FORWARD Development partner Sally McNamara in conversation with Senior 
Industry Fellow Matt Collier in the first of a two-part discussion on change resilience.

Matt is an aerospace engineer by training and has applied his skills in an 
incredibly diverse range of fields, including co-founding the first design-led 
innovation lab in the US government Obama administration. Most recently, Matt led a global remit at a large insurance company to develop people and culture strategy and support the Board in establishing and monitoring culture.

In this episode, Sally and Matt talk about how building change resilience capacity individually and collectively has a multiplier effect to support not just performance and skills acquisition but also broader outcomes in areas such as health, wellbeing, diversity, inclusion, innovation, lifelong learning and more.

You can connect with Matt on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwcollier/

Transcript at:
https://otter.ai/u/aKVXDJO7mu_E0cuZlOfokj1_cyY?utm_source=copy_url

Production by Michael Donaldson https://8sided.blog/8sided-about/

Matt Collier, change resilience as an enabler of learning - part 1

Helen Babb-Delia, development partner at FORWARD, in conversation with Deanna Pantín Parrish, an experienced consultant, educator and dispute resolution professional. 

Deanna is currently a Lecturer at Harvard Law School, a Clinical Instructor at the Harvard Dispute System Design Clinic, and the Assistant Director of the HNP Negotiation Teaching Network.

Helen talks to Deanna about conflict resolution at work, active listening, inquiry and curiosity and empathy and how those skills relate to the future of work for workplaces and individual employees.

Transcript at:
https://otter.ai/u/5C8iGbgwEXE8eiMDa7AnROk0Ak8?utm_source=copy_url

Production by Michael Donaldson https://8sided.blog/8sided-about/

Deanna Pantín Parrish

FORWARD Development partner Sally McNamara in conversation with Senior Industry Fellow Matt Collier in part two of a conversation about the skills of change resilience.

Matt is an aerospace engineer by original training and has applied his skills in an incredibly diverse range of fields–including co-founding the first design-led innovation lab in the US government in the Obama administration.

Most recently, Matt led a global remit at a large insurance company to develop people and culture strategy and support the Board in establishing and monitoring culture.

In this second discussion, Sally and Matt talk about how Matt has been applying the skills of change resilience in real-time and the ups and downs of taking an intentional career break. We reflect on the discomfort of change and sitting in the unknown.

You can connect with Matt on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwcollier/

Transcript at:
https://otter.ai/u/sSN_YsThxSvHa36FaDzQon4MkJY?utm_source=copy_url

Production by Michael Donaldson https://8sided.blog/8sided-about/

Matt Collier, change resilience as an enabler of learning - part 2

FORWARD Development partner Sally McNamara in conversation with Renee Barnes, Founder of “The People Paradox”, advising companies on how to grow productive and engaged work cultures and importantly for this conversation – a mum of two.

At FORWARD, we are interested in exploring skills through many different lenses – and this is one of those more creative conversations. Because sometimes being future focussed can mean reframing how we currently see things, rather than creating something new. 

In this conversation, we talk about how there is huge learning and growth in the transition to motherhood and many transferable skills that could be more visible and valued upon returning to paid work. Instead of “time out” of the workforce, we want to reframe pregnancy and parental leave for what it is: a period of rapid upskilling.

We see this could boost women’s confidence and encourage more women to go for leadership roles post children – bringing many other benefits for workplace culture and well-being in particular. 

Learn more about Renee’s work here https://www.peopleparadoxhr.com/

Transcript at:
https://otter.ai/u/Ra0g9XFj7N91p1TbZh-DpSc05WQ?utm_source=copy_url

Production by Michael Donaldson https://8sided.blog/8sided-about/

Renee Barnes

FORWARD Development partner Sally McNamara in conversation with Winitha Bonney, a Thought Leader in Inclusive Organisations and Leadership for People of Colour and recipient of an Order of Australia in 2021 for their extensive work and leadership in inclusion. Winitha helps leaders to build anti-fragile cultures of inclusion where everyone is heard, seen and valued, creating true belonging, equity, equality and connection. 

