Is Training Dead? Why It’s Failing (and What Actually Drives Learning at Work) (04/14/26)

April 14, 2026

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Who Do You Need to Remember?

My calendar tells me April 13 was my uncle Galen’s birthday. He would have been 81. He was my dad’s younger brother and, especially in the last few years of his life, we were very close.

You might be thinking a couple of things:

• Why does Kevin’s calendar have the birthday of a dead person on it?
• Why is he talking about it?

My answers to both questions are connected. By leaving his birthday on my calendar, I will stop, even if just for a few minutes, and remember. And there is plenty to remember, including some life lessons that I am well served to be reminded of. Those lessons are valuable, and without that reminder on my calendar, it is unlikely those lessons will be top of mind.

My lessons are the point yours are. You have people in your life – relatives, friends, mentors, colleagues – who you would be well-served to consciously remember too. Maybe for the laughs and adventures, but for the lessons too.

I’m a big fan of the power of reflection – to look back to yesterday, learn and remember what we have learned. When we do that, we have a chance to be wiser and more effective today and tomorrow.

The remaining entry on my calendar is one way I am reminded to reflect. It is a prompt, an encouragement and a chance to reflect in gratitude and learning.

In a busy, activity-filled life we need these prompts. Our lives are richer when we reflect and remember, so we must engineer those opportunities into our lives. And what better place than a calendar, where we spend so much time?

Who do you need to remember today?

Is Training Dead? Why It’s Failing (and What Actually Drives Learning at Work)

Training isn’t dead, but it isn’t healthy either. You might be surprised to read that from someone who has designed and delivered training for most of his professional career. The health of training isn’t really a question or the problem. The problem is the way we view, design, and use training in our organizations.

Training can be a useful part of the learning and development efforts in an organization, but now more than ever its role needs to change if you want to get a great return on the investments you make in it.

Smart starts here.

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