Speaker 1 (00:05.506)

I think the speed of change and the environment we're in just requires us. think we're, the idea of leveling up our colleagues has certainly always been there. We see the value of that. But I think more than ever with the world of work shifting, and I know we're probably going to talk more about this, it's just imperative that we're in.

step as the HR function is in lockstep with the senior leadership team in terms of really how we can level up and I think the organization is paying more attention in terms of the competitiveness in the market and just the human effect on business and how we need to ensure that those hard and soft skills are present. I mean it's just it's imperative right in terms of the competitive marketplace and what people need to feel secure in how they're evolving in this world of work and I think leadership can play a key role in L &D complete.

Welcome back to Learning Matters. I'm Doug Wooldridge, your host. And today I'm very excited to be speaking with our guest. He's an executive leader, facilitator, coach, and mentor. He is passionate and inspirational developer of people and teams who builds a culture of strong morale through cross-functional collaboration and support. He established and led the commercial function for Aon Hewitt's talent practice, specifically Aon's Best Employers Study.

which he built and implemented commercial strategy for. In his current role, he leads Aon's core strategy, delivers Aon United, and assists in leading and facilitating several of Aon's flagship colleague development programs. And he's senior VP national training leader at Aon. Colin Platt, welcome to the show. Thank you. As always, we'll be discussing the latest and greatest developments in the world of L &D. And I'd like to start off with this, Colin.

fantastic. Great to be with you.

Speaker 2 (01:48.94)

What strategy do you think matters most in learning and development today?

Well, a broad question, Doug, but I really think understanding.

Fundamentally, and I have to just indicate to our guests, I'm 100 days into this. I've done many things over 17 years at Aon and I'm 100 days into the learning and development role and very excited about it and very excited about what we can achieve going forward. But I think the strategy really is aligning with the business, really understanding the needs of the business and involving leaders and colleagues. And I think this has been true over time involving leaders and colleagues in setting and understanding those priorities and really how we can walk and lockstep with them. I think broadly from an HR perspective,

perspective, if we dial back 2025 years, HR was very much an administrative function, I think, or moreover, an administrative function. And you would know this, and I'm sure your listeners have commented on this. And I think today, I don't know what the exact number is, but they say 60, 60 % to two thirds of organizations are very much looking at HR. And maybe the numbers higher now, in terms of the strategic function, right? They're very much at the table, right?

You've got the CFO on the one side and the CHRO on the other side of the CEO and you're really very much at the table leading these ideas forward.

Speaker 1 (02:57.804)

the speed at which the world of work is changing. It's becoming imperative that we're very much the nuances and the nimbleness of the HR function needs to be there, right? In terms of the people component. And so I really see it as the strategy we're in service to, and maybe this is my growth background coming through. We really are in service to our colleagues, right? And we need to know who we serve. It's very much the colleagues we're serving.

need to see us and leaders need to see us as an asset, not another item on the on the list to do, right? Not another course or an item to do. We're very much an asset. So I think moving from and I'm not suggesting this is this is a broad statement, but moving from a checkbox exercise where we might be sending courses or programs out, we need to be very thoughtful in terms of what and I would suggest that less is more I think today in terms of quality and impact, right? That we're trying to have.

As you've said, the world of HR and the world of training has developed at a lightning pace, especially over the last 25 years. has this mindset always been your ideal situation for strategy or have you had to kind of develop this over time?

No, I think Aon, and I can only speak for.

Aon in specifics, but I grew up on the entrepreneurial side for the first 17 years in small business and then 17 years at Aon and I know we'll get into this. So from a big business perspective, no, think the certainly from my vantage point, the want to align and be strategic is certainly the way I'm wired. And I think the leadership team here in Canada is wired. So, you know, I think taking that broad view, both in terms of what we're trying to organize ourselves around globally as an organization and

Speaker 1 (04:36.784)

what we're trying to affect in Canada has always been there. But I think the speed of change and the environment we're in just requires us. I think the idea of leveling up our colleagues has certainly always been there, I think. And we see the value of that. But I think more than ever with the world of work shifting, and I know we're probably going to talk more about this, it's just imperative that we're in lockstep.

as the HR function is in lockstep with the senior leadership team in terms of really how we can level up. And I think the organization is paying more attention in terms of the competitiveness in the market and just the human effect on business and how we need to ensure that those hard and soft skills are present. I mean, it's just imperative, right, in terms of the competitive marketplace and what people need to feel secure in how they're evolving in this world of work. And I think leadership can play a key role and L &D can play a

Play a key role in that.

