Andy welcomes Tom Bowen to this week’s Talent Development Hot Seat. Tom leads Learning and Development at Gem, a talent engagement platform. Tom has 15 years of experience in L&D and spent more than a decade abroad, mostly in Seoul, South Korea with shorter stints in India and Europe.

As the first L&D hire at his past five companies, Tom Bowen thrives on the zero-to-one phase of building an L&D strategy and its platforms. When he isn’t building programs, Tom can be found spending his time exploring California with his partner, three young kids, and a sheepadoodle.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Tom Bowen’s experience in the L&D world, some trends he’s noticed in L&D during his career, and what younger generations want from their employers.
2. His approach to starting a new L&D role at a company and why that requires a business needs analysis.
3. Why sales enablement is important even for those who work in L&D and how to assess what’s important for the needs of the business and what isn’t.
4. What you can do to understand the business and gain influence within the company.
5. How you can convince people within an organization to take time for learning and development and impact the company.
6. Why Tom loves design thinking and how he’s used it in his work.

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