Google Ad #1 - desktop - 728x90

Google Ad #3 - desktop - 728x90

Google Ad #1 - mobile - 300x200

Google Ad #3 - mobile - 300x200

ATD_Half_Page

Googel Ad #1 - Side Bar - Content pages

ATD Footer Logo

Mike Berger

The Management Obsolescence Inventory

Every year, companies spend billions on transformation initiatives—digital rollouts, new systems, reorganizations, mergers. Yet the sobering reality remains: 70–85 percent of these efforts fail to meet their intended goals. The reasons vary from poor communication and unrealistic timelines to underfunded training, but underneath nearly every failure lies the same root cause: lack of stakeholder readiness.Leaders meticulously track budgets, milestones, and performance metrics. They rarely measure the human side, the one factor that determines whether a transformation succeeds or stalls. Employees’ willingness, confidence, and capacity to adopt change have often been treated as intangible, immeasurable, or “soft.” But in today’s competitive landscape, where speed and adoption determine ROI, readiness can no longer be left to chance. Stakeholder Readiness: The Critical Missing Metric Think about it, would you launch a product without customer research? Or enter a new market without data on demand? Of course not. Yet organizations frequently roll out transformations without understanding whether their employees are ready to embrace, resist, or reject the change.Readiness is not simply a measure of training completed or emails sent. It’s a multidimensional view of:Attitude – Do employees see value in the change? Commitment – Are leaders at all levels visibly championing it? Engagement – Are people involved and responding favorably? Bias – Are past experiences, roles, or other factors shaping perceptions? These are not abstract ideas. They directly determine whether employees log into the new system, follow new processes, and ultimately deliver on the promise of transformation. Why Measuring Readiness Matters1. Predicting Adoption Success. Without readiness data, leaders operate in the dark. Measuring readiness provides a leading indicator of adoption outcomes, allowing organizations to predict risks before they derail projects.2. Reducing Costs and Delays. Every stalled rollout, missed deadline, or low-utilization scenario translates into wasted investment. By uncovering pockets of resistance early, organizations can target interventions where they are needed most, saving millions in rework and lost productivity.3. Accelerating Change. When leaders understand how ready people are, they can tailor communications, training, and support strategies. This targeted approach shortens adoption timelines by weeks or even months, accelerating the return on investment.4. Building Resilient Cultures. Readiness measurement sends a powerful message: your voice matters. When employees see that their perceptions are acknowledged and addressed, they are more likely to engage positively, strengthening resilience for future transformations. From Intuition to Intelligence Historically, organizations have relied on intuition, surveys, focus groups, or anecdotal feedback to gauge readiness. These methods are often slow, biased, and fragmented. The good news is that advances in AI and behavioral science now allow leaders to measure readiness with the same rigor as financials or customer satisfaction.By capturing and analyzing employee input, leaders can now track real-time commitment, motivation, and engagement patterns. This data can be distilled into a Net Readiness Score™, a single KPI that benchmarks readiness across the enterprise. With one metric, leaders gain visibility into where adoption is thriving, where it’s lagging, and what actions will make the most significant impact.In an era where change is constant, organizations can no longer afford to treat readiness as optional. The companies that will thrive are those that make stakeholder readiness measurable, actionable, and central to strategy. And when you can measure readiness, you can accelerate adoption, reduce resistance, and unlock the true ROI. 

