Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com
What Smart L&D Leaders Do Before Launching New Tech: Yasmin Gutierrez on Change Management & Adoption
In this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Yasmin Gutierrez, Director of Director of Culture & Capability Enablement at Phillips 66, to discuss how to audit your tech stack and share practical frameworks for learning and development leaders.
Yasmin reveals why "tech is the enabler, not the solution" and explains why building adoption starts with understanding the people behind the process. We also dive into her adoption readiness framework and Megan Torrance’s Technology Implementation Canvas — both of which you can use immediately to improve rollout success and stakeholder buy-in.
If you're an L&D professional, enablement leader, or operations manager looking to improve training effectiveness and maximize tech adoption, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.
💡 FREE RESOURCE:
Tech Stack Adoption Optimization Guide - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tMiJD5c-t_lmyftMyQvtBH2qP_GnhKpR/view?usp=drive_link
💡 BONUS TOOL: Technology Implementation Canvas - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kf35i0Ty-q4EiHPreRwbzVfPUOMR8-Gv/view?usp=sharing
SOCIALS:
👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👨💻 Connect with Yasmin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmingutierrez/
🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com
⏰ TIMESTAMPS
00:00: Introduction & Yasmin’s L&D journey
04:50: What to do in your first 90 days as a new L&D leader
07:30: How to evaluate in-flight tech initiatives
10:15: Diagnosing low adoption post-implementation
12:10: How to partner with vendors to improve utilization
19:45: Focus group strategies for adoption feedback
24:00: Building a change management plan that sticks
33:40: Visualizing the rollout with Yasmin's strategic canvas
38:50: Customization vs. configuration: What’s scalable
45:00: How to measure impact and ROI in L&D
#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #SoftwareImplementation #ChangeManagement #TrainingEffectiveness
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.comHow Ashton Williams Operationalized Enablement for 13,000+ Reps at SalesforceIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Ashton Williams, Director of Enablement for SMB at Salesforce, to discuss how to scale enablement across massive organizations and share practical frameworks for enablement and L&D leaders.Ashton reveals why “scale forces strategy” and explains how enablers can escape the operational muck by aligning with revenue outcomes and thinking like business leaders. We also dive into her Enablement Prioritization Playbook — a simple model to map, balance, and justify what you focus on next.If you're a learning leader, enablement strategist, or ops manager trying to lead high-impact initiatives across complex orgs, this conversation delivers the strategic clarity you need.💡 FREE RESOURCE: Enablement Prioritization Playbook - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YCaNU4L2ngMsINWZ6PqQrqMi051puVfJ/view?usp=sharingSOCIALS:👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/👨💻 Connect with Ashton - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonwill/🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00: Ashton’s journey from sales to enablement leadership04:10: Why scale forces strategy (and how to adapt)06:39: The 3-priority framework to drive enablement focus09:05: Selling enablement like sales: champions, buy-in, and consensus12:55: Orchestrating cross-functional alignment16:03: The health check system: Reach, Readiness, Behavior21:46: Launching Slack’s AI product with a global field kickoff29:29: Driving internal tech adoption through peer advocacy40:18: Lessons from the Slack → Salesforce acquisition#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #ChangeManagement #KnowledgeTransfer #SoftwareImplementation
Check out iorad’s interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com
What SaaS Buyers Really Want: How to Remove Friction and Drive Adoption
This is a special collab episode between The Adoption Curve and SaaS Therapy, where Sean Adams and Todd Kirk team up to explore what SaaS buyers truly value after the sale—removing friction, driving adoption, and turning tools into outcomes.
Todd (VP of Software Engagement Advisory at BrainStorm Inc.) and Sean (Chief Revenue Officer at iorad) blend their experiences from both sides of the SaaS table to unpack:
• Why features don’t sell—outcomes do• How IT champions think (and what they really want from vendors)
• The mindset shift from implementation to adoption
• Tactics you can use immediately to reduce post-sale friction
If you're a product leader, customer success manager, or SaaS founder aiming to increase adoption and reduce churn, this episode delivers a roadmap for building real, lasting value.