Today we’re talking about how the skills we build in life can amplify our work skills (and vice versa). Winitha believes that the biggest blocker to inclusion at work is a lack of shame resilience, and that the way for us to build this invisible superpower is to start by noticing and processing our own pain and suffering to be able to empathise with others and build cultures of anti-fragility at work and in life.
Our working theory on this at FORWARD is that valuing skills gained through life experience and interests can help build the durable human skills we need now more than ever at work (like self-awareness; resilience, adaptability; empathy) and also facilitate greater inclusion and belonging at work.

You can find out more about Winitha’s work here http://www.winitha.com/

Transcript at
https://otter.ai/u/oVs1EjTTQc1ESFkVnP8FwiCobfc?utm_source=copy_url

Production by Michael Donaldson https://8sided.blog/8sided-about/

Winitha Bonney

Peter Thomas talks to Daniel Layne, CEO of UK fintech QV Systems. It's a wide ranging conversation about about his business, about some of the changes in technology that are shaping both business and consumers in finance, the role of technology in the future of work and skills, and especially the impacts and use cases for generative AI. Daniel then looks back at his startup and scaleup experience and offers some advice for those growing their business.

Daniel has been in the software industry for 24 years starting in retail banking, then developing software for ATM and card payments and later building large scale auto finance systems. He started QV Systems in 2012 to bring SaaS to asset and automotive finance. Daniel has a law degree, and amongst other things is interested in the future of technology. Daniel is one our FORWARD senior industry fellows and is based in the UK.

Transcript at:
https://otter.ai/u/btJNWsvA2aUet0-z3YdM9Mh3AOM?utm_source=copy_url

Production by Michael Donaldson https://8sided.blog/8sided-about/

Daniel Layne

John Sumser, VP of Marketing at Salary.com and a seasoned industry analyst with over 30 years of experience, joins Dylan Teggart for this episode of #HRTechChat. Together, they explore the shifting landscape of compensation and the profound ways pay transparency and AI are shaping the future of work. From his beginnings analyzing the job board industry at the dawn of the internet, John offers a wealth of knowledge on HR technology and the critical role compensation plays in business strategy.

In this episode, John shares his unique perspective on key trends transforming the workforce, from navigating an aging labor market to the challenges of integrating vast amounts of data into actionable insights. With a thoughtful approach to ethics, technology, and innovation, John provides listeners with a deeper understanding of how organizations can adapt to thrive in an evolving workplace.

#HRTechChat: John Sumser on Compensation, Pay Transparency, and the Future of Work

In this episode, we dive into how universities are reimagining computer science education in the age of generative AI. At the University of Washington, students are now citing ChatGPT as collaborators on assignments, and faculty are experimenting with how to teach problem-solving in a world where AI can handle the syntax. We explore what it means when academic leaders say “coding is dead” , - not as a death knell for tech careers, but as a call to shift focus from typing lines of code to designing intelligent systems. With insights from recent grads, startup employers, and curriculum designers, we unpack the evolving definition of “entry-level” and why curiosity, adaptability, and AI fluency are quickly becoming core job skills. From debugging all-nighters to AI-assisted workflows, this is a candid look at what the next generation of tech talent is learning, - and what the rest of us might need to unlearn. Whether you're hiring, teaching, or just trying to stay relevant, this episode explores what “post-coding” really means.

Bit & Being - Inside the AI Classroom: How Universities Are Re‑Tooling to Produce Post‑Coding Talent

FORWARD is RMIT University's Centre for Future Skills and Workforce Transformation.

The buying cycle for enterprise software and technology shouldn't be a power struggle between departments. 3Sixty Insights is a research, advisory, and consulting firm providing deep understanding of how to bridge the gap in perception and priorities between stakeholders. Through our research, we unearth strategic approaches for streamlining the decision-making process, successfully managing solutions, and maximizing value from business software and technology investments.

New tracks tagged #workforce transformation