In this episode of Leadership NOW, I sit down with learning strategist and author Lori Niles-Hofmann to talk about what happens when learning finally becomes the work instead of an interruption to it. Lori argues that L&D is at an inflection point. Employees can now turn to commercial AI tools for personalized, on-demand learning, and organizations are under pressure to show that every investment links to skills, performance and transformation.
Lori brings more than two decades of experience leading digital learning transformations in complex environments, from international banks to consulting and marketing firms. She describes why she would rather see L&D disappear than continue as a course factory, how the LMS is drifting into the background as invisible middleware, and what it means to work inside a true learning ecosystem. We talk about the skills “supply chain” that connects L&D with HR, IT and finance, the rise of skills and task taxonomies, and why she sees the future of the function in data, experimentation and performance consulting rather than catalogue management.
We also explore her idea of the learning–work continuum, where every task can carry a learning opportunity and every learning moment contributes to real output, along with concepts like learning triage and closed-loop reporting that help L&D focus on work that makes or saves money or mitigates risk. The conversation is both a reality check and a hopeful look at what learning leadership can become in an AI-infused, skills-obsessed world.
Learn more about Lori at https://www.loriniles.com/
