Learning to Fly

Matt Ash is the Director of Learning Performance at Media Zoo. He's also the man with no name gunslinger who is here to clean up the town  armed with with some badass tattoos and a gun called truth. I'm rambling but you get what I mean. We need more Matt Ash's in the industry shining a light on the good stuff and calling bullshit on the stuff that just doesn't matter. And asking the questions...

Joining  Touch n Go , one of the most prominent payment technology enterprises in Malaysia, in early 2020 as Head of Learning and Development has certainly been interesting timing for  Dr Amina Kayani.  Having met in KL in January, our  Inspire Group Asia   CEO James McCulloch  catches up with Dr Amina to see how she has found 2020 so far, and what reflections on this drawing on both her wide acad...

Jennifer Young  is a recovering-admitted-lawyer-turned-Workplace-Wellbeing-Consultant, Resilience Coach, Facilitator and Writer. She has worked in public sector leadership development, corporate instructional design, start-up growth and with  y outh/ y oung adults, with a focus on emotional wellbeing, transformational human development, innovation and intergenerational collaboration. In this episo...

Given the events of 2020 so far, it's good to check in with someone who lives and breathes corporate communications, and has a great overview of one of the largest economic sectors in Malaysia. But Varian Ignatius also has an incredible curiosity, energy and a clarity that can help us focus on how we shape and evolve our leadership and communication in this truly disrupted 2020. Here, he shares th...

If you follow  Photobook Worldwide on LinkedIn (and we highly recommend you do) you will have seen some great posts and initiatives designed to enhance workplace culture and wellbeing during the Covid lockdown - and they worked! To find out more, our Inspire Group Asia   CEO, James McCulloch  caught up with  Photobook Worldwide  Talent and Culture Manager,  Joachim Ooi . “I have learnt that it's m...

Lets keep the fires burning people! Lori Niles-Hofmann is a dead-set legend in the learning world. A Senior Learning EdTech Transformation Strategist, Lori is one of the many voices that is calling out the poor practice (and getting blocked for doing so) while at the same time sharing her practical knowledge for how learning can play a key role in designing a better future for businesses and the p...

As Executive VP for Human Resouces for TDCX, one of the biggest business process outsource partners in Asia, Lim Chee Gay is a busy man in ‘normal’ times, let alone this turbulent, challenging 2020. But he is also someone who, through careful discipline and time management, makes time for balance, reflection, learning and fun too. How? What drives him? And what has he learnt from his leadership jo...

Michelle Power is GM Capability and is power and positivity personified. If we could bottle and sell Michelle's mindset and way of working then the world would be a better place. We unpack some of where this all comes from and how its informed the type of leader she is today. Enjoy!

Liza Bennett has worked in the FMCG arena for her entire career. She has used the last 25 years to learn the ins and outs of the supply industry and now she has courageously (with her husband Tony) bought her first Four Square store in Riverview, Wanganui. With an extensive background and career, as well as being the daughter of a Mitre10 Mega owner, Liza has always wanted to own her own store, an...

Special Edition of Learning to Fly – I’m joined by the one and only Matt Smith as we rage against the machine. The machine can be content (which isn’t learning), poor learning design, the state of the learning industry, thought leadership, you name it – its time to rage against what’s broke. Plus share some ideas around changes that can be made so the learning machine is a force for good, not pain...

Inspire Group CEO Dan Tohill interviews Inspire Group Leadership Development Manager  Nic Veltman on the topic of mindset and leadership and why it's so important. "Everybody talks about growth mindset and how you can only achieve outcomes, goals and aspirations if you have a growth mindset. I completely disagree. I truly believe that everyone has both a growth mindset and a fixed mindset and they...

In this fascinating conversation Dan Tohill interviews Andrei Hedstrom, CEO & Co-Founder of Sweetrush , an award-winning and industry leading learning company that operates globally and has been operating virtually for over 10 years. They cover Andrei's history in the industry and the story of how he came to co-found Sweetrush. They also discuss the disruption caused by the global pandemic and how...

