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“Skills tech is useless without this” | Advent Health’s culture-first playbook for skills transformation
Episode Summary
Advent Health isn't just implementing a new HR system; they are rebuilding their organizational DNA. In this live conversation from Workday Rising, Marquita and Mary Beth from the learning team explain why the "skills-based" hype often fails because it ignores the human element: fear. They argue that if employees don’t feel safe admitting they have a skill gap, no amount of AI-driven data will save your strategy.
The duo details their two-year journey of socializing "skills-powered" work, moving from episodic, mandatory training to a dynamic "pull" model where curiosity is the primary currency. They share how they identified nine critical skills from emotional intelligence to curiosity to future-proof their workforce against a five-year skill expiration date. This is a masterclass in change management for any leader trying to bridge the gap between legacy mindsets and an AI-driven future.
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Key Takeaways
- The 5-Year Expiry Date: Research shows the shelf life of a skill is now approximately five years, making continuous re-skilling a survival necessity, not a perk.
- Psychological Safety is the Foundation: Without a culture where it’s safe to say "I don't know this," employees will resist skills-based technology out of fear of replacement.
- "Pull" Learning Beats "Push" Training: Moving from "episodic" learning to a "dynamic" model requires creating platforms where employees want to engage, rather than being forced to.
- Skills Solve Labor Shortages: In healthcare, skills data allows for better internal mobility and talent pipelines, directly addressing critical clinical shortages.
Best Practices & Actionable Insights
- Socialize Before You Scale: Don't wait for the technology to go live. Spend the "pre-implementation" phase (even if it's two years) defining a common skills language.
- Focus on the "Power Nine": Identify a small set of critical skills (e.g., EQ, curiosity, communication) that resonate across all generations and roles .
- Pilot "Skill Searching": Create or use a low-stakes internal platform to test "pull" learning. See if employees will engage with content voluntarily before making it part of a formal profile.
- Involve Leaders Early: Data shows team confidence in new skills grows significantly when leaders participate in the learning alongside their teams.
About the Speakers
Marquita and Mary Beth lead the Learning and Development efforts at Advent Health, one of the largest non-profit health systems in the United States. They are currently leading the enterprise-wide transition to a "skills-powered" organization, integrating workforce intelligence with cultural transformation to address the future of healthcare.
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