Surfacing Problems: The Gift of Failure

People and Performance Podcast

What happens when you treat problems as gifts rather than obstacles? According to Mike Taylor, cybersecurity professional at Nationwide and instructor at Franklin University's instructional design program, this mindset shift creates the foundation for powerful organizational learning.
During this enlightening conversation with host Chris Bjorling, Mike challenges conventional L&D wisdom by emphasizing the critical importance of audience understanding before content creation. "If you have one size fits all, it really means one size fits none," he explains, advocating for learning experiences that are simple, relevant to specific roles, and emotionally resonant with learners.
Mike offers a refreshing perspective on failure and conflict, sharing a transformative moment when a former boss taught him to welcome problems: "If you don't know about the problems, you can't fix them." This philosophy extends to his views on artificial intelligence in leadership development, where he encourages organizations to experiment now rather than being left behind—comparing today's AI hesitancy to early resistance toward email adoption.
Looking toward 2025 and beyond, Mike articulates why learning itself represents the ultimate competitive advantage. "In an uncertain world, the learners will win," he quotes, emphasizing that success will go to organizations that can learn and apply new knowledge faster than competitors. This requires not just teaching content but teaching people how to learn effectively through psychological safety—environments where employees aren't afraid to fail and can surface problems openly.
The conversation concludes with insights from Mike's co-authored book "Train Like a Marketer," which explores how L&D professionals can adopt marketing techniques to better capture attention and influence behavior. Connect with Mike on LinkedIn, through his L&D newsletter at mike-taylor.org, or discover his book at trainlikeamarketer.com.

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Talking About Ways To Improve Company Culture and People Performance

The People and Performance Podcast is a show that dives into all things related to raising performance in the working world around us. We investigate how technology and HR processes are inextricably linked to the employee experience and the bottom line.

Chris Bjorling, Co-host

Christopher Bjorling is President at Fidello Inc., a consulting and services firm specializing in improving human performance.

For over 30 years Chris has led Fidello in creating unique talent management solutions. Through the products and services he and his team have created over the years, his organization has helped clients design, develop, implement and integrate talent management processes and systems.

Bill Banham, Co-host

Bill Banham, Publisher at The HR Gazette, Host of the popular HRchat Podcast and Organizer of events such as DisruptHR London.

Bill has worked with lots of business tech and HR-focused brands in the UK and North America including HRreview, TalentCulture, HRmarketer, Sprigg HR, and Team Fitness Tool.

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