This Center for the Transformation of Work community features Shoba Purushothaman, co-founder of Hardskills.
Hardskills is a corporate learning platform for workforce development at scale, with analytics tracking the impact on business performance. It is live in more than 36 markets globally serving world-class enterprise customers.
Shoba is a 3-time global entrepreneur with a track record across U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific in workforce development, media, marketing & digital economy. Built disruptive businesses from concept to exit in multiple industries and geographies. Strong track record in enterprise sales with Fortune 500 and building exceptional, long-term global client relationships. Frequent speaker globally on digital disruption, workforce development, media, marketing and entrepreneurship. Lived & worked in 7 countries and not done exploring yet.
Chat room transcript:
00:02:59 Mark Hannant: Evening all. Hello from Mumbai
00:03:17 Dash Desai: Hey Mark, good to see you again!
00:12:43 Dash Desai: Why don’t I start the networking links… https://www.linkedin.com/in/dashdesai/
00:13:45 Catherine McGowin: Hi Keenan! Welcome to the call!
00:13:55 Carrie Leonard: Hello everyone https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrieleonard/
00:13:59 Andy Tanyatanaboon: Great to see everyone again, been a bit out of the loop – busy with work but glad I could make it today https://www.linkedin.com/in/andytboon
00:14:10 Dean Bosche: Regarding Zoom/Studio lighting. I wrote this article at the start of the pandemic. The gear list is now outdated however the concepts around lenses, lighting, and production are still quite valid: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/up-your-wfh-game-look-glamorous-camera-dean-bosche
00:14:10 Keenan Emmitt: Thanks Catherine!
00:16:13 Akhil Seth: I am also new and just thought I would introduce myself. My name is Akhil and I live just South of San Jose. Here is my LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/akhilvseth
00:16:56 CTW: Welcome Akhil!
00:17:14 CTW: Barry Matthews: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-matthews-2a51a32/
00:17:48 Keenan Emmitt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keenan-emmitt-25903114b/
00:18:18 CTW: Bryan Pena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanpena/
00:19:07 Balaji Bondili: Ditto!
00:19:31 CTW: If anyone that is new on the call wants to learn more about OTPCP consulting training program being discussed her feel free to reach our to brandon@open-assembly.com for more information.
00:19:58 CTW: Dyan Finkehousen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dyan-finkhousen/
00:20:21 Simon Hill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrsihill/
00:20:47 Chuck Hamilton: Hi all – https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-hamilton-951483/
00:20:54 CTW: Steve Rader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-rader-92b7754/
00:21:04 ashley beaudoin: Welcome @Harvey Yau to the call – he’s doing a lot of cool skills development stuff at Kelly
00:21:20 CTW: Mark Hannant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhannantteammagenta/
00:22:12 Sehra Eusufzai: Hello. I am new to this community & earned about this call via a LI post from Shobha P of Hardskills — I nearly joined her team (ahem) way back when, at another company she founded! https://www.linkedin.com/in/barefootcmo/
00:22:13 CTW: Shoba Purushorhaman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shobapurushothaman/
00:24:13 CTW: HARDSKILLS: https://www.hardskills.com/
00:25:17 CTW: Gavin McClafferty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-mcclafferty-3146b43a/
00:33:33 Munni Trivedi: Hi all please connect with me to see about Indigo Premedia’s creative outsourced offering https://www.linkedin.com/in/munnitrivedi/
00:35:18 CTW: Welcome Shehra!
00:37:29 Todd Brous: For a good read, check out Tsedal Neeley’s book, “Remote Work Revolution”.
https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Work-Revolution-Succeeding-Anywhere-ebook/dp/B08BLLQDZG
00:38:27 Steve Rader: Loving this!!!
00:38:42 Dyan Finkhousen: +1 Steve – amazing!
00:39:24 John Winsor: Steve, You’ve been the driver on upskillng. Thanks.
00:40:37 Gavin McClafferty: Amazing overview Shoba!
00:40:54 Riya Gopalakrishnan: Hardskills LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hardskills-pte-ltd/
00:41:42 Gavin McClafferty: For anyone that needs context how much the workforce is changing take a look at Amazon for example: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/a-look-at-our-changing-workforce
00:42:31 Steve Rader: I’m super interested in how much of this type of super valuable type of upskilling will be in organizations vs. freelance workers. While I would see it as more valuable within orgs (to enable them to be able to integrated open talent into their enterprise), I can also see some value in the freelancer community
00:43:08 Steve Rader: These are the skills most needed for the integration of open talent into enterprises….
00:43:26 Denise Brouder: @shoba – we are creating in the same space.
00:43:38 Dyan Finkhousen: Wow @Gavin – thanks for sharing. Robotics jobs growth 😲
00:43:41 Gavin McClafferty: @Steve – in my experience freelance workers are leading the way in this level of upskilling.
00:44:01 Gavin McClafferty: @Dyan – mind-blowing!
00:44:16 San Rahi: From the point of view of creative professionals and the creative economy, I regard many of these behavioral skills as technical skills. Would love to discuss this bias with you
00:44:46 Denise Brouder: We drafted the following FoW skills statement that we train via the principles of futures thinking + systems thinking : 1) The ability to solve complex problems by looking at the same issue from a different perspective 2) Reconnecting to our natural impulse to learn by developing our sense of curiosity 3) Approaching digital communication from a point of empathy-based trust 4) Trusting our intuition & instinct in the process of ideation, judgement and decision making 5) Mastering personal responsibility 6) Using both emotional and relational intelligence in building relationships and collaborating with the people that matter
00:44:48 Mark Hannant: +1 San – table stakes in our world!
