Catalysts: The Leaders Shaping the Future of Learning and Growth

Learning Isn’t a Checkbox: Taresa Scott on Strategic, Emotionally Intelligent L&D

• Jacob Ratliff

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What does it really take to create learning that sticks?

In this episode of Catalysts, I’m joined by Taresa Scott, founder of Bleuprint, for a refreshing and thought-provoking conversation about what’s broken in traditional L&D—and what we need to do differently.

We talk about why emotional intelligence belongs at the center of learning strategy, how consulting skills can help L&D professionals get a seat at the table, and why supporting first-time managers isn’t just nice—it’s necessary. Teresa also shares her take on how AI is shaping the future of development and why curiosity—not compliance—is what drives real growth inside organizations.

If you’re tired of learning being treated like a box to check, this one’s for you.

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Hey there and welcome to Catalysts, the leaders shaping the future of learning and growth. I'm your host, Jacob Ratliff, and this is the show where we spotlight the bold thinkers, builders, and leaders who aren't just responding to change in our industry, but are actually driving it. Today I'm here with Taresa Scott, who is the founder of Bleuprint Taresa's work is all about empowering organizations to build a culture of learning that maximizes employee retention. Her work is really rooted in the belief that emotional intelligence helps to positively develop talent and foster a positive learning culture. And her people-driven approach has really helped organizations improve employee engagement and to foster a culture of continuous learning and development. So, Today, I'd really love to kind of jump in, Taresa, with the million dollar question, which is that when you think about the future of learning and development, what shifts are you seeing that you think might define the next decade? Um, that is Yeah, you did. Um, but first and foremost, thank you for the introduction and thank you for the warm welcome to the show as well and I will say, you know, I think there is a You know with AI technology around us. I think is also I think it's being very intentional and Strategy focused on the why behind the things even the selection down to the AI technology, the tools and resources. There's so much out there that can be right at our fingertips. It's really saying, what is the purpose of this? What are we really trying to achieve to decide? Is it AI? Is this AI thing? Is this model, this technology? And really having a more strategic focus around learning and development and how we go about tackling those day-to-day people challenges in most practical way possible. I mean, personally, would say, and what I've seen to be consistently successful is always have meaning behind it. Understanding the why start with the why first. We can identify if we can't make it make sense. If it doesn't tie back to solving a real business challenge, then maybe we shouldn't be going in that direction. Maybe we shouldn't be doing it. Or maybe we need to take it, we need to slow down and really identify what that thing is before we go to work and developing that solution. Cause a lot of work can be done. and it goes nowhere without understanding the why. I love that so much. Before I got into L &D, I was uh doing digital marketing consulting for small businesses and it was the same kind of thing, this shiny object syndrome, right? There's all these amazing tools and technologies out there and we always want to go and say, how can we incorporate this into what we're doing? What would it look like to implement this? But if you don't start with the um Like, what's it actually going to help us do that we're not currently doing? What's the actual business problem that's going to help solve? Right. It's not going to, not going to do a whole lot. And so I really love the kind of leading right off the bat with, let's kind of avoid that shiny object syndrome and really be critical about finding out what's the, what's the issue that we're trying to solve. And then what are the tools and technologies that are going to help us do that most effectively? Yeah, you know, we're organizations like L and D gets used as the cleanup, the task list, you know, like, oh, we have this, we got this new thing. We need training. Oh, we need training on this. We train on that. They need training on everything, you know, let a lot of leaders tell it, which in some cases they genuinely do. But the reality is, you know, all of a sudden my clients, there's a little bit of, of collaboration and understanding. again, intention needs to be kind of defined and put peace together before we start doing training. Organizations, are in a position where we're in all these hats, so many things are going on, and they wanna move so quick. They request a train on Monday, they wanna see it rolled out by next Friday. And I think we need to, as learning leaders, help them to slow down so we can learn fast. Because... A lot of things are being missed in this shiny object syndrome and this, we need, we need, we need, we need to check off all these tests. Learning is not a checkbox event. uh It's not a uh race to the finish. This is a marathon. I've seen a graphic over and over. You might have seen it as well, Jacob. And it's a graphic of uh athletes who constantly are training. They spend about... uh 20-30 percent of time training and then the remainder of times actually performing whereas in corporate 90 % is performing and 10 percent is training, you know because we want to do everything just boom boom boom boom and they're like well It's not happening. They're not learning. We're not seeing increase in performance. We're not seeing results Because we're only spending 10 % We're only spending or as or or forget this percentages We're spending a very small time on learning the things that actually need to learn because you have organizations, they're pumping