What's your biggest application for this strategy and how are you kind of measuring the success for those applied efforts?

Yeah, well and I think we're, as I say, the formal role. We've always had a learning and development focus and globally we have a formal learning and development team, a significant learning and development team globally and certainly that has played forward in Canada but I think the role I'm now in is newer. it, no, I think there is just a...

Speaker 1 (06:03.852)

And I'm awfully excited about it because I think there's just so much, it's almost a Doug, it's almost the case of, of, how do we line up the priorities now, right? Because there's so much, there's so much we want to do. And I think so much we're recognizing as a leadership group that we can do to really inspire our colleagues in a different way. And, and, it's the, it's the soft skills as much as the hard skills. I mean, we're very technically oriented as a, as an organization and we're a professional services firm. need to be very deep on the technical side, but I think the, you know, blending that with,

really how we're leveling people up from a leadership perspective and not to call them soft skills, but those people skills are becoming quite, have always been important. And I think we're, so I would say leadership is more focused, I think, they, and recognizing that in terms of the pace, in terms of the speed of change, in terms of what we're trying to achieve as an organization, investing in our people has always been important, but I would suggest we're really recognizing with the shifts of strategy and,

and what's going on in the business, we really need to be focused on this in a more formal way.

And I know folks are always trying to showcase ROI to their organizations, especially when it comes to L &D. And like you said, there's definitely been a shift over the last several years. And you've gone away from L &D being, like you said, that checkbox piece and just something that you know you have to invest in, but you don't always know why or how best to invest in it.

But how are you showcasing that importance to the learners themselves who oftentimes have very little extra time in their day-to-day work life?

Speaker 1 (07:40.896)

It's hard at times to quantify. But look at the KPIs for the organization, our revenue and costs and efficiency and those typical measures. I think we are going to be focused on as we roll out training and enable the focus areas that we've identified for 25 and beyond. We're certainly going to be looking at those harder measures and how, and we've already seen it, frankly, Doug, we run and I won't go deep on this here,

We ran a sales training MCI, we affectionately call it, Mastering Client Interactions is our flagship program on the growth side. And we had 30, 35 colleagues in Toronto a few months ago, ran that program, very successful. It's something we've done in the organization for 25 years. It's a two day in-person program. And we're already receiving feedback in actual fact, one of our senior people in the East just relayed to us last week that he sold a significant client that we've been

focused on for a number of years and based on the training and training in that program, he took it back and was able to secure that over the last couple of weeks. So, no, I think there is the opportunity to cement those measures. I think to get to your question more specifically in terms of how employees are viewing this and how leaders are really buying into what we're trying to do. It's again, coming back to us really aligning as an asset. I think it's involving them in the conversation, perhaps like we haven't done before.

where L &D might come with a view of saying, look, these are the priorities for the year. And we don't necessarily juxtapose with the leaders or the colleagues around validating those priorities. And as I came into the role, we've done a comprehensive need assessment with leaderships and colleagues to really say, look, I think these three or four things might be where we're focused, but we want to take the time as a team to confirm with you, get that input, validate and refine the edges of this, and then we'll go forward together. I think the way we get the colleagues engaged

is to level up the conversation and level up the communication. And then again, I think there has been feedback and I don't know to the degree this is felt across your listeners to the degree that there's fatigue in the system, right? I mean, what is it today that the average person digests tens of thousands of impressions a day? So if we're...