💡 FREE RESOURCE: THE PROACTIVE POST-SALE PLAYBOOK – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hnHqqu8P58e5ha-sGa0u5ldejjxb-lmh/view?usp=sharing
SOCIALS
👨💻 Connect with Sean — https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👨💻 Connect with Todd — https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddjeffreykirk/
🌍 IORAD website — https://www.iorad.com⏰
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 — Episode intro & podcast crossover
04:30 — What SaaS buyers are really looking for
10:15 — Common friction points in onboarding
17:45 — Strategies to remove friction and increase adoption
24:30 — How to surface unseen value for IT champions
30:10 — Translating adoption into expansion
#SoftwareAdoption #UserEnablement #SaaSSuccess #CustomerOutcomes #TechImplementation
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com
Simplifying Complexity in Partner Enablement with Merav Ammar
In this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Merav Ammar, Partner Enablement Leader at SentinelOne, to discuss how to simplify partner ecosystems and share practical frameworks for learning and development leaders.
Merav reveals why partner enablement must go far beyond sales training and explains why breaking roles into four clear functions—Sell, Deliver, Manage, Build—is the key to scalable success. We also dive into her enablement persona framework that you can implement immediately to tailor content and drive partner activation at scale.
If you're an L&D professional, enablement leader, or partner program manager looking to scale partner adoption and improve training effectiveness, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.
💡 FREE RESOURCE: The Scalable Partner Enablement Playbook - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gNGsgQ23r4y0cC7-fthCnHcSKsyv3AML/view?usp=sharing
SOCIALS:
👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👨💻 Connect with Merav - https://www.linkedin.com/in/meravammar/
🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com
⏰ TIMESTAMPS
00:00: Introduction to partner enablement at SentinelOne
03:01: Why being on the price list ≠ partner readiness
06:50: Breaking down partner personas by function
14:22: The “one shot” mindset in partner activation
21:34: Mapping the partner journey and enabling self-service
26:18: Expanding beyond partner tiers with capability paths
35:00: How demo labs reduce friction and show real value
44:10: Community, feedback loops, and gamified recognition
#SoftwareAdoption #PartnerEnablement #TechnologyImplementation #TrainingEffectiveness #LearningAndDevelopment #UserAdoption
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com
Scaling Customer Success with Samantha Murray: Experience as a Growth Lever
In this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Samantha Murray, Go-to-Market & Customer Experience Strategist at AlignedCX, to discuss how to use experience as a growth lever and share practical frameworks for learning and development leaders.
Samantha reveals why adoption is a two-way street and explains how aligning internal teams to customer outcomes drives faster scale. We also dive into her People Experience as a Product operating model—an agile, empathy-driven framework you can implement immediately to improve technology adoption and training effectiveness.
If you're an L&D professional, enablement leader, or customer success manager looking to increase user adoption and remove friction from the customer journey, this conversation gives you the exact playbook to start today.
💡 FREE RESOURCE: THE SERVICE BLUEPRINT FOR ADOPTION – https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve
SOCIALS:
👨💻 Connect with Sean – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👩💻 Connect with Samantha – https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-murray613/
🌍 IORAD website – https://www.iorad.com
⏰ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Samantha’s career journey from marketing to customer success
06:41 – Early-stage strategies for scaling customer enablement
09:35 – Adoption as a two-way street: customer & company alignment
12:40 – Building empathy through user research & journey mapping
16:51 – Shifting from outputs to business outcomes
25:16 – The 4-stage People Experience as a Product methodology
33:42 – Prioritizing solutions with the Cost of Delay framework
38:13 – Using service design to uncover internal friction points
48:37 – Leveraging partner ecosystems for customer success
#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #CustomerSuccess #ChangeManagement #InteractiveTraining
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.comCustomer Education Activation Playbook: Courtney Sembler on Driving Adoption Through LearningIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Courtney Sembler, Senior Director of HubSpot Academy, to discuss building a global education engine and share practical frameworks for learning and development leaders.Courtney reveals how customer education can directly drive retention, activation, and acquisition—and explains why starting with small wins is critical to gaining leadership buy-in. We also dive into her four-quadrant team model and HubSpot Academy’s proactive product sync strategy that you can implement immediately to scale education content without sacrificing quality.If you're a customer education leader, enablement strategist, or L&D professional looking to operationalize your academy or training team, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.