out training, they're giving you the LinkedIn learning, they're giving Coursera there are all these things. But if we're not tying this back to the why, you know, we're not maximizing people's time. Just the same as you want to, you know, you want to go to a half day session, right? On whatever the topic might be to increase your leadership skills or for onboarding, whatever the case is, you want to walk away feeling confident to apply that knowledge, learn, right? It's not just a dump of information. It's not just, Oh, well, you need to know this, this, this, this. Well, what do I need? What do I actually need to be successful? What do I actually need to get to the next level of my career? What do I actually need to know about this company? What is it? Why should I continue to work here? Like all of these things should really be designed and embedded in it. Zooted to really create that culture to really. help connect the dots between the business and the people. We want to push our things so quick. We're not connecting those dots. We're just trying to dump information. That's not learning. That's training, because training is information. But learning is actually taking the time to absorb it and then give them space to apply it. There's just so many little details that are being overlooked trying to move just so quickly. oh I'll pause there because that just really gave me a thought, you know? Yeah, like more is not always better, right? Especially now, like you said, have LinkedIn learning, Coursera, we're able to throw so many things against the wall. But why? you know, uh pretty often a client will approach me and they'll say, hey, you know, we need a training for X topic, say business writing. And I'll say, okay, why? And they say, it's a big priority right now. And we'll say, okay. Why? And ultimately really that drills down to what behaviors are employees currently exhibiting with their writing and what behaviors would you like to see them exhibiting and what is going to be the impact of seeing them exhibit those behaviors consistently. And really, I think that's exactly kind of what you're talking about with, you know, yeah, we all need training. We all need more learning, but how do we focus in on what that actually looks like? And then also too, don't forget the follow-up. Like how are gonna measure success? So just because we've created the training, we put it out there, but then there's the follow-up. So, you if you think about 30, 60, 90 feedbacks, you know, and then even beyond that, like, again, what are the metrics that we're gonna track to know that we've been successful? So also defining that on the forefront as well, and continue to monitor that and follow up. You know, again, learning is not a one-time event. You know, it gets treated that way as well. Sometimes a lot of LOD leaders depend on the organization you're with. and the type of leadership that you have, you're kind of putting in this awkward position. So, I get it, I understand it happens. But I think even position yourself, ask that consultant, ask that expert, because again, you wouldn't be in that position if you didn't know what you were doing. If they could do it themselves, they would not have hired you. So really allowing yourself to be the expert and have those conversations. Sometimes they're extremely uncomfortable more than comfortable. However, These leaders, don't know what they don't know. Some of them will think they know. And that could be a little bit of your challenge too. But I think it's really having those conversations to help to understand, know, that depending on the challenge, the complexity of it, you know, the behaviors and all the things that we really need to train for, it's also even thinking about how are we going to measure success once it's all said and done? Once we've given that half day class, that one hour class, whatever it is. What does success look like thereafter? And how can we follow up to continue to ensure that we are doing that refreshes? We're doing those check-ins. Adult learning is a ongoing process. It is not a one and done event, you know? So it's all the things wrapped into it, looking at a cohesive learning experience. Absolutely. And you said the magic word in there. uh So when I listened to another podcast that you were featured in, you talked about how important consulting skills are and showing up and acting as a consultant. uh you know, I obviously that's so critical, whether you're, you know, an L and D professional in an organization or an independent L and D consultant. It really depends upon their skills. I'm curious. You know, as you've built your business and worked with clients, how is your own leadership and how have your own consulting skills evolved over that time? Um, honestly, it's restricted leaning in. and just for lack of a word, it's just doing it. You know, I will say when I first got into L and D, I went into a 4,500 organization and you know, I got my masters in education. So this is, this is not just the work that I've done, but it's part of my education as well. But things that they don't teach you in school that I very, I learned very quickly in corporate was the value in consulting. having that conversation, asking those leaders the key questions about what they're looking for, what they're looking to achieve, the why behind it, to really just gain clarity and understanding. wasn't to necessarily talk them out of anything. It was to make sense of all the information they had in their heads. A lot of times, those leaders were also subject matter experts, or they at least knew who to connect back to the subject matter expert. And so really, I guess for me, it became second nature to just start in that way. That was a part of the process and having a consultation first, gaining understanding first, understanding where they were with things and where they were looking to go before I spent that time developing their project plan, before I spent time having the kickoff call, before I spent a lot of time even developing