Skills with a "Little s": A Practical Approach to Closing Skills Gaps with Nelson Sivalingam, HowNow

In this excellent interview, Adam sits down with Nelson Sivalingam of HowNow.

Nelson is the CEO and Co-founder of HowNow, a learning experience platform used by over 100 fast-growing companies and global enterprises. A serial entrepreneur and author of Learning at Speed, Nelson brings an outsider's perspective to L&D, challenging traditional approaches to solve the "mother of all problems": ensuring people have the right skills.

In this episode, Nelson discusses the future of L&D, the role of AI, and the critical shift from content-focused to skills-focused learning. He offers a forward-thinking guide for modern learning professionals, including:

1. The Problem with the LMS: Why traditional Learning Management Systems often fail to solve the real problems executives care about and why L&D must pivot to helping people actually do their jobs better.
2. Skills with a "Little s": Nelson distinguishes between massive organisational transformations and the practical application of skills—starting with work tasks to determine relevant learning interventions.
3. Scaling One-to-One Teaching with AI: How AI agents like HowNow's "Guru" can finally scale the personalised, high-quality teaching dynamic found in elite coaching, moving beyond just generating more content.
4. The Self-Running Platform: The potential for AI to automate admin and answer complex data questions (e.g., "Has this focus skill improved?") without needing a data science degree, finally connecting learning to business ROI.
5. From Instrument Player to Conductor: Nelson argues that the future L&D leader must stop being a "content factory" and start orchestrating an ecosystem of curated, credible resources and AI-generated learning aligned with business goals.
6. Advice for New L&D Professionals: Nelson shares his top three tips for those entering the field: master AI tools to gain an edge, learn marketing skills to drive engagement, and—crucially—understand how the business actually operates.

Nelson offers a visionary yet practical roadmap for L&D leaders ready to embrace technology and prove their strategic value. If you want to understand how AI and skills will shape the future of workplace learning, this is a must-listen-to episode.

Connect with Nelson on LinkedIn: Nelson Sivalingam

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