Speaker 1 (10:01.74)

reaching out to people who are already busy, probably well over 100 % in terms of what they're already, the effort they're already given. And we're asking them to spend a half a day or a day or two days. We need to ensure that there's impact there and that people are seeing it as an asset that's going to level them up and support them, not just again, this idea that we need to make this mandatory and we're gonna run this course. And so I think we're very much, starting with them and their priorities and working back and by that, we're creating a level of buy-in, I think that.

that may not have been there in the past, if that makes sense. It does.

And what top trends are you most excited about in our crazy industry?

I'm excited with the organization's resolve around this and commitment to it. I mean, that would be number one. I think broadly and taking it further, I think the opportunity to really create some inspiration, optimism, and a sense in colleagues that we can help them and support them do better at their specific function and continue to help them level up. I think that that's resonating with people if we package it in the right way.

If we give it to them in bite-sized pieces that's incremental, that they can digest and they can work into their day and their week, that makes a whole lot of sense. If we're coming at them in a way that doesn't necessarily offer that same level of thoughtfulness, I don't know whether we'll get the engagement. So no, and I guess I just add on to that, mean, AI, and I think you might be talking about this, the industry is evolving. So there's so many tools coming online, whether it's the application of

Speaker 1 (11:36.27)

creating videos and I'm learning some of these things just given my newness to the business. you know everything from creating videos to creating supports and tools to AI and what we can do to support people. I think there's just so much in the system now. So it's how do we harness all of that that is available and partner with the right people around this, right? Because there are organizations that do some of this aspect very well. So what can we do internally? What can we do

externally, how can we get to the right position there and to meet the priorities in the timeline? So, no, I think it's exciting. And I also look forward within this network, given I'm new to L &D, I look forward to building my network with L &D and sharing ideas. So this is a great, you know, a great.

As far as AI goes, it can definitely be a very overwhelming thing with all the different types of tools out there. How is Aon utilizing AI within your organization? And are there any tips and tricks you have for folks that would like to kind of step into the world of AI, but are just a little trepidation?

I think a couple of things on AI, certainly from Aon's perspective, we took the stance a number of months ago as things were coming online to strike a global committee. So we have a global committee on AI that has been looking at this, the technology and how do we be most thoughtful about bringing this into the organization in a way that... So of course it can create...

efficiencies and but how do we really you know play the short game and the long game together I think is important on AI right and really being thoughtful in terms of implementation. So we struck the global committee we've trained leaders on it now we've launched in the last just in the last couple of months we've launched AonChat GBT which is yeah which is a platform internally which

Speaker 1 (13:24.366)

as you would expect, would enable colleagues to write correspondence or have correspondence written for them, to reach into the system for research where we can align it with our, you know, our collective systems. So if they're looking for certain things, it can find things for them on certain topics in a matter of seconds, of course, as you would know, it can write correspondence and so on. So we've taken that as a first step. And I think it's early days in all of this, Doug, but I think the thoughtfulness of our approach

the fact that we struck a committee to really look at this in a way that best aligns with our needs. We've launched it now as a version 1.0, if you will, chat GBT, we'll get feedback from that. And I know that the committee is continuing to refine. So there'll be more tools coming on. I think it's early days on this, of course, but I think the one thing that Aon has been wise about, I think we've been thoughtful about is playing the short and the long game, right? obviously there's efficiencies we wanna recognize and take advantage of.

but we're also playing the long game in terms of introducing it into the organization in a way that people can use it effectively and that we're we're on our front foot and yes, moving forward on this, but we're not necessarily getting ahead of ourselves in terms of being too quick in that and maybe not thoughtful enough in that in terms of, because you know, the unknowns of AI, this thing's evolving fast.

You mentioned your sales program that you just recently brought into play. Are there any other initiatives that you guys are working on this year that you're very excited about?

be very transparent with you. Certainly growth and the development of the business is always a primary. So supporting colleagues in that client service is one that obviously is foremost in our minds. I think beyond that, we're looking at our onboarding in terms of how we bring in terms of the broad buckets. Onboarding is certainly one. Compliance and the technical components.