the content to get it to a place of readiness for review. Because if I didn't have all the information in front, I couldn't get to those next steps. And it was even educating them on what that process wasn't even working with me. Because again, a lot of times, They haven't even worked with somebody like us. They haven't even worked with uh a learning leader in his full capacity or maybe they have in another way. This is how it is working with me, you know, so it's never it's really understanding to never assume that they have all the answers. They just know they have they they need something you can provide and it's the end. It's important for you to understand to communicate to them what that process looks like. Communication honestly is such a big big factor because A lot of what we do here can get so watered down or muddied in the process between all the leaders day to day. Communication, having it ebb and flow and just send the expectation, continue to reiterate it. During, I'm sorry, during that entire process is going to be so key. So early on, I just learned the value in the value in having an educational conversation, asking those questions, doing the project plan, having a follow up. Just really allowing space for collaboration uh at the heart of it has just been second nature. So that has just been something I've continued to do. I made that a process. I made it a must. Even when leaders, they don't want to have it, I tell them straight up, said, look, I get it. But I know from experience you will like me a lot longer if we go ahead and have these conversations. Because, you know, I think we've been on both sides of, you know, when You know, the job can be, it can be difficult, hard, all the things. can be sometimes very easy, but some things just become very difficult just simply based off a lack of understanding communication, you know? So for me, it's saying that's like my non-negotiable. We are going to have a collaboration, communication, an email follow-up, something that takes place where I want to make sure we've touched base and we've had a true conversation to connect because that's just, that's really where the success lies in all of it and really get into launch and getting that feedback like the whole nine. So ah yeah, so like again, that's just become second nature. That's something I learned like day one once I got into the field early on in corporate. Yeah, absolutely. Like getting that buy-in, really working through some of that resistance that will come up throughout the process. uh My favorite question to ask a client is when we're talking about a solution is, hey, I'm noticing some resistance. Can we talk a little bit about what might be behind that? uh And really just, right, taking it all and just bringing it to the surface is absolutely critical. not trying to, you know, it's not a tug of war. It's a delicate dance. Like, you know, it's like, I'm not here to work against you. I want to make sure that I'm providing a customer experience at the end of the day. I want to make sure you have what you need and I'm helping you achieve your goals. So these conversations are simply to ensure that I'm on track and align with your expectations. That's it. You know, if you need, we need to reconvene. If you need to, if I need to reschedule, maybe send you a message or something instead, like what's the best way to meet you where you are. That's all I'm simply trying to get done. That's it. exactly. So zooming out a little bit, uh I'm curious, you we talked a little bit about kind of what shifts you think are going to define the next decade in learning and development. I'm curious what, you know, bold ideas or innovations are you most excited about implementing uh in your business or with your clients? yeah, honestly, really just continuing to get to the root of what are key learning strategies that will work for organizations? Not just learning models, like we have Addie and Sam and Kirkpatrick and all those things, but true learning strategies so there can be ongoing development. I've had clients that have been on two sides of the fence where they want a short-term engagement, maybe there's a very specific project and they want that project done and they'll take the reins. But I've also had clients with other side of the fence that have been very long term. And they want to look at continuous improvement, continuous development opportunities. So it's really understanding how to pair um a true learning strategy for the organization in addition to developing their training from the ground up. So we're actually looking at doing more of that work going forward. So I'm really excited about implementing specific learning strategies for organizations so they can have a well-rounded machine. So they can really get to the root of a cycle of continuous development. that leads to greater employee attention, leads to greater engagement, which leads to a happy, healthy culture. ah in addition to that, um looking at ah doing a little bit more training on our end for like first time managers, leadership development, things like that, just the areas that don't get a lot of love within organizations as a whole. So that's kind of where we're at and what we're working on these days. Yeah, working with first time managers is one of my absolute favorites. There's so much potential there and kind of like you said, they don't normally get the love that they need because they're usually promoted to their position because they were really great at their function. Not necessarily because they showed great leadership skills, which is such a great opportunity to help them develop those. Yeah, you know, and the funny thing about it is it's actually twofold with organizations because they get managers get promoted to that next level because they're really, really competent at doing the job well. Um, and then you talk to a lot of leaders about leadership development, which are looking for, and a lot of them necessarily know how to describe that, which is why they can't train to it. But