💡 FREE RESOURCE: Customer Education Activation Framework - book.iorad.com/adoption-curveSOCIALS:👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/👨💻 Connect with Courtney - https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-sembler-b3394951/🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00: Courtney’s 10-year journey at HubSpot03:32: How HubSpot Academy got started and scaled06:01: Getting buy-in from leadership for customer education08:23: Breaking down the 65-person global team10:02: ROI metrics: 700K leads, 13% retention lift12:53: Navigating internal partnerships across CS, Marketing & Product19:27: Automating product education updates with Zapier24:04: Content localization and standardization tips28:47: Using the “Why, How, What” framework for video lessons39:41: AI’s role in content accuracy, efficiency, and personalization46:05: Why AI won’t replace CE—but it will supercharge your strategy#SoftwareAdoption #CustomerEducation #EmployeeEnablement #InteractiveTraining #ChangeManagement #TechStackOptimization
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.comDigital Training for Industrial Teams with Thaddeus Tsohantaridis: Lessons from the FieldIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Thaddeus Tsohantaridis, Director of Training at Phoenix Global, to discuss building effective digital training systems for industrial teams and share practical frameworks for learning and development professionals.Thaddeus reveals why replicating classroom training over Zoom fails and explains why understanding “what success looks like for each learner” is the key to buy-in. We also dive into his peer-driven curriculum design strategy that you can implement immediately to improve hands-on training outcomes in field-based roles.If you're an L&D leader, enablement manager, or operations trainer looking to modernize training for manufacturing, construction, or infrastructure teams, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.💡 FREE RESOURCE: FIELD-FIRST CHANGE MANAGEMENT WORKSHEET - https://book.iorad.com/adoption-curveSOCIALS:👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👨💻 Connect with Thaddeus - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thaddeustsohantaridis/
🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com
⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00: Thaddeus’ journey from academia to corporate training04:25: Building training in infrastructure & steel industries07:45: Lessons from adapting live training during COVID13:20: Making digital documentation accessible in the field18:00: Teaching the “why” behind digital transformation23:10: Coaching workers through change with empathy32:00: How to co-create curriculum with field experts38:30: Tying L&D metrics to real business outcomes#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #SoftwareImplementation #KnowledgeTransfer #JustInTimeLearning
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com
The Enablement Framework That Drives Real Revenue: Nick Lawrence on Performance Modeling
In this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Nick Lawrence, Revenue Enablement Lead at Databricks, to discuss shifting from skills training to outcome-driven enablement and share practical frameworks for learning & development leaders, enablement specialists, and sales ops professionals.
Nick reveals the importance of focusing on “competence” — the actual outputs reps produce — rather than just competencies, and explains why true enablement is about designing the environment for performance, not just delivering knowledge.
We also dive into his performance modeling framework—outcomes, outputs, and obstacles—that you can implement immediately to improve measurable pipeline and win-rate outcomes.
If you’re an L&D professional, enablement leader, or sales operations manager looking to align training with real business results, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.
💡 FREE RESOURCE: The OUTCOMES → OUTPUTS → OBSTACLES Framework - book.iorad.com/adoption-curve-episode-10
SOCIALS:
👨💻 Connect with Sean – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👨💻 Connect with Nick – https://www.linkedin.com/in/elevatingenablement/
🌍 IORAD website – https://www.iorad.com
⏰ TIMESTAMPS
00:00: Intro & Nick’s transition into revenue enablement
02:11: Defining enablement vs training vs performance consulting
09:34: Competence vs competencies—what truly matters
14:06: How to map outcomes → outputs → enablement actions
20:30: Bringing tools into strategy, not the other way around
25:44: Environment vs event: designing systems, not webinars
33:07: Incentives, champions & change management tips
38:10: How to measure enablement impact beyond SPR
#EmployeeEnablement #L&Dstrategy #ChangeManagement #TechAdoption #PerformanceEnablement
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com
In this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Heidi Kirby, Founder of the Useful L&D Community, to discuss how learning professionals can escape the order-taking trap and become strategic business partners inside their organizations.
Heidi reveals why “completion is a useless metric” and explains how to use everyday data to prove impact—even without a dashboard. We also dive into evidence-based instructional design, like Mayer’s Multimedia Principles, that you can implement immediately to improve training retention and reduce cognitive overload.
If you're a learning strategist, customer education leader, or instructional designer looking to increase your internal visibility and deliver measurable value, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.
