The Last 30 Days of Learning in Motion: From Workday Rising to What’s Next

The Past 30 Days: A Season of Learning in Motion

The last month has been a powerful reminder that Learning & Development isn’t standing still but accelerating. Between attending the Workday Rising conference and speaking at Learning Guild’s Accessibility & Inclusion Online Conference, I’ve seen firsthand how technology, leadership, and purpose are converging to redefine what it means to learn at work.

Both events sparked the same realization: learning strategy can’t live in isolation anymore. It has to live in the ecosystem and stay connected to workforce planning, analytics, and leadership accountability.

At Workday Rising: Reimagining the Learning Ecosystem

At Workday Rising, conversations centered around skills intelligence, AI-assisted learning, and connected experiences. The message was clear: data is becoming the new design language for learning.

• Workday’s Skills Cloud continues to evolve, redefining how we identify, develop, and deploy talent.

• AI copilots are quietly becoming collaborators, bridging the gap between learning systems and workflow.

• The focus is shifting from managing learning content to curating learning pathways, dynamic, data-informed, and aligned with business goals.

• And now, the introduction of Workday’s Manager Hub is putting development visibility directly into the hands of leaders, bringing together learning, performance, and career data in one intuitive view. It’s a true step forward in helping managers act on insights in real time, guiding growth conversations, and supporting talent mobility across the organization.

For me, these insights validate the focus on integrating Workday Learning, Career Hub, and Manager Hub to create a connected experience where every learning moment feels intentional, inclusive, and career-connected.

At Learning Guild: Where Access Begins

Speaking at Learning Guild’s Accessibility & Inclusion Online Conference reminded me that technology only matters if everyone can access it. My session, “Where Access Begins: Leadership’s Role in Building Inclusive Learning,” focused on the human side of digital transformation.

I emphasized how inclusion isn’t a feature but a leadership behavior. True accessibility starts with decisions made long before content is designed.

The discussions that followed were rich leaders asking how to embed accessibility into culture, not just compliance. And that, to me, is where 2026 is heading: from technology adoption to cultural accountability.

Preparing for 2026: 3 Big Signals

As I reflect on both events and the conversations happening across my own organization, three trends continue to surface:

• AI as a Skill, Not a Threat – Learning leaders are shifting from “AI anxiety” to “AI fluency.” We’re teaching people to partner with technology, not fear it.

• Ecosystem Intelligence – Data from Workday, Domo, and other platforms will merge to tell richer stories about growth, mobility, and engagement. It’s not about dashboards—it’s about decisions.

• Human-Centered Design in the Flow of Life – The best learning experiences aren’t just accessible, but they’re empathetic. They meet people at moments that matter in both career and life transitions

Closing Reflection

October reminded me why I love this work: the learning profession sits at the intersection of change, choice, and culture. As we move toward 2026, I’m doubling down on what I call Purpose-Paced Leadership by balancing progress with reflection, and innovation with inclusion.

As I prepare for Talent Connect 2025, where I’ll be speaking on talent mobility, I’m encouraged by how technology is redefining what leadership and career visibility look like by helping managers see, support, and grow their teams with greater clarity and connection. When development data and human insight come together, learning becomes more than an outcome, it becomes a movement.

The conversations we’re having now will define the workforce we lead tomorrow.  I couldn’t be more energized to help shape what’s next.