then the leader is chastised for not doing the things that They quote unquote want them to do, but they never actually communicate what that thing was. know, and so a lot of, so a lot of first time leaders fell within the first 12 to 18 months, just in reality. Cause they don't know, they don't know what they don't know. And their leaders don't know to tell them what they need them to know. They just expect them to read their minds. So that's where we really want to tap in it to really show them some love and really give them the, the, uh, the keys to success that maybe even their leadership does not even know that they need, um, to really be successful as a leader beyond just the job. Cause now You proved that now it's time to develop and nurture and delegate um the things that you know back to your team to have them successful. Cause the manager at end of the day, they're actually the connection link between the employee and the business. You know, lot of, when a lot of people quit a business, they don't say, oh I hate X, Y, Z company. No, I can't stand my manager. I'm leaving. You know, my manager was X, Y, and Z, know, or, or, or on the flip side, I love my manager and I don't want to this team. my gosh. Are you getting promoted? you're going where can I come with you? know, we're seeing both sides of the fence with conversations happening. So, you know, I think so it's really, it's really ensuring those those are more of the healthier conversations that take place though, because on the on the latter side, we're hearing a lot we're hearing even greater amount of I'm leaving this company because of S Y Z pertaining to this leader, you know, so all of that all the things. Yeah, and I really love kind of the opportunity to work with a first-time manager and then go up a level and kind of work with their uh director and kind of keep going up. Because like you said, it represents uh a culture shift in the organization, right? We're not just talking about tactics, like maybe reflect back what you're hearing or here's how to have a weekly one-to-one with the direct report. We're talking about a larger strategy, right? That's going to create usually a significant cultural shift in an organization. Absolutely. And if you think about a culture shift, those things takes time. So the things I'm talking about are really long-term gains. Again, those projects are quick hits. Those are things that we want where there's three, six, nine months. What I'm talking about are things that will really help to invigorate and feed your career for the long run, beyond just those six months or 12 months. I'm talking about from year one, two, three and beyond, you know, to really have that true impact, to really say, you know what, I can measure this. I can say, you know, I went from being at day one where I was truly a beginner to now day 180 to this level to five years in, this is where I'm at now. can really, you can really see that growth and development process. So that's where I'm really looking at, uh we're looking at doing more up with our clientele and their, uh frontline managers of things. Yeah, because you really can't do that in a one-off kind of engagement like that. It really only comes when you're able to really and truly partner with a client over the long term. So I want to ask, um thinking about the L &D professionals who are listening to this, they're, uh again, whether they're an independent consultant or they're working in an organization, uh what advice would you give to them about making a bigger impact with their clients in their organization or wherever they are? Do your research. If there is an area, let me back up a little bit. If there is an area where you feel like it's not your strong suit, whether it's project management, consulting, whatever that thing is around the work that you do, do your research to understand how to increase that skill, how to build your knowledge around it and show it as the expert. The more that you can talk to your leaders and present solutions. that you can present ideas and strategies around ways to solve the problems that you know are going on your day to day and make lives a lot easier, particularly starting with Therese first, that will most likely, tenses out of 10, will ricochet and also support the people of the business. That's where you can really succeed. So I would say is if there's an area that is a little uncomfortable, lean into it. There's an area where you feel like you've tried it, but you weren't that successful. Get, gather more information, details and tool it. But the things that you, that you're, that are not your strong suits, say to develop those, build those for yourself. Spend, I talk about develop, 30 minutes a week at minimum developing key skills for yourself. That's what leads to innovation, knowledge, discovery. So you can have, you can generate new and innovative ideas. Do that for yourself, invest in yourself so that you can go back to the business and have these new and fresh and wonderful ideas to present. to make lives a lot easier. And the more you do that, the more you show up as the expert. And if you don't know, even bringing in a resource such as myself or anyone else would be just the same as saying, hey, this is what we need to solve this problem. Again, get yourself comfortable, familiar and have those conversations to basically, if you don't have a seat at the table, create that seat, pull up a chair. Yeah, you're talking about, you know, developing a culture of continuous learning and development within yourself, which it sounds like you kind of need if you're going to create a culture of continuous learning and development within an organization. Right? You gotta walk the walk and talk the talk, you know? So I'm curious, what does that look like for you? What is your kind of maybe big focus right now in terms of your own learning and growth? So it's same thing. So for me, I do the same things. Like I'm looking, I'm constantly learning about leadership, business, creativity. um I follow a