Why Measuring Readiness Is the Missing Link in Organizational Transformation

In today’s workplace, change is no longer a possibility; it is a certainty. New technologies, reorganizations, remote work structures, evolving market demands, and shifting employee expectations all contribute to a business landscape in constant flux. While organizational change can be swift—announced in a meeting, implemented through a software rollout, or triggered by a merger—true transformation takes time. This is because the real challenge is not the event itself but the human transition that follows.Change vs. Transition: Why the Difference MattersIt is easy to confuse “change” with “transition,” but they are fundamentally different concepts. Change is external; it happens to people. It may be the new manager, the updated policy, or the system upgrade. Transition, on the other hand, is internal. It is the emotional and psychological process individuals go through as they come to terms with that change.Understanding this distinction is critical for anyone in a leadership, human resources, or learning and development role. When organizations focus solely on the mechanics of change, the logistics, communication plans, and deadlines, they risk overlooking the very people who must live through and make sense of the shift. This oversight can lead to resistance, disengagement, and even burnout.Why the Human Element Is EssentialEmployees’ experiences change differently depending on their roles, backgrounds, and personal situations. For one individual, a new initiative might be exciting; for another, it may be deeply unsettling. The speed at which an organization pushes change often does not match the pace at which individuals are able or willing to process it.Leaders who understand the human side of change are better equipped to support their teams. They recognize that it is not enough to announce what is different. They must also create space for employees to grieve what is lost, explore what is new, and ultimately embrace what is next. This requires empathy, active listening, and a strategic approach to learning and development.Building Change Competency: A Universal SkillChange management is not just for consultants or executives. It is a critical skill set for professionals across all industries and levels. Whether you are a frontline manager helping your team adjust to a new workflow or a training specialist designing programs to support a major organizational shift, your ability to guide others through the transition can significantly influence the initiative’s success.For this reason, more professionals are seeking formal education or certifications in this area. Programs focused on workplace training and leadership or human resource development provide more than theoretical knowledge. They offer practical, people-centered skills that today’s workplaces demand. Students learn how to design interventions that support employees emotionally and cognitively, how to assess readiness, and how to build resilient, adaptive cultures.The Value of Structured Learning in Change ManagementStudying change management in a structured academic setting allows deeper exploration than on-the-job experience alone. It provides a research-based foundation, encouraging reflection, discussion, and applied practice. Students engage with real-world case studies, learn from peers across industries, and explore tools that can be customized for any workplace context.This kind of preparation becomes even more valuable as organizations face disruption. Those with formal training in the dynamics of change are more likely to anticipate resistance, communicate with clarity, and foster collaboration across departments. They do not simply react to change; they help lead it.Thriving Through Change, Not Merely SurvivingUltimately, the goal is not to manage change as a task to be completed. It is to guide people through transition in a way that builds trust, preserves morale, and unlocks potential. Employees who feel supported through uncertainty are more likely to re-engage, innovate, and grow.As the workplace evolves, professionals navigating the human side of change will be in high demand. They will serve as the bridge between strategy and execution, between leadership’s vision and employees’ lived experience. They will understand that, while change is inevitable, successful transition is intentional, and that is where the real work and opportunity lie.Investing in this understanding is not just a career advantage for learning and development professionals. It is a pathway to making a meaningful, lasting impact in any organization, industry, or time.Want to build your change management skills? ATD’s Change Management Certificate prepares you to lead organizational change initiatives.

