Ross Stevenson

Steal These Thoughts!

I help L&D professionals harness technology to improve performance and skills.

My mission is to simplify complex tech, making it accessible and actionable.

How I can help you ↓

1️⃣ Demystify Learning Technology:

Struggling with a maze of learning tools? I cut through the confusion, providing clear, practical guidance on leveraging the latest tech to enhance performance.

2️⃣ Smart AI Integration:

AI is not a magic bullet, but when combined with human expertise, it’s transformative. I offer tailored workshops and programs to turn L&D teams into AI-savvy pros, confident in using AI to drive results.

3️⃣ Boosting Modern L&D Tech  Skills:

We live in a digital world where skills are always shifting. I deliver the insights, tools, and frameworks needed to thrive, not just survive the modern era.

With over 20 years of experience, I’ve dissected countless case studies and distilled valuable insights as a learning and performance strategist. My weekly newsletter, trusted by over 4,000 L&D professionals, delivers these insights straight to your inbox.

Want to chat? Reach with me at ross@stealthesethoughts.com

→ Explore my resources at www.stealthesethoughts.com

→ Subscribe to my newsletter for exclusive insights: www.stealthesethoughts.com/newsletter 

→ Learn about my AI training services for business: https://rossstevensonai.com/

Founder + Chief Learning Strategist

Filtered

I build tools and strategies for L&D practitioners to create value with their learning content strategy.  

This includes spearheading Filtered's customer marketing with its portfolio of global clients to educate and empower fellow L&D pros to maximise their learning content.

Learning Strategist

Trainline

As part of the central People team, I led the global L&D team and strategy for Trainline.

My role is diverse and requires me to use a variety of skills and experiences to maintain a high-performing L&D function.

Things I'm most proud of:

• Building the first-ever company L&D team and strategy.
• Re-defining onboarding with a digital welcome experience that drove team capability.
• Developing a best-of-breed learning technology ecosystem to power the performance of over 1200 people.
• Revolutionised leadership development with a truly blended experience that supported leaders in every step of their journey.

My role requires me to be part curator, creator, strategist, marketer, product designer and consultant.

Head Of Learning

Tesco

As a part of our learning team, I lead our digital learning strategy across U.K, EMEA and Asia. 

Fusing a blend of designing simple and accessible learning ecosystems, developing a marketing approach to connect people with learning and being a data detective in understanding, harnessing and telling stories with data to showcase ROI.

I’m a diverse bag of skills and experiences. I work across the worlds of digital, marketing and HR to bring a world-class connected learning experience to everyone.

Here are a few things I achieved:

- Utilised modern-day learning practices to move strategy from training to performance focused. This enabled 10,000 colleagues to experience a digital learning experience for the first time.

- Co-developed and launched an in-house built learning platform across the UK, EU and Asia. This led to a 60% increase in access to on-demand resources for international teams.

Digital Learning Manager

Working within Tesco's central people team as part of the UK recruitment function, focusing on technology, online and digital.

I also focused on marketing, communications, employer branding and L&D within this role.

Technology & Product Talent Partner 

Ajilon UK

Managed recruitment portfolio for leading IT solutions organisation across UK & Europe. 

Ajilon is the IT professional services arm of the Adecco Group. They offer bespoke technology solutions to their international clients.

People & Talent Manager 

Xerox

HR Advisor

Chief Learning Strategist @ Steal These Thoughts! 🚀 I help L&D Pros improve performance with tech + AI

I’ve spent nearly two decades at the forefront of learning technology. I help L&D teams make sense of the latest tech, and how to maximise it for performance and skill-building. 

Here's how I can help you:

1️⃣ Maximise your learning technology

Learning tech can be confusing. I help L&D teams get unstuck from the web of technologies by demystifying modern and emerging tools. 


2️⃣ Helping you work smarter with AI

AI alone won't save you. But your human skills + AI will take you far. I design and deliver custom workshops and programmes to turn L&D pros from AI clueless to confident.


3️⃣ Crafting skills for modern L&D teams

I provide L&D teams with the insight to leverage the latest tools and technologies, equipping them with the necessary tools, tactics, and frameworks to thrive in the modern world.

You can find a portfolio of my work at www.stealthesethoughts.com. 

👉 Feel free to contact me at ross@stealthesethoughts.com to discuss how we can collaborate and supercharge your L&D performance with the power of tech.

Follow me here on LinkedIn for daily doses of EdTech and LearnTech insights

And remember, you can always visit www.stealthesethoughts.com for free access to my work.

I learned about a new concept today - "AI Lock-In", and how that enables skill erosion.

It comes from the folks at Gartner.

Skill erosion with both over-reliance on AI and automation by AI is a real problem. One that it seems so many aren’t seeing happen before there eyes.

Gartner coins this experience as “AI Lock-In”.