00:44:50 Todd Brous: @San: +1
00:44:54 Gavin McClafferty: @Steve – look at the impact Coursera has in reshaping skills that would take years to gain in college or university and delivering straight to the individual.
00:45:31 Steve Rader: Takes us back to the previous discussion with Velocity!!
00:45:33 Todd Brous: @Denise: +100
00:45:52 Steve Rader: +1 @Gavin
00:46:18 Steve Rader: +1 @Denise. Great stuff
00:46:33 San Rahi: Going back to innovation vs adoption: how are we training for market making and market shapers?
00:46:59 Steve Rader: @San.. you should chime in
00:47:12 Dyan Finkhousen: I think we’re going to quickly see the subtle but important shift in focus away from the ‘talent’ delivery model to ‘knowledge and capacity’ delivery models.. more fluid and precise operating models
00:47:58 Dyan Finkhousen: And outcome delivery models
00:48:00 Andy Tanyatanaboon: I wonder how you close the loop from training -> measured application of what is taught. I have been apart of many amazing trainings and have sent my staff to these same awesome trainings but if did we incorporate it into their daily lives going forward, as you mentioned its hard to measure Credentialing needs to be more than passing a test but I think we have to make some progress to measuring the application of these skills from these training in some measurable way. It would be amazing if we could determine less that someone applies skills on a regular basis vs has taken a training on it and just filed it away and never used it once
00:48:43 Steve Rader: +1 @Andy
00:48:49 Todd Brous: @Andy: +1
00:49:11 Steve Rader: Will be interesting to mine worker’s digital exhaust for meaningful demonstration of skills
00:49:20 Steve Rader: Using ai
00:49:24 Andy Tanyatanaboon: +1 Steve
00:49:25 Todd Brous: @Andy: are the metrics for successful training of “Behavioral Skills” found in the Culture of the Organization?
00:49:30 Dyan Finkhousen: +1 Steve
00:50:03 CTW: San Rahi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanrahi/
00:50:54 Andy Tanyatanaboon: I would say Yes if the behavior skills being taught are around culture but if the skills are technical in nature this might not be necessarily the right place to measure
00:50:57 Andy Tanyatanaboon: @Todd
00:51:38 CTW: Sheila Mahoney-Jewels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smahoneyj/
00:51:51 Todd Brous: @Andy: Yes! “Tech skills” need a different metric
00:52:31 Andy Tanyatanaboon: I like the digital exhaust that Steve mentioned, only issue is will people be ok with the privacy topic
00:53:05 San Rahi: We learned how to measure things really well. Now we need to learn what to measure.
00:53:22 Dyan Finkhousen: True San
00:53:43 Christopher DeLaurentis: That’s where I think Verifiable Credentials can play a big role
00:53:49 Steve Rader: @Andy – That gets into the Velocity model and others where privacy is protected and data is largely owned by the worker.
00:53:57 Steve Rader: @Chris +1
00:54:14 Dash Desai: Well said @San… about the measurement
00:54:49 San Rahi: +1 Sheila – If we look at the entertainment industry in isolation, enterprise is playing catch-up (and in some cases losing to) to individual creators
00:54:51 Munni Trivedi: If you can measure it, you can manage it
00:55:13 LifeSciHub LLC LLC: +1 San!!
00:55:38 Gavin McClafferty: @Sheila – this is such a fascinating area. The opportunities for gig workers in the future will be incredible.
00:55:39 Krish Menon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonkrish/
00:55:57 stephen wellbelove: @Shoba – i loved your label of “Individual connected agents” resulting from the pandemic
00:56:26 Chuck Hamilton: The number one skill request in 2021 by job posting is for Leadership which is a hard skills. Leadership may be the collection of all hard skills. Leadership development is a lot like slow cooking, it takes a while. How do we find the leaders needed to drive learning here?
00:56:37 CTW: Andy Tanyatanaboon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andytboon/
00:56:45 Todd Brous: @Andy: +1
00:56:51 Dyan Finkhousen: Have to run – great to see you all again!
00:57:14 San Rahi: This is a brilliant convo! Thank you @CTW
00:57:25 LifeSciHub LLC LLC: @Gavin- yes!! It’s a completely different mindset Employees expect the enterprise to reskill them. They are entirely dependent on the enterprise. The enterprise also accepts that bargain. Which, is traditional, but not agile. Independent experts skill themselves because they eat what they kill
00:57:39 LifeSciHub LLC LLC: which is more agile?
00:58:18 Andy Tanyatanaboon: Thank you for your professional insights Shoba!
00:59:34 Gavin McClafferty: @Sheila – organisations need to stop viewing people as assets. Access to talent is global – people have access to incredible opportunities to learn and expand whether employee or independent.
01:00:06 Todd Brous: Thank you @Shoba!
01:00:10 CTW: T H A N K Y O U S H O B A and HARDSKILLS!
01:00:11 Steve Rader: @Sheila – I think the answer is both and all (both enterprises, workers, and platforms) need to focus on upskilling.
01:00:25 Gavin McClafferty: Thanks Shoba! Incredible discussion.
01:00:28 Chuck Hamilton: Thanks all. Great day.
01:00:30 Steve Rader: Everyone benefits (or suffers if it doesn’t happen)
01:00:37 Steve Rader: Thanks all!! Great discussion
01:00:47 Munni Trivedi: So many great insights Shoba and Hardskills, thanks!
01:00:58 Steve Rader: Thanks @Shoba!!!
01:01:01 Akhil Seth: Thank you Shoba!