Leading Through the Storm: The Human Side of Change Management

The worldwide talent development community is diverse. Our members bring a wealth of experience and insight to their work. We're spotlighting their stories.Katherine McDuffie has been a member of ATD since 2014. Here's her story in her own words.Tell us a little bit about yourself.I am an energetic talent and development professional with more than 20 years of experience as an instructor and leader. Currently, I provide quality training programs, classes, and 1:1 coaching opportunities for all employees throughout Safety National. I am goal oriented and focus on increasing company productivity, employee knowledge, engagement, and purpose in every session that is designed or delivered. Professional skills include instructor-led training, public speaking, team coaching, employee mentoring, leadership development, communication, IT, human resources, and Microsoft Office.What are your personal and professional goals?Professionally, I strive to increase my talent and development knowledge, sharpen my skills, and always be an asset to my company. Personally, I purposefully live a life filled with faith, benevolence, happiness, respect, love, and kindness.In a few words, please tell us about a “win” that you have experienced in your work?Several! I love being a resource for all learning needs and providing quality training programs, classes, and development opportunities to engage and assist associates in working smarter not harder. Recently, I developed a virtual instructor-led training session to help improve remote collaboration and reduce stress for my colleagues. It was very well received.What challenges have you overcome in your career?I think everyone faces challenges throughout their careers. In my case, besides the ever-changing world of training, I have experienced professional challenges as well. This includes a role elimination, working as a temp, being shuffled over in a merger/acquisition, losing that job, and then starting over in a lesser-titled role. However, each of those challenges has taught me so much, including to always stay focused, stay true to myself, utilize my network, be reliable, and to always be an asset to my employer.What’s the most valuable thing you’ve gained or experienced during your membership with ATD?Friendships, training trends, and networking skills.For the past several years, whether I was working or looking for work, I kept my ATD membership. The ATD membership provides so much value to a talent and development specialist because of all the offered learning events, conferences, and the invaluable shared advice from other members. I have volunteered over the years as a SIG leader and now serve on the board of directors as the VP of finance.Could you share any professional tips, specific to talent development, that you have picked up along the way?• Smile• Be creative• Respect others• Listen to all ideas• Love what you do• Be open to change• Never stop learning yourselfWhat’s a common misconception you see when it comes to talent development?I think the biggest misconception I have seen over the years, is the thought that training is not needed or it is a "one and done" deal. Learning should never end.Do you have any advice for people looking to further their careers?Be open to change, accepting of advice, and open to other people's ideas.Even if you do not agree, stop and listen to what they are saying. Really listen. It is important to hear and understand where they are coming from and the why behind their thoughts if you ever want to continue moving forward and have a working relationship.How do you stay motivated and find meaning in your work?Every morning I count my blessings and make a conscious effort to focus on the positive. When I start my workday, I do the same thing. Somedays that is not so easy because of barriers. Conversations are misunderstood, professional/personal conflicts arise, the never-ending meetings and interruptions that shift priorities, and the days where even the clock is working against you. What I do to stay motivated is identify those barriers and develop tips, mnemonics, and or classes to help myself and others reduce them. I want to help others focus on the things that are most important.The future of work is coming—and in some cases already here. In your opinion, what does the future of work look like?Bright! There are so many opportunities in the future of work to increase the power of learning. It is up to us as providers to be flexible, current, and most importantly, in tune with our learners. We need to utilize technology and AI to remove the mundane tasks so we can get the workforce back to work. I want the future's training battle cry to be, "Let's re-introduce the human value to businesses."Have your own story to tell? Share it with us.

"Let's Re-introduce the Human Value to Businesses."

