I’ve never facilitated an exit interview. But over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time reading what people say when they finally leave — through the data HR shares, the patterns that repeat, the comments that quietly stack up. And one thing became clear very early. People were rarely talking about lack of training. They were talking about what happened after the training. “I was confident when I joined.” “I didn’t feel supported a few months in.” “I knew the process. I didn’t

Whenever I join a new vessel, I look at the LMS early on. Not to draw conclusions. Just to understand what learning has looked like before I arrived. On my last contract, the completion figures were low. That alone didn’t tell me much. There hadn’t been a dedicated L&D presence for some time, so the numbers needed to be read in context, not isolation. That’s how I’ve learned to work. My way of operating is consistent. First, I experience the learning myself. I practice the mo

When COVID hit, hospitality and cruising didn’t just shut down. They were exposed. Every beautifully choreographed training room, every polished workshop, every “high-engagement” session—we suddenly saw how dependent we were on the room, not the learning. And the moment those rooms disappeared, the illusion disappeared with them. Trainers who built their style on energy, theatrics, and crowd dynamics had to face a brutal question: If you remove the performance, does the learn

I’ve seen too many “change management” plans that looked perfect on PowerPoint—until they met real people. Because change isn’t linear. It spills, overlaps, and tests attention spans. It doesn’t wait for phases or sign-offs. It simply arrives. And that’s where most plans fail—not in logic, but in language. We assume people resist change. But what they really resist is not understanding it. That’s where Change Fluency comes in—the ability to adapt naturally, not mechanically.

In Learning & Development, we often talk about nudge, small, gentle ways to help people learn and grow. A reminder message. A quiz challenge. A leader board to make things fun. They sound harmless. Until they’re not. During the pre-opening of a new property, we introduced a “Learning Leader board.” The goal was simple, encourage teams to complete their training early. Within a week, numbers looked great. Within two, fatigue had set in. One team member said quietly, “Sir, I sk

When I took charge of the vessel, the timing couldn’t have been tougher. A USPH inspection was on the horizon, and brand auditors from shoreside were scheduled to board on the next voyage. Crew morale was low. Pressure was high. The galley was deep-cleaning, housekeeping was sanitizing every inch, and guest services was firefighting mid-sailing. There was no room, or time, for a traditional classroom session. So, I did what ship life had trained me to do, adapt fast, and make

Every trainer faces that day. The day when your delivery is flawless, your slides are perfect, but your heart is quietly rebelling. Because what you’re teaching… you don’t believe in. It’s easy to train what you trust. The real test of leadership begins when you’re asked to stand behind something that doesn’t stand for you. I still remember the rollout of a shining “service excellence” program polished with buzzwords and laminated checklists. It looked perfect in a boardroom.

Let’s be honest — most training doesn’t fail in the classroom. It fails after it ends. You can have the perfect deck, engaging activities, and applause at the end and still lose 90% of that impact within a week. That’s not poor facilitation. That’s biology. Psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus proved it long before corporate learning existed, the Forgetting Curve shows we lose 70% of new information within 24 hours, and up to 90% within seven days unless it’s reinforced. Every gre

We call it “digital learning.” But sometimes, it feels more like digital drowning. I’ve seen teams log into back-to-back virtual sessions, race through e-modules, and complete every course on the tracker, only to remember almost nothing a week later. It’s not that they don’t care. It’s that their minds are full, not fed. The truth is, somewhere along the way, we started chasing numbers instead of nurturing understanding. Completion rates went up. Reflection went down. And thi

Most sessions start with slides. Mine start with silence. Not because I don’t have things to say, but because I want to listen first. Every room carries its own rhythm, some are eager, others guarded. If you don’t tune in to that rhythm, even the best-designed session will miss its beat. Two decades across ships, resorts, and boardrooms have taught me this: Before people open their minds, they must feel safe enough to show up as themselves. That’s where real learning begins,

I’ve spent 25 years in L&D across luxury hotels and cruise lines, and here’s the hardest truth I’ve learned: no one changes because of a...

I’ve seen it too many times. A new LMS gets rolled out with fanfare—hundreds of modules uploaded, dashboards flashing, completion rates...

AI Won’t Replace L&D Leaders—But L&D Leaders Using AI Might. Every L&D leader I know is asking the same question:  “Should we be using...

Over the years, my role has grown in scope and complexity—but one practice has stayed constant:  I still walk the floors. Not as a...

There was a time when the loudest voice in the room was considered the most knowledgeable.  Today? The best trainers know when not to...

In today’s hyper-connected world, AI can turbocharge our training—but without empathy, it’s just noise. After 25+ years in hospitality...

And I’ve seen it—again and again. There’s this idea that leadership is something you’re either born with or you’re not.  That you’ve got...

Let me be real for a moment. After 20+ years in L&D, most of it in hospitality, I’ve seen the same thing happen too many times: A...