💡 FREE RESOURCE: The 5-Step Strategic Pushback Framework - book.iorad.com/adoption-curve-episode-9
SOCIALS:
👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👨💻 Connect with Heidi - https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidikriz/
🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com
⏰ TIMESTAMPS
00:00: From NASA to community founder: Heidi’s L&D journey
03:09: How to be seen as strategic (before you get the title)
06:15: Avoiding the “order taker” trap in L&D
08:25: Tactfully pushing back on bad learning requests11:45: Using "invisible data" to measure learning ROI
14:50: How customer education can drive down support costs
18:44: Evidence-based design with Mayer’s Multimedia Principles
24:14: Why course completion ≠ success in training
26:49: Teaching only the 20% people actually use
33:00: How to measure confidence, autonomy, and true adoption
34:29: Cross-functional buy-in for successful tech rollouts
38:31: Why L&D pros should network—without needing a reason
#LearningAndDevelopment #TechAdoption #InstructionalDesign #TrainingEffectiveness #EmployeeEnablement #CustomerEducation
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com
In this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Sara Madsen, L&D Leader at Border States, to discuss strategic learning enablement during software rollouts and share practical frameworks for learning and development professionals.
Sara reveals how involving L&D early can reduce chaos and explains why training ROI should be measured by behavioral change, not course completions. We also dive into her “Go/No-Go” planning approach and pilot team selection method that you can implement immediately to improve rollout outcomes.
If you're an L&D professional, enablement leader, or implementation project manager looking to avoid rushed rollouts and build trust across departments, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.
💡 FREE RESOURCE: Software Training Rollout Success Kit - http://book.iorad.com/adoption-curve-episode-8
SOCIALS:
👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👨💻 Connect with Sara - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-madsen-1a45bb78/
🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com
⏰ TIMESTAMPS
00:00: Introducing Sara Madsen & Border States’ L&D scope
02:14: What happens when L&D is brought in too late
03:44: Building trust with IT and project managers
06:01: Executive sponsorship + "bribe with candy" tactic
09:23: Why ghostwriting for execs leads to better rollout messaging
10:35: Running an effective pilot: picking the right people
12:03: Help desk training = your first line of defense
14:42: What is a "Go/No-Go Date" and why it protects L&D
17:27: Getting IT to lock down a stable version before training
20:26: Using Iorad to keep up with constant changes
22:12: How to assign roles across multi-team software projects
26:27: Internal hype videos + marketing partnerships for rollout
29:45: Short-form tutorials + self-serve help embedded in apps
34:53: How to redefine training “success” from usage to behavior
37:05: Calculating ROI: Time saved for SMEs & faster delivery
39:47: End-of-year highlight reels to tell L&D’s impact story
#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #SoftwareImplementation #TrainingEffectiveness #ChangeManagement
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.comAgile L&D Strategy with Megan Torrance: How to Design for ChangeIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Megan Torrance, CEO of TorranceLearning, to discuss how L&D teams can design training that adapts to change and share practical frameworks for learning and development leaders.Megan reveals why most traditional training assets break during system updates and explains how the Design for Change methodology allows teams to build learning materials that stay relevant—even when everything else is shifting. We also dive into the LLAMA framework (Lot Like Agile Management Approach), which helps L&D teams stay flexible, aligned, and strategically valuable throughout the technology implementation process.If you're a learning leader, enablement specialist, or operations manager looking to improve technology adoption and build training that doesn't go stale, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.💡 FREE RESOURCE: Your Technology Implementation CanvasSOCIALS:👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/👨💻 Connect with Megan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/megantorrance/🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00: Welcome + Megan’s approach to agile learning03:58: The “Design for Change” mindset explained06:22: How one L&D team ran an internal campaign to gain influence10:03: Why most intake forms are built for failure15:43: What is LLAMA and how it evolved from Agile23:07: Training that survives change: CRM example + content tips27:45: Why “just-in-time” and “just-in-case” aren’t opposites#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #SoftwareImplementation #ChangeManagement #InteractiveTraining
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com/Frontline enablement for the modern workforce with JD Dillon: How to Embed Learning into Daily WorkIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with JD Dillon, Chief Learning Architect at Axonify, to discuss embedding learning into frontline workflows and share practical frameworks for learning and development leaders.JD reveals why frontline training is still broken ("this is Bill, he'll show you") and explains why real success comes from building systems that enable capable, confident workforces — not just delivering training sessions. We also dive into his proven approach to embedded learning, where support happens in the moment of need, not before or after, to drive real tech adoption and operational outcomes.If you're a learning and development leader, enablement specialist, or operations manager looking to improve software adoption, empower frontline employees, and optimize tech stack performance, this conversation provides the exact frameworks you need.💡 FREE RESOURCE: Embedded Learning Playbook: How to Shift from "Train Then Apply" to "Learn While Doing" - [RESOURCE LINK]SOCIALS:👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/👨💻