The worldwide talent development community is diverse. Our members bring a wealth of experience and insight to their work. We're spotlighting their stories.Sarah Crawford has been a member of ATD since 2016. Here's her story in her own words.Tell us a little bit about yourself.I'm a California girl at heart—I was born and raised in the Golden State and love easily exploring the ocean, vineyards, and farms or the mountains and lakes. I'm a busy, active mom to three kids (one in elementary school and two in high school), a wife, a daughter, and career-long trainer and instructional designer. I've been blessed to spend my entire career thus far (more than the last 20 years) in the corporate training and talent development industry. I've worked in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, and I've been a training assistant who set up the classroom, to the one who designed the courses, to the one who conducted the train-the-trainer sessions for multiple state agencies, to managing teams, to consulting with businesses or public entities. It's been a fun ride!What are your personal and professional goals?This year my professional goals have been focused on building our local community of talent development professionals as board president of our local chapter at ATD Sacramento and expanding my experience and knowledge in topics related to employment practices, California HR law, and effective training techniques to affect real change in our workplaces. My primary personal goal has been to spend as many moments as possible with my growing kids since my oldest is reaching college age, and I feel the clock ticking on our family moments together.What challenges have you had to overcome in your career?After surviving the economic downturn but enduring mergers and acquisitions and downsizing in the early 2000s, probably the biggest career challenge was when I left full-time employment and chose to be employed as a mother full-time while also working on my master's degree in HR/OD and doing volunteer project-based work and small project-based consulting gigs.After a 14-year gap, I returned to working full-time and needed to refresh some of my skills. I didn't view it as a challenge so much as an opportunity to invest in myself to get up-to-date on technology improvements (online learning grew exponentially while I was out of the workforce) and in newer techniques in brain-based learning to be the best candidate for the positions I was applying for. ATD was helpful in providing much of that professional development.What’s the most valuable thing you’ve gained or experienced during your membership with ATD?ATD is where I went for professional development when I began my career in training and talent development, and it was where I went to get back into the workforce after I had took a break to raise my kids. I refreshed my skills and stayed current by obtaining training and practice in e-learning instructional design through partnerships our local chapter had in our community. And I networked and learned about job opportunities I probably never would have explored had I not been involved with the chapter. Since then I've expanded my expertise in online training facilitation and instructional design techniques through ATD’s workshops and certificate programs. Really, ATD has shaped my career. I don't know where I'd be without it.Can you share any professional tips, specific to talent development, that you have picked up along the way?The great Covey principle of "begin with the end in mind" really sums up my approach to talent development. Focus on the learner and what they need to be able to do to get where they want to go and build any learning experience with that as the primary focus to ensure that they're able to be successful. Too often I see educators/trainers focused on themselves and all the great things they need to impart on their student, but a participant-centered approach will be more effective, relevant, and more fun for everyone involved.What’s a common misconception you see when it comes to talent development?I hear a lot of people who aren't in the training industry who think that "training" is a waste of time or something they're mandated to do. I'm on a mission to improve those classes to make them practical and useful and change the context of mandated training to something that can make a difference. I think the training industry is morphing into this broadened definition of talent development because it expands the repertoire of tools we can use to help the workforce grow and develop—and that's a good thing.Do you have any advice for people looking to further their careers?Get involved with the professional development organization for your field of interest. Roll up your sleeves and help the volunteer leaders in that organization put on events or sessions focused on the topics that interest you. You'll learn more doing that than you ever would by just attending. If you want to build a career in training or talent development, you need to get involved with your local ATD chapter. And if you don't have one locally, start one!What is your personal definition of talent development?Unfortunately, I think many people don't really understand what talent development means. It's not from an episode of Star Search or America's Got Talent. They don't realize that it encompasses all learning and growth, from a variety of modalities. Talent development happens every time you have a question and search Google for the answer, then find an article, or class, or person who has input or steps or a theory for you to explore. Or, when you talk to others with more expertise than you and you learn from them. I think talent development is how we grow our workforce and how we grow personally.How do you stay motivated?As a busy mom, wife, working career woman, volunteer, and more, I need my downtime to recharge. I actually build it in to my daily schedule and purposefully plan multiple trips and experiences each year with my family, so I can get away from work and reset my mental state on the things that really matter. Professionally, I stay motivated by attending trainings or webcasts or reading articles about topics related to our field—always in search of practical takeaways I can use myself when teaching or in sharing as a resource to others.Have your own story to tell? Share it with us.

"Begin With the End in Mind"

