. This book is a must-read for anyone committed to fostering a culture of continuous learning. It provides the tools to recognize and utilize the inherent potential of learning in organizations. Thalheimer's expertise shines throughout the pages, making it an authoritative text that will undoubtedly contribute to the future of the learning field.
Jos Arets
Will Thalheimer writes the book so many in our field need. It is aimed at CEOs and they need to read it but, really and truly, anyone in the L&D field would benefit from the ideas, concepts, and advice expertly presented by Dr. Thalheimer. Buy multiple copies of this book and share with the executive as well as the L&D leadership teams. The entire organization will be better for it.
Dr. Karl M. Kapp Professor of Instructional Design and Technology at Commonwealth University and an expert on the convergence of learning, technology, and business.
No kidding, I’m buying copies of this for my entire team and our clients, too. Whether you’re the CEO, a senior leader, someone with a great idea for a course, or you can simply spell the acronym, this is the wake-up call that you need about the training you’re developing. Will pulls no punches.
Megan Torrance, Chief Energy Officer, Torrance Learning
An essential read for both L&D leaders and CEOs, Thalheimer's book is a crucial tool for enhancing the synergy between senior executives and L&D. It not only deepens the dialogue on elevating L&D's impact but also fosters a stronger, more aligned relationship for organizational growth.
Michelle Ockers, Organisational Learning Strategist, Learning Uncut
Will does an exceptional job of encouraging the C-suite to actively engage in the learning process while also holding learning professionals accountable to business impact. The CEO’s Guide is for all executives and learning professionals who want to increase employee engagement, develop productive teams, and show meaningful improvement at the organizational level.
Nikki Vassallo, MBA, CPTD Vice President Learning and Development, Workers Credit Union
After reading most of what has been written on the management, design and evaluation of training and performance improvement over the past couple of decades, I have no qualms about recommending this engaging, succinct, evidence-based, and accurate discussion as absolutely the best. Will Thalheimer not only describes what needs to happen in all organizations but clearly points out what is most often happening in training that works against the bottom line, how to get rid of the negatives and what should replace them. The book also clearly and accurately describes the myths and misconceptions that often support expensive but damaging initiatives. Problematic training initiatives exist in all large organizations and are not a popular topic, but the best outcomes most often begin by acknowledging, eliminating and/or changing programs and beliefs that are preventing success. It is rare for anyone to have Will’s broad and deep knowledge and experience in organizational management, learning and performance research, as well as expertise in training design and development. He has not only done all that but can write in a way that engages, entertains, and enlightens readers. Many of us who have invested our careers in this area look to him to answer questions and pull it all together in a useful way. Now this book provides his excellent summary of what we know that would be useful to managers at all levels. I’m often frustrated by authors who discuss needs in a general way but fail to clearly describe how to accomplish a desired program or strategy. This book excels at describing how to do what is recommended.
Richard E. Clark, Professor Emeritus, USC, Legendary Learning Researcher
Another excellent offering from Will Thalheimer who does the heavy research lifting and provides straightforward and practical guidance. Ignore at your peril.
Robert Brinkerhoff, Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University and Research Advisor Promote International
You won’t like this book, which is exactly why you must read it. Will Thalheimer continues his no-nonsense, no-holds-barred style to speak truth to power: to tell business leaders what they need—but don’t necessarily want—to hear about the current effectiveness of training & development and what to do about it.
Roy V.H. Pollock, DVM, PhD Chief Learning Officer, The 6Ds Company, Co-author, The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning
Make a short investment of your time for a big return. Read this book. Encourage anyone associated with workforce learning to read this book. Then apply the wisdom packed in the short conversational chapters to maximize your organizational ROI in performance improvement.
Ruth Clark, Legendary Author, Learning Research Translator
The complex world of L&D is distilled into an essential guide for any senior leaders to digest in 'The CEO's Guide to Training, E-learning, and Work'. The book's brilliance lies in its clarity and directness, making sophisticated L&D concepts accessible and actionable. What impresses me the most is how each chapter unfolds as a revelation, challenging conventional wisdom and offering practical insights. The author's expertise shines through in the honest, relatable, and often humorous narrative, effortlessly guiding leaders through the fundamentals of learning and performance support practices and the nuanced world of evaluation and research. This isn't just a book; it's a roadmap for CEOs and learning professionals alike, empowering them to unlock the full potential of their teams and make learning a pivotal aspect of their success. An indispensable guide in the ever-changing era of workforce development and organizational learning.
Stella Lee, Paradox Learning Inc.
How To Learn More
THE BOOK. You can learn more about the book at the book's website (https://www.ceosguide.net/) or on Amazon (https://amzn.to/4674JGS).
LTEM. (The Learning-Transfer Evaluation Model) is rapidly replacing older evaluation models. I invite you to join me in the LTEM Boot Camp open-enrollment workshop or contact me to arrange a private Boot Camp for your organization. LTEM Boot Camp LEARN MORE.
My Website. To access my research-to-practice reports, my blog, job aids, and get an introduction to my consulting services. WorkLearning.com/.
Coaching. I'm available as a coach, and offer a pay-what-you-can pricing option. Check out my coaching options.
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Sr. Manager | Sr. Business Analyst - Instructional Designer
1yI can’t wait for my book!! Congratulation
Entrepreneur | Investor | Author | SCORE Mentor
1yIn his latest book, The CEO's Guide to Training, Learning & Work, Thalheimer asks, “Do Senior Leaders need an understanding the professional competencies required by Learning Strategists?” Thalheimer says, "No...I am not providing a list of the capabilities required… Such a list is beyond the scope of this book” I believe that this omission significantly undermines his book’s purpose. He writes, “I’m specifically not including one because (1) such lists quickly become unwieldy and impractical, (2) capability requirements change quickly with time....” (He) further says he doesn’t do this because he doesn’t want to micromanage.” Does this really ring true? No. Employers are already focused on developing "Durable Skills". These skills signal readiness and adaptability and stand the test of time. Why can’t he list the "Durable Skills" Learning Strategists need? Thalheimer has these skills himself. He knows where the "Holy Grail" is. Yes? Why? Will sees the weakness and adds, “Note...that...your learning team should consider and plan for the capabilities they need to build…” Why not help to define, assess, prioritize, and align Learning Strategists' skills to their job-specific outcomes (Deliverables) - with Senior Leaders? .
Leernoveren - want de wereld vraagt erom
1yMaaike Bouwma Niki Moeken Sis van Ulden Attie Kingma
The Thiagi Group and Co-Organizer of The Learning Development Accelerator
1yWill… you have a book coming out? 🤪🤣 Actually, in all seriousness… I have had the honor and privilege to read an advance copy, and this is a fantastic book that meets directly the needs of several audiences. I love the book and will gift it to as many people as I can! Heck, if this book doesn’t change your life… you didn’t read it!
Learning & Performance Specialist | MSc Thesis on Knowledge Sharing | Communicator
1yFantastic Will Thalheimer. Will's knowledge and insights into Learning, Development and Performance have been a great resource to me for many years. I am really looking forward to receiving my copy (get yours on KIckstarter!). Will shared some chapters earlier (see towards the end of the newsletter for links) so you can see the great value you will be getting.