Connect with JD Dillon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jddillon/
🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com
⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00: Introduction: Why frontline learning is broken04:48: "Find Bill": The real frontline training experience today07:30: Why managers—not companies—own employee success16:18: How to build trust: Go do the job yourself19:45: Why executives don't care about learning (and what they care about instead)25:06: Building ecosystems vs. delivering courses42:53: Embedded learning: Supporting employees in the flow of work51:19: Avoiding siloed chatbots: How to create unified tech experiences#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #SoftwareAdoption #DigitalTransformation #TrainingEffectiveness
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.comAdoption Curve with William Illingworth: 5 Proven Ways to Streamline AdoptionIn this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with William Illingworth, Learning Systems Manager at Collibra, to discuss bridging the gap between flashy tech investments and effective corporate training. I share how a process-first approach can transform training into a catalyst for real change and drive measurable ROI.William reveals that overwhelming systems can be cut down to clear, concise workflows that let teams hit the ground running—and explains why focusing on the essentials is key to long-term adoption success. We also dive into his proven Course Blueprinting Framework that you can implement immediately to boost training effectiveness and streamline implementation.If you're an L&D professional, enablement leader, or operations manager looking to turn technology investments into real impact, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.💡 FREE RESOURCE: Course Blueprinting Framework Template - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P4bNTXuNA4ZUY0YY9gKlQqQy_BNFW-7w/view?usp=sharingSOCIALS:
👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👨💻 Connect with William Illingworth - https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-illingworth/
🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com⏰
TIMESTAMPS00:00: Introduction to tech adoption challenges03:00: From higher ed to corporate training08:15: Aligning tech investments with daily training needs12:30: Embracing a process-first approach16:45: The Course Blueprinting Framework explained21:00: Final thoughts on driving measurable ROI#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #SoftwareImplementation
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com
Scaling Customer Education with Kevin Dunn: Building Adoption Flywheels
In this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Kevin Dunn, Head of Customer Education and Community at Airtable, to discuss scaling customer education programs and share practical frameworks for learning and development leaders.
Kevin reveals why early-stage customer education doesn't need to be fully formalized to be impactful and explains why aligning education to customer activation milestones is critical for success. We also dive into his 5-category reporting framework that you can implement immediately to improve training effectiveness, user adoption, and technology implementation outcomes.
If you're a learning and development professional, customer success leader, or enablement manager looking to build or scale customer education programs, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.
💡 FREE RESOURCE: The 5-Category Reporting Framework: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q6SiyNKIjex7VQuQ6QUiHtLGu0tS46Y6/view
SOCIALS:
👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👨💻 Connect with Kevin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kev-dunn/
🌍 IORAD website - https://www.iorad.com
⏰ TIMESTAMPS
00:00: Why Internal and External Adoption Aren't So Different
04:45: When to Formalize Customer Education Programs
08:56: How to Teach "How to Think" Before "How to Do"
14:23: Using Customer Education as a Pre-Sales Accelerator
17:06: Defining Success Metrics for Customer Academies
19:23: The 5-Category Reporting Framework Explained
27:23: Managing Version Control and Content Updates at Scale
34:45: How Airtable Uses AI to Prioritize and Improve Courses
41:57: The Future of Customer Education and Community Flywheels
#SoftwareAdoption #EmployeeEnablement #CustomerEducation #TechAdoption #TrainingEffectiveness #ChangeManagement
Check out iorad's interactive tutorial builder: https://www.iorad.com
In this episode of The Adoption Curve, I sit down with Matt Gjertsen from Better Everyday Studios to discuss the challenges of software adoption and share practical frameworks for learning and development leaders.
Matt reveals that over-engineering can stall progress—"engineers love to engineer"—and explains why honing in on your core problem and setting tight deadlines is critical. We also dive into his 4-step process for first principles leadership that you can implement immediately to improve user adoption and training effectiveness.
If you're an L&D professional, enablement leader, or operations manager looking to boost technology implementation and drive measurable ROI, this conversation provides the exact steps you need.