 We work in a time when job burnout is common. In fact, according to The American Institute of Stress, nearly half of all American workers suffer from symptoms of burnout.  I am an expert on job burnout—self-taught and well-practiced. More than once, I worked so hard at a job I loved that ultimately I didn’t love it at all. I allowed myself to be consumed by my work. Even when I wasn’t at work, I was working. And I was at work a lot. I took work home. I went in early and stayed late. I worked through lunchtime. I went in on weekends and holidays and vacations. Eventually I was exhausted. I lost my edge. I lost confidence in my ability to do my job, so I felt I had to work all the time just to try to keep up. I was stressed. I was irritable. I had what seemed to be continual headaches and stomach aches. I was burned out. What is job burnout? The Mayo Clinic explains job burnout as “a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion combined with doubts about your competence and the value of your work.” Symptoms of burnout as listed in Psychology Today include: • chronic fatigue• insomnia• forgetfulness/impaired concentration and attention • physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath,   gastrointestinal pain, dizziness, fainting, and headaches• increased illness• loss of appetite• anxiety• depression• anger• cynicism and detachment• loss of enjoyment in work but also in life outside work• ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.What causes these symptoms? What causes burnout? Several factors get credit. • Pressure. Sometime pressure is a factor of the amount of work a person is expected to do, in what may be too short a time period. Other times, as in my situation, the pressure is self-imposed. A person dedicates extensive time to work, at the expense of family and friends and other important aspects of life, because she just really loves her work. She wants to be working. • Bosses. Working for a demanding, insensitive, controlling boss can be a big factor in burnout. Another related factor contributing to burnout is having minimal control on the job. What you do, when you do it, and how you do it is determined by someone else, generally your boss.• Co-workers. The other people you work with may contribute to your job burnout. You may not get along. You may not like them; they may not like you. The result may be conflict in your workplace. If you’re a person with little tolerance for conflict, and are in a situation in which you are expected to deal effectively with conflict, job burnout may definitely be a result.  • Change. We all know change can be stressful. Sometimes too much happens too fast. Ongoing change or excessive change in a short period of time can be a factor in job burnout. • Threats. We live in a time of turnover, management changes, buyouts, mergers and takeovers. All those things bring with them the threat of losing a job. And, the threat of working for someone new and different—and unknown. • Lack of Meaning in Your Work. The feeling your work isn’t important, or that anyone could do your job, can be a factor contributing to job burnout. Another spin on this is knowing the end result of your work is important, but feeling nonetheless that what you yourself do isn’t important.How to Prevent or Recover from BurnoutLooking back, I realize I could have prevented my job burnout.  What could I have done? If you’re in a similar situation, what can you do?  Here are four good ways to avoid burnout.1. Socialize. Spend time with family and friends. Make sure this includes friends away from work, not just co-workers.  2. Develop other interests. Take up a hobby. Go to the movies. Read a book. Make jewelry. Learn archery. The possibilities are endless.3. Exercise. Join a gym. Take up running or walking. Here’s an idea: take a walk during your lunch hour. 4. Chill. Learn to relax. Do yoga, Get a massage. Meditate. Practice deep breathing or mindfulness techniques. Job burnout isn’t a personal problem that affects only the individual. It’s not enough for an employer to tell an employee to “get over it.” In fact, job stress costs U.S. industry $300 billion annually, according to The American Institute of Stress, which defines burnout as "a disabling reaction to stress on the job" and measures absenteeism, decreased productivity, employee turnover, and direct medical, legal, and insurance fees. A change of attitude is in order—for individuals and for organizations. Job burnout is negatively impacting our lives and our pocketbooks.  Perhaps that change of attitude can begin with you as you become an example of a healthy commitment to one’s work. No doubt work is very important in our lives, but our lives don’t have to be all about work. Think about it…For more help on avoiding burnout and succeeding in your career, check out the TD at Work Career Management Collection. For instance, what strategies can you use to begin to fill gaps that you might have in your professional portfolio? Or, how can you assess what you have to offer employers, and better manage work-life balance? This 2015 TD at Work collection will guide you through answering these questions, help you showcase your professional skills, and align your personality and interests with your career.

Is Job Burnout Simply a Sign of the Times?

Jake Jacobs helps organizations, teams, and individuals make monumental changes, such as strategy implementation, culture change, mergers and acquisitions, and leadership development. During the past 35 years, he has worked in 61 industries, from high tech to manufacturing to hospitality to entertainment to financial services. Jacobs also has consulted to 96 organizations, from Fortune 50 to national nonprofits and community theaters.

Jake Jacobs

Jasmine Chen is founder and CEO of LIFE Intelligence, a science-backed training app for self, career and relationship development. A Princeton and Harvard Business School graduate, Chen had followed a traditional finance path, previously at hedge fund Marcato Capital, global private equity firm the Carlyle Group, and Mergers & Acquisitions investment banking at Merrill Lynch. She saw that type-A professionals like herself needed a practical, private, and holistic approach to well-being. This led her todevelop LIFE Intelligence, a one-stop-shop self-care app for emotional management and leadership skills, right on your phone. Her mission is to make the breadth of coaching and therapy content affordable and accessible to all: for shared coping and communication skills across workplaces and families.

