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Practical Advice for Closing the Gap between Learning and Achieving
Training Industry Magazine: Mind the Gap Issue features leadership experts and columnists Marshall Goldsmith and Sam Shriver, who share practical …
Every year, the Association for Talent Development (ATD) International Conference and Expo serves as an opportunity for learning and development enthusiasts to connect, share best practices and learn from one another. This past May, our team was proud to return to ATD as a platinum-level sponsor once again. Our team had the chance to connect with both new and longtime clients, participate in hands-on workshops, like our Global Master Trainer Chris McLean’s “Data Driven Insights for Leading Change” session, which was featured on Day 1, and take in fresh perspectives from the many outstanding keynote sessions.
From the thought-provoking panels to the countless conversations with attendees, our team noticed a few key themes emerge:
Unsurprisingly, AI was one of the most defining themes at this year’s conference. Many within the L&D community seem to be leveraging AI in a few different ways, including:
Overall, the message seems to be that AI will accelerate and enhance—not replace—learning design!
AI is a scalable, practical tool—but one that still requires human oversight, control and alignment. The real challenge with AI is our collective readiness. Most of us seem to be either energized or overwhelmed by AI’s potential, which has stunted our ability to utilize it as the powerful tool it is. As one session on the topic estimated, have basic AI literacy.1
That being said, as understanding and familiarity with AI in the learning community grows, it will be seen less as a threat and more as an asset. AI will unquestionably change how we work, but that change is most likely to be transformative, not catastrophic.
What stood out to us throughout this event was the growing focus on innovation within the L&D space. We know that innovation is not just the byproduct of evolving technology. While AI is a major part of this shift, it’s just one example. The bigger story is how learning professionals are moving beyond traditional models to build faster, smarter and more user-focused learning.
We came across a number of conversations about how innovation is being integrated into every facet of learning and development, with a few notable examples:
Learning professionals are reimagining how they design, deliver and sustain learning so they can provide experiences that better meet the evolving needs of learners. The message is clear: Status quo solutions no longer suffice. Innovation will be continuous and necessary in the coming years.
If there was one clear takeaway from 2025 ATD’s content sessions (Leadership Development; Trust; How the Brain Works; The Science of Great Teams; etc.), it would have to be psychological safety:
Psychological safety is more than just an industry buzzword—it’s the invisible foundation of effective learning, inclusive company culture and high-performing teams. At its core, psychological safety is about creating space for individuals to share ideas, take risks, ask questions and even make mistakes without fear of judgment or punishment. And in today’s fast-paced, dynamic work environments, building that kind of trust with individual contributors is essential. It’s not a feel-good gesture; it’s a strategic investment that fuels engagement, retention and long-term business success.
And while there will forever be ongoing debate regarding the particulars of what leaders need to do to successfully foster psychological safety, there is very little debate on what those leaders need to avoid. There are a handful of leadership behaviors that many sessions pointed out are universally agreed to undermine leaders’ efforts to build psychological safety. These include:
Ultimately, however, creating psychological safety isn’t about following a perfect formula but rather setting the intention to prioritize respect in every interaction. What it all boils down to is this: Psychological safety is a must-have for any modern organization, and processes need to be in place to teach leaders to create that psychological safety through mindful and consistent action.
Overall, this ATD conference reinforced one powerful idea: the future of leadership and development can be found at the intersection of innovation and human-centered leadership. The conversations from this year’s event serve to remind us that real progress happens when we empower our people and get comfortable working outside of our comfort zones. We’re especially grateful to have had the opportunity to connect with so many passionate leadership professionals who are already championing these ideas in their organizations.
A special thank-you to our incredible team who represented our organization so well at the conference, and especially to Britt Evans (Instructional Designer) and Robin Pennington (Learning Development Consultant), who attended sessions, took copious notes and help us capture the key insights from this conference. As with every year we attend ATD, we’re leaving this conference energized by what we’ve learned and excited to continue using these ideas to help shape the L&D industry in the year ahead. We hope to see you next year in Los Angeles for ATD 2026!
1Rintz W. Developing AI literacy. Presented at: 2025 ATD Conference; May 22, 2025; Washington, DC.