💡 FREE RESOURCE: First Principles Problem-Solving Guide - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vv-z6u_yYhPbUdLm2LVdGMQiuwbH0xVCFPcmiZEaY7k/edit?usp=sharing
SOCIALS:
👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-adams-sales/
👨💻 Connect with Matt - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/
⏰ TIMESTAMPS
00:00: Introduction & Episode Overview
05:00: Over-Engineering vs. Building Fast
10:29: Identifying the Core Problem
15:00: Aligning Training to Business Outcomes
27:00: Transforming Documentation into Strategy
41:00: First Principles Leadership for Rapid Execution
#LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEnablement #TechAdoption #SoftwareImplementation
In this episode of the Adoption Curve, we chat with Pasha Irshad, co-founder of HubSpot Gold Partner Shape and Scale, about why most tech purchases fail to deliver ROI and his proven 3-step framework to fix it.Pasha shares why buying a solution doesn't equal solving the problem and breaks down the exact process he uses with clients to audit their tech stack, align stakeholders, and ensure successful implementation.If you're an L&D professional, enablement leader, or operations manager struggling with technology adoption, this conversation is packed with actionable frameworks you can implement immediately.Want to make your tech stack training more effective? Check out IORAD's interactive tutorial builder: iorad.comSOCIALS:👨💻 Connect with Sean - https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanadams/👨💻 Connect with Pasha - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pashairshard/🌍 IORAD website - [https://www.iorad.com](https://www.iorad.com/)⏰ TIMESTAMPS00:00: Introduction to tech stack adoption challenges02:33: Why buying software doesn't solve problems05:24: The 3 questions to ask before any tech purchase08:41: Process documentation before technology implementation12:49: How to measure training success (hint: silence is good)14:59: How AI is disrupting traditional learning17:35: The tech stack audit framework explained21:42: When NOT to automate (and why)25:17: Final thoughts on tech adoption
When Rich was tasked with migrating Zoom's entire company from Salesforce Classic to Salesforce Lightning during the pandemic, he faced a monumental challenge. The migration would impact nearly 90% of the company, with thousands of employees spread across the globe—all using Salesforce differently based on their roles.Traditional approaches weren't cutting it. Long-form training videos and conventional sessions were proving ineffective as the company scaled rapidly during COVID. With the pressure of being a mission-critical platform during a global crisis, Rich needed a fundamentally different approach to technology adoption."we were at a point where we had tried long videos and relied heavily on long-form training, and it just wasn't working. With a massively growing organization with a ton of tools and a ton of complexity, we needed to really shift how we thought about enabling our team on the tech stack across the entire company."Key Insight #1: Focus on the "Why" for Each RoleRich discovered that the number one reason technology adoption fails is that users don't understand how new tools help them personally. Organizations often push new technology from leadership without explaining the specific benefits to individual users.Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, Rich implemented role-specific training that directly addressed how the technology would improve each person's workflow and objectives."when I say, 'Hey, tell me about the experience of learning how to use these tools.' The number one piece of feedback I get is they just don't understand why it helps them. They've seen the training, they've probably resisted it at times, but they just don't understand how it actually helps them in their role. This is a really simple switch—focus deliberately around how it helps each person in the organization by their role."Key Insight #2: Flip Traditional Training Upside DownRather than conducting endless training sessions attempting to cover every feature, Rich made a bold decision to completely invert the training approach. Instead of using live sessions to deliver comprehensive product training, he used them to teach people how to self-serve and access just-in-time learning resources.This approach acknowledged the reality of the forgetting curve and the impracticality of training thousands of global employees on every possible scenario."What if we flipped this on its head and said, what if we use the live training sessions to actually teach people how to use the tutorials and how to self-serve to learn as they're in the tool? Because nobody wants to go to a training and then go back to Salesforce or whatever tool they're in and try to remember what they had. They want to have it at their fingertips. They want it contextual. They want it just in time."Key Insight #3: Use Data to Identify and Address Adoption BarriersRather than guessing where users would struggle, Rich implemented a data-driven approach to identify specific pain points. His team tracked metrics like how often users switched back to the old system, what page they were on when they did so, and collected feedback through short surveys.This real-time data allowed them to quickly build targeted tutorials for common issues and deliver them proactively to users who needed them most."One of the metrics that we were looking at was how often a user was switching back from Salesforce Lightning to Classic, actually capturing what page they were on, what their user profile was, and they were required to fill out a short survey to say, 'Hey, what happened? Why did you need to switch back?' We leveraged that data to pick up on trends and themes to then continue to bolster our training documentation. The next time they log in, we can actually serve up that tutorial to them through their browser."