Speaker 1 (15:19.514)

We're in a professional service environment, so E &O and those areas and emissions and things we want to make sure that, and this is good client leadership and hygiene, right? That we're equipping folks to make sure that they're equipped on the technical side because we're very deep on the technical side, but that they really know that client leadership at a level and at a hygiene level that we're ensuring the...

the bespoke service that we aspire and that we do deliver. So those would be three. And I think beyond that really helping colleagues with some of those, and I call them soft and that's probably not the right thing, but from communication skills to presentation skills to those components that are so important that aren't necessarily taught as folks come into the organization, they may or may not have that background, but they're critically important in terms of how we engage with the market.

So those are an area as well that we're focused on just in terms of how we can really get to a different place and inspire people to operate at the level that I think we do on a day-to-day basis, but we want to make sure everyone's there.

That sounds like you have a very exciting second half of the year ahead of you. I'd like to get. Yeah, I'd like to get a little more into the personal side of things. So tell me about you, Colin. Take me back to take me back to the little Colin days. What led you to get into the world of learning and development? And how did you end up here as the senior VP national training leader at Aon?

I think from a professional perspective, I was born and raised in the Toronto area and I'm now married with four children. so that on the personal side. On the professional side,

Speaker 1 (17:02.734)

Look, I've spent the first 17, if I've been in business over 30 years, 30, 35 years I've been out. I spent the first half of that in small business, my own and others. I always had a disposition for the people side. So there was this component of growing business. So I was very much on the growth side, business development side and growing business and strategy, but always juxtaposing that with the people. The people was always a piece that interests me, albeit I didn't grow up in HR. I was very much on the strategy and operations and sales.

side of the business. So very much in the business and growing the business but always had a very much a disposition for the people and the importance of the care and nurture and really looking after the people. So as I joined Aon about 17 years ago

And I've had six jobs at Aon now, so very much on the growth side initially, as you said, growing our best employers program for eight years, and then a number of jobs in our health practice. I've worked across the business. And most recently, four years helping to lead our number one strategy, which is our Aon United, affectionately we call it Aon United, but that's bringing our service lines together across the business to better serve our clients. And so I was quite active in that.

And during that time, I had the opportunity to do, as would be natural, was doing training of colleagues informally and really enjoying it. it was about six months ago, six, eight months ago that I tabled the idea of formalizing that I'd be interested in doing it. And I felt there was one, need for it and two, an advantage that we could create and how might I play a role? So many discussions over many months. And then we finally decided to

to do this in April. so now shifting my attention to L &D. I'm very much a newbie, Doug. I'm only 100 days in. I think, and as you and I think had some conversation about, I really do feel it's an asset that I've come from the business. I think it's terrific to grow up in HR and come all the way through. And we have wonderful HR people here that do tremendous work on the people side. But I might be a bit of an anomaly in that

Speaker 1 (19:16.014)

I didn't come up through HR. I always had a keenness and an interest and knew there was value I could provide, but I've come from the business. So I think that may in fact be an asset in this role though, because as I reach out to the business and all the relationships I've created over the years, I know what they're doing, I know what they're feeling, and I know what they're up against on that side. I think too, I do. And so I can reach out very much not as we have some more courses we'd like to offer, it's very much

Where are you at? How's the business fairing? And what would be important to you from a leveling up perspective? And so that tends to get a different discussion going. And I think the leaders appreciate the fact that I'm really coming to solve their issues more than just necessarily rolling out more material that may or may not be on their top five list in terms of the business need.

We know what our goals are, we know where we're headed, and this is how we're gonna do this. And then you have sign off from the leadership and the C-suite folks because you're already right there with them.

I think it's important and one of the comments just to round that out and I think we've talked about it is this whole aspect of fatigue, right? I've heard from leaders that they're very, very interested in what we're wanting to do. They're very supportive of it. They're going to absolutely be in lockstep with us. And so all of that is lining up. But there has been that comment that there's just so much coming at the teams that we're asking of people. And so how can we, all of it good, but how can we package it in a way that

that is at your earlier point, right? If we're asking for half a day or a day or two days or whatever that may be, it's important, but we need the employees to feel they leave that in better shape than they stepped into it, right? And that it's not just another item on the to-do list where the to-do list is always full. It's always full and it's beyond full in some cases. So are we providing them the tools that is actually going to help them, you know?