couple of learning leaders across on LinkedIn, just whether there's leadership development, just this various topics, honestly, because there's so much going on out in the world. Like when you, I think you can agree with this, in learning, there's nothing to truly master, but curiosity, continuing to be curious. you would never have the answers to one specific thing because everything we do continues to evolve. That's why AI continues to be a hot topic in so many different conversations, so many contexts, because it's always been a thing. This is nothing new, but it continues to evolve. And so we have to continue to learn. So when I talk about these things, it's mastering one process, but it's still also in the same breath, learning the new, learning, you know, what are the changes to this process? What are some ways to tweak this? even with different organizations, that process has been, has been chopped and screwed so many different ways because the people are different. The way they show up is different. How their business operates is different. And so it's a constant learning process. even the things I'm talking about, things that I continue to practice and learn, you know, it's hands on. So that's, that's a simplified version of it. Honestly, as learning professionals, that's, that's just not. what I do is a part of who I am and how I show up and yeah, it's just, continue to pour into yourself and you have enough in your cup to pour into others. Yeah, and that's one of the things I love the most about L &D is that there's always going to be change. You're never going to be get to the point where you're the expert and there's no more growth left to happen. uh if you get there, my God. If I don't know if that's at your job or whatever, because you get that point, I don't know, you might need to phone a friend. might be time to really re-envalue it because you have, something has disconnected with you and you need something really to spark and inspire you because that's something for me that really led me to the field where I genuinely love. Like, that's why I told you to start now. Like, I can talk about learning in so many different ways. Mm-hmm. I constantly have ideas and I constantly want to bring that back to my team and to my clients because they say, hey, know, what is the way to bring this to the floor for how can we challenge this? have been your experiences? Like what has happened in your world of work? Because you can talk to five different designers right now who are actually in midst of doing the work. You can ask them one solid question. They can all give you five different answers. And I love that about this field, you know? And so I would say if you get to that point where you feel like, I'm done learning, this is it. Good at the end of the day, leaders are readers and whether you can, whether you have the title or not, you are a leader. If you don't believe you are a leader, that's the first thing you change your mindset on. First and foremost, and people who read or people who are continuous learners, they're always growing, they're always developing themselves. So never feel like this is an end process. It is a ongoing marathon period. So yes, leaders are 100 % readers. Out of curiosity, what's a book that you're maybe reading right now or finished recently that you would recommend? Listeners, check out. a book. Um, I think it's on auto, but it's, it's the, hold on. think it's called the hard thing about hard things. I could tell you who was by. Just pick this one up. Yeah, the hard thing about hard things by Ben Horowitz Yeah, yeah that was recommended to me and so I actually just picked that one up I Sorry, I started listening to audible. So that's one I'm like like early stages in like diving into Excellent, excellent. Yeah, I'm an avid, voracious reader, so I always am curious to hear what other people are spending their time with. Well, so one more question for today, which is, for folks who are listening who want to follow your work and connect with you, what's the best way for them to do that? Yeah, so what I recommend a couple of places first is linkedin. Taresa Scott Taresa spelled t-a-r-e-s-a-s-e-o-t-t um Please connect with me on there. Also you can follow and Subscribe to my newsletter, which is on blueprint blueprint is spelled b-l-e-u-p-r-i-n-t dot design um You can check out our site and register for our newsletter there. We have Class that we host through through our partnership with ATD. We have a uh self-awareness class coming up in the next three weeks on June 4th, uh where we'll be teaching about self-awareness and leadership. We'll be doing a cohort. There's all the things happening. So if you want to connect with us, those are the two key places to really get a hold and figure out what's happening. And just get some good, negative knowledge that you can take back to your workplace. Excellent, thank you. And I will uh make sure to put those links in the show notes below to save people from typing out the URL. uh But Taresa, thank you so much for sharing a little bit about your journey, your perspective. uh Conversations like this are exactly why I'm starting this show, really to spotlight the leaders shaping uh learning, leadership, and organizational growth. Absolutely. Again, thank you for having me, Jacob. It was a pleasure. I love these conversations. I love the impact you're looking to make. And so I'm excited to see this episode come to life, you continue to grow in Florida. So thank you so much again for having me. Thank you. And if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And you can connect with me on LinkedIn using the link in the show notes. And if today's conversation sparked any ideas about how your own presence and visibility could better reflect the caliber of your work in the L &D space, feel free to reach out to me as well, because that's exactly the kind of work I help leaders with. Thank you again for listening and I'll see you next time on Catalyst.

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