Wan Zainal is a busy guy: MD of edotco Group Malaysia and CRO for SE Asia, plus Chair of Onsite Utility Services. But equally dedicated to creating the discipline and routines to ensure he has also time and energy to make music, create a recording space and knock off a few extreme sport challenges too. Wan Z has met our Inspire Group Asia CEO James McCulloch a few times, but in this extremely soci...

As the HR Director for Samsung Malaysia, and proudly wearing his Samsung #dowhatyoucant t shirt, you’d expect Fong Tuan Chen to have a few views on 2020 so far, where things are heading, and what this means for HR leaders. And he certainly did! In a wide ranging chat with our Inspire Group Asia CEO, James McCulloch, FT reinforces how the workplace, roles and leadership itself is all evolving- but...

Jenny Mowat is the GM Capability at Tabcorp. She always has a genuine focus on the needs of her people and has some real insights into where the capability gaps will be in her organisation going forward, as we move through these transitional times. And she would've been a superb teacher had she chosen that career path. Enjoy!

How does a company like IPG Mediabrands Malaysia adapt in just 24 hours to the immediate requirements of a lockdown, whilst still enhancing team and client working- and all with kindness, empathy and compassion. IPG Mediabrands Malaysia CEO Bala Pomaleh shares a few insights and reflections from the past few weeks with our Inspire Group Asia CEO James McCulloch Feedback: Any feedback or ideas on h...

Our Inspire Group Asia CEO James McCulloch catches up with PTHR Chief People Officer Broch Cleminson. Broch, having recently returned to Australia from working in the UK as part of the global cultural advisory work at PTHR, had some great things to share on how we can best look after our teams, our clients and ourselves in this challenging and changing time. Feedback: Any feedback or ideas on how...

Aidan Stoate interviews Lisa King the Founder of Eat My Lunch about how they managed to adapt and lead their teams during the COVID-19 lockdown. In this episode they cover how: imposed change helped with innovation. they inspired and lead their people by leading through example. quick decision making and decisive action kept their team focused, calm and able to adapt under pressure. their purpose...

Sarah Appleby is the Learning Experience Manager at Squiz and one hell of a good human and learning designer/thinker. Its always great to catch up with her and get her thoughts on where we're at and where we are going. And this chat is no different.

In this episode Dr David Keane shares with us valuable insights on success and leadership behaviours based on his cumulative years of experience and his book The Art of Deliberate Success: The 10 Behaviours of Successful People . He also shares his definition of success and provides some really useful and practical tips that everyone can apply to achieving success in these challenging times.   Dr...

Bill Adamson is an Osteopath that is widely experienced in Biomechanics, Rehabilitation and the Neuroscience of pain. He lectures at RMIT, clinically educates 5th year Osteo students at VU, Presidents at Osteopathy Australia and, contrary to his glass eyed aesthetic, captain/coaches a community football in his spare time. Having worked with elite athletes, nursing home Nonna’s, Weekend Warriors, o...

Assessment and Evaluation Stu and Dan share their perspectives on learning design around assessment and evaluation.  "It's the one and done, it's the tick-box style of learning that is a missed opportunity. We really need to move an organisation along to becoming a learning organisation as opposed to being an organisation that does learning." Feedback: Any feedback or ideas on how we can make this...

Louise Duncan, Managing Director of TetraMap International, shares how the system helps people to communicate, build trust, collaborate and get through life’s challenges. With the current Covid-19 situation, the TetraMap framework (Firm, Clear, Calm and Bright) can be very effective in ensuring clarity in communication and ensure reach and engagement with a diverse audience. At Inspire Group we've...

Robine Stephenson is the founder of Ahoyhoy which she's about to launch in the midst of a global pandemic. That takes guts right? As well as my partner in crime and life, Beanie is the smartest person I know and there's a lot above and below the line that goes into starting a company that is looking to help people do the right work for right now. And she's just the person to make it happen and mak...

Stu Neighbour and Dan Tohill riff on what they've been learning in lockdown, and in particular what makes 'good learning'. They discuss some exemplar role models of teaching in their lives and how they've applied these ideas to their guitar practice and pursuit of continuous learning and improvement. "With all good learning you need to answer: Why should I care about this? Why does it matter? With...