The Role of Learning and Development in Driving Business Outcomes, with Sarah Stone

Business Habitat with Sam Dean

In Episode 119 of The Business Habitat podcast, Sam is joined by Executive General Manager of Ab2 Institute of Accounting, Sarah Stone, to talk about the impact of education in the workplace and how the right training framework can boost business performance and attract the best talent to your organisation.

With close to twenty years’ experience in the education industry, Sarah draws on her background in the tourism and media sectors, where she worked for the likes of Foxtel and Austar in the learning and development space. This involvement stirred Sarah’s interest in understanding the role of education in setting employees apart from the rest. In this podcast she shares her fascination with producing and delivering superior business outcomes through people performance.

Sarah and Sam delve into the difference between education in the corporate sector compared to the professional services environment and why the necessity for CPD hours creates a focus on technical skills at the expense of broader business knowledge. Sarah explains the importance of a company’s learning and development culture in attracting and retaining great talent, and how that perspective is driven from the top.

Often referred to as “soft skills’, Sarah talks to the need for training in the right “success skills” and why organisations are increasingly driven to seek out leaders with demonstrated ability to bring people along for the journey and inspire and motivate them. Sam reminds us that as we move towards heart-centred businesses with an emphasis on aligned goals and values, the importance of people focused skills becomes even more important, whether it’s dealing with staff, colleagues or clients.

By drawing on their own real life experiences and sharing their perspectives on ongoing learning and personal and professional development, Sam and Sarah deliver a compelling episode filled with practical examples and even some book references to further the conversation. As a critical component of continual improvement, the role of education and learning in business success cannot be denied. This conversation will help you reflect on where that focus is best placed.

Here at BlueprintHQ, we are here to help. We are super passionate about the professional services industry and supporting you with what you need. We are offering a short, sharp 15 minute consultation call to help you with this process. Go to https://www.blueprinthq.com.au/consultation