Jasmine Chen

With the release of its new Talent Development Capability Model, the Association for Talent Development serves TD professionals with the most comprehensive compilation of skills, concepts, and strategies necessary to fulfill their roles. It is important to emphasize that those efforts can achieve maximum impact only when guided by a comprehensive talent management (TM) strategy.ATD’s new model groups capabilities into three domains: building personal capability, developing professional capability, and impacting organizational capability. Talent strategy and management is one of the model’s 23 capabilities and resides in the impacting organizational capability domain.A TD professional with capability in talent strategy and management will need knowledge of:talent management functions (for example, workforce planning, acquisition, employee development, performance management, and compensation and rewards)succession planning and talent review processes (for example, assessment, scenario planning, talent mobility, and critical roles identification)methods to identify the critical requirements of tasks, jobs, and roles (for example, job analysis, competency modeling, and leadership competency development),talent acquisition strategies and concepts (for example, talent mobility, employment branding, sourcing, passive and active recruiting, and onboarding), and approaches for identifying and developing high potential talent.According to Capabilities for Talent Development (ATD Press), to fulfill capability requirements, TD professionals need to be skilled at:creating and aligning the talent development vision and strategy with the organizational and business vision and strategydesigning and implementing strategic plans for talent development projects, programs, or functionsidentifying anticipated constraints or problems affecting talent development initiatives (for example, resource deficiencies or lack of support)establishing and executing a marketing strategy to promote talent developmentcommunicating how talent development strategies and solutions support the achievement of targeted business and organizational resultscommunicating the value of learning and professional developmentdeveloping workforce plans that articulate current and future talent and skill requirements designing and implementing a performance management strategy.Among TD veterans recognized for leadership in this area is Martha Soehren, who transitioned from CTDO to senior vice president of HR at Comcast in November as she prepares for a July 2020 retirement. Throughout her career, Soehren has appreciated the importance of a multifaceted talent management strategy built on fundamentals.“For a TM strategy to work effectively, it must be embraced from the top down,” she insists. “Over time, it evolves from the bottom up, especially in the evaluation of talent and the determination of successors for key roles within the organization.” She adds that it’s important to build a “holistic support system” for such activities rather than conduct them on a piecemeal basis.Those activities must be tightly connected to development, Soehren says. “Regardless of whether that development is formal or informal, internal or external, high potential or broad-based, there must be a way to help build future capabilities so that people can progress and align with both short- and long-term objectives.”But most importantly, she believes, talent management and development must be rigidly aligned with the business.“That’s not easy and people don’t always do it,” Soehren observes. “After all, it’s difficult to build those relationships that get you a ‘seat at the table.’ We have to earn that seat by showing that we’re learning the business, that we’re operationally focused, that we ‘get’ L&D, and that we achieve measurable impact to support our initiatives.”Soehren believes that some TD professionals are often “so tied up with the didactics of L&D that they overlook the connection between learning impact and business impact.” She says some have even abandoned the practice of measuring TD impacts entirely because their companies don’t expect a return-on-investment of training.“That’s sure not my world,” she muses. Comcast’s senior executives expect to know the precise difference that learning makes for employees and hold her accountable. The scenario includes a heightened priority regarding inclusion of women and people of color in the workforce.Sometimes that accountability can surface in ways one can’t envision, such as in 2014 when Comcast announced its intent to acquire Time Warner. Comcast University was ordered to identify top talent within Time Warner for possible reassignment to new roles within the combined company. For six months, Soehren and teammates visited Time Warner markets to meet with key talent and high potentials for the proposed new organization.The merger was ultimately quashed by the U.S. Justice Department but not before Soehren and colleagues learned some valuable lessons. Among them: “When you’re going through that period of analysis, you have to evaluate the best and the weakest of both companies so that you emerge with the best of the best,” she reports.She says that’s not an easy process because “you must accept that your own team isn’t composed of all A players, and that this is an opportunity to up your game for your organization.”Soehren also has strategic thoughts about the future of her profession. “In the world of L&D, we haven’t nailed down what it means to work and lead within a global, digital organization. Learning leaders have a great opportunity to define what that looks like and set the stage for success—not just for the learning organization but for business leaders too,” she says.“Learning leaders, trainers and program managers will all be operating and training differently. They will have to learn a new kind of software set and other technologies. As a result, I believe most L&D professionals will become learning coaches and learning builders.”

Search results for 'Mike Berger'

Categories

Refine By