Tuesday’s Titles by Aoife Coonagh

December 2024

With over thirty years of cross-sectoral leadership experience in aviation, insurance, and professional management consulting, I am currently a Business Relationship Manager and Learning Specialist at Harvest. My extensive background in leadership and team development, facilitation, and coaching allows me to effectively support clients at all levels and stages of their careers.

If you are an L&D professional looking to build leaders, drive innovation and growth within your organisation, I highly recommend reading these books. They offer valuable perspectives that have significantly influenced my work, and I believe they can do the same for you.

The Skill Code

by Matt Beane

After attending Matt Beane’s talk at the L&DI Conference on December 4th, 2024, I’m delighted to share my thoughts on his book, The Skill Code. As a Learning and Development professional at Harvest, I found his insights incredibly valuable to how we approach L&D interventions and skill development in the age of increased automation and AI.

Why should you read it? Beane’s approach to skill development is transformative. He champions deliberate practise and mentorship, arguing that true expertise comes from immersive, hands-on experiential learning rather than traditional training methods. His emphasis on “learning by doing” and the role of technology in enhancing skill acquisition is both timely and practical, as automation and AI grows. Particularly in our blended working world, where the opportunity for learners to observe others doing a task, and then trying it out themselves are more limited than in the past.

If you are involved in Learning and Development, The Skill Code offers a clear roadmap for fostering skill mastery. Beane’s ideas are not only thought-provoking but also actionable, making this book a must-read for anyone looking to elevate their training programmes. His talk at the conference brought these concepts to life, leaving me eager to consider his strategies in the design and delivery of learning experiences for my clients.

Think Again

by Adam Grant

As a Learning and Development professional at Harvest, I’ve found Adam Grant’s Think Again to be an invaluable resource since its publication in 2021. This book encourages us to question our assumptions and embrace the power of rethinking, unlearning and and questioning our mental models which is crucial in our field.

Grant’s concept of “thinking like a scientist”—approaching problems with curiosity and openness—has influenced how I design learning and development programmes. His emphasis on ‘intellectual humility and adaptability’ is essential for fostering a culture of continuous learning.

Think Again is not just informative but also engaging, making it a must-read for anyone in Learning and Development. Adam Grant’s insights provide practical strategies for driving innovation and continuous improvement in any organisation. This book has been a game-changer for me, in my coaching and designing learning experiences that support the development of habits of inquiry, critical thinking and adaptive leadership in this dynamic world. I highly recommend it to my peers.