Speaker 1 (21:16.098)

get a better handle on their day, week and month and so on. And if that's the case, then I think people are all in. But if they see it as another item on the list, it's it's harder, right? To and rightfully so.

could go back in time and have a little chat with yourself, let's say just coming out of college age. What advice would you share with yourself? What did you need to hear at that time?

Well, that's a great question. We could talk for hours on that. And that's going back a lot of years now that I think about it. No, listen, if I had to give advice to youth today or I was thinking about what I might have needed back then, I think two things, and there's probably many more, but I would say mentors. Surrounding yourself with mentors is something that has always been an asset to me. And when I say that, I mean people that might be five, 10, 15 years.

ahead of you, right? They're just further down the path. And when you're thinking about, if you're 22 and coming through and trying to think about what all this means and where you're going, I think having people that might have that depth of perception just further down the track, or they might be able to look beyond the next corner and say, well, look, that sounds great, but have you thought about this? I think just having that perspective and that interplay is very helpful. And in actual fact, would say in joining Aon,

My initial entree to Aon was through one of the senior partners here, and I probably would not have found Aon had it not been for Ted. So it was over coffee at Starbucks that he said, why don't you come and work for us? And that's how that all started 17 years ago. And likely given my entrepreneurial background, I wouldn't necessarily have been seen as a fit for a big corporate consulting firm. But Ted had a vision and saw me as someone that could add to that. so again, value of mentors, I would say that's absolutely there.

Speaker 1 (23:00.242)

And I think the other is finding your passion, right? And by that, I know we talk a lot about this in business and certainly, you know, folks coming through, I think. So it's something, it's an iterative process and it's something that may take years. And it's certainly taken me many years to sort of land, you know, here I'm mid to late career finding L &D, right? This wasn't something I started years ago. But I think if you can continue to

question yourself around what really inspires you on a day-to-day basis. What aspects of the work do you really enjoy? If you can try to drill down on that, again, it's not an exact science and there's nuances all over the place and it's sometimes hard to find. But I think if I was to give advice, would say mentors are key just to give that perspective. And I think trying to work through and find your passion. mean, they say today, what's the stat today? 80%, it's almost 80 % of employees would.

give up their day job if they had free choice, right? And that's, that's if it's even if it's anywhere close to 80 % of people don't look forward to Sunday nights, then that's, that's, that's unfortunate, Doug. Because, you know, we spend a lot of time doing this. So I would say for young people, and again, the world of work is shifting so fast that it's, hard to look 510 15 years out, right? We don't, we don't even know the jobs that might exist 10 years from now. But if you can find those things that really get you up in the morning and

and resonate with you at a deeper level than I think that's the old adage, you know, if you find what you love, you'll never work another day. Well, it may be not, you know, that was a saying. I don't know whether any of us get totally there, but if you can even get part way there, I think that's, you know, that's an asset in life. Absolutely. Because we spend an awful lot of time doing this. So if you can find something that resonates with you in a deeper sense, then I would say try to hone in and find jobs that play to that. Right. I think that's important.

said. Well before I get you out of here today, where can people connect with you?

Speaker 1 (24:58.146)

Well, I certainly I'm sure through you, you've got my contact points. I'm on LinkedIn. So they're more than welcome to dial me through LinkedIn. And my direct email is Colin.plat. So first name dot last name at at Aon.com Aon.com. So more than happy for people to email me directly.

we'll have those links in the show notes. So thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your incredible insight, I really appreciate it.

Well, thanks Doug for having me. No, just great to talk with you. hope it's helpful. Thanks so much.

If you learned something new or how to laugh, share the show with someone you know. And this has been another episode of Learning Matters. As always, like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And don't hesitate to reach out to us here at TTC Innovations to see how we can assist you with all of your L &D needs. See you next time.