In their own words:

"AI lock-in occurs when employees stop practicing foundational tasks and become overly reliant on AI systems. Over time, this dependency leaves businesses vulnerable if AI systems fail or deliver poor results, as the workforce may lack the skills to intervene, adapt, or restore quality."

---

Make no mistake, this is already happening and we will all be left to deal with the consequences at some point.

Don't de-skill yoself, human.

I’ve spent nearly two decades building world-class learning and performance functions for billion-dollar tech companies.

As a diversified learning and performance strategist, I focus on 👇

➡️ Designing digital-first learning content strategies.
➡️ Fusing marketing techniques to learning principles for maximum impact.
➡️ Building world-class digital content tools and templates.

I specifically work with leading global organisations to develop tools and technology to improve performance.

You'll find a portfolio of my work at www.stealthesethoughts.com.

Email: hello@stealthesethoughts.com

My mission is to help fellow modern L&D pros and organisations develop the tools, tactics and frameworks to supercharge performance.

Follow me on LinkedIn for daily breakdowns of:

👉 #learninganddevelopment insights.
👉 #careerdevelopment tools and frameworks.

👋 Visit www.stealthesethoughts.com to see all this and more.

Gartner

Chief Learning Strategist @ Steal These Thoughts! I help L&D Pros improve performance with tech + AI, and share lessons with 5,000 + newsletter readers.

Sara Tindall

Never did I think I could create a 90's anime style video explainer on research in a few minutes.

NotebookLM proved me wrong.

I shared NLM's video overview feature a few weeks back, and now Google has dropped a bunch of updates, including:

→ Choosing different video lengths with "Explainer" and "Brief"
→ Choose from multiple languages
→ Select from 6 new animation styles
→ Refining what the video should focus on

Its not perfect but it ain't bad, either.

I'll show you how all this works in this video ↓

#education #artificialintelligence

There’s a weird thing happening right now. 

I wonder if you see it too?

It’s all this content, lots of it, everywhere, and it feels more meaningless than ever.

AI-generated content shared by accounts run by AI agents that then receive comments from other accounts and publications often run by other AI tools, and give classic AI structured comments.

I find it incredibly unnerving, and it leads me to wonder…are any other humans out there?

At this very moment, it’s never been easier to create content.

We have a bazillion tools that will do that for you. Our industry has a lot of them, and for the most part, teams seem to be gobbling them up.

Whether I like it or not, L&D is still widely tied to a content library structure.

But in 2025, content alone is no longer an advantage. Certainly not in a world with one-click AI creations. To stand out and provide meaningful value, we must do something else.

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So, in today's Steal These Thoughts! newsletter, 5,000 + L&D pros explored how becoming a trusted partner of context will save workforces from generic AI-slop content.

Get your tea or beverage of choice ready 🍵. 

We've got lots to discuss!

--

↳ We get into the detail with:

1/ An idea to stand out in the world of AI-slop

2/ Why the future of learning is still human

3/ How to leverage this NotebookLM feature for learning

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Wanna learn about this too?

Join us ↓ 

🔗: https://lnkd.in/e4cFC8qH

Drop your thoughts in the comments.

❤️ Much love to today's sponsor - 360Learning

#education #artificialintelligence #learninganddevelopment

This is the world's most popular storytelling framework you've probably never heard of but you've most certainly seen.

I don’t think a mythology writer imagined their work reshaping storytelling frameworks.

But that’s what happened to Joseph Campbell with his ‘Hero’s Journey’ formula. You might not have heard of Campbell or this framework. Yet, I guarantee you’ve been a recipient of it.

Ever seen a Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, The Lord of The Rings, The Matrix or just about any film, tv show, video game or book like this?

Then you know the Hero’s journey.

Long story short, Campbell observed that stories across all cultures share a similar structure, one he called the ‘Hero’s journey’.

There’s always a person forced into a call to action, which they don’t want, where they must face challenges to grow stronger, and then return to the world to use this newfound wisdom/powers/skills to complete their transformation.

The good news is this framework isn’t exclusive to the creative realms.

I’ve used this same framework to tell stories about L&D programmes, career progression and the success of learning platforms.

The formula is simple:

→ Define the call to action
→ Outline the challenges faced (and hopefully conquered)
→ Chuck in the trigger points or you could call ‘aha moments’
→ Finish with the transformation, aka, how people, behaviours and/or performance changed.

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🔗 You can see how I put this into action with an L&D focus in a recent Steal These Thoughts! newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e-4qfFFw 

Enjoy.

#learninganddevelopment #education

When I get rubbish responses working with AI, it’s easy to blame the tool.

Yet the problem is actually me.

How can any tool (or human for that fact) help me if I don’t know the critical questions to ask?

Obviously, it cant.

Here in exists the problem I too often see in both human and technology interactions. We expect the other party to understand us and our quest, when we often don’t understand it ourselves.

It’s a conundrum.

I see so many people complain that AI or this person don’t give them the answer they expected, but they rarely consider their part in that outcome.

Without our own understanding and context, you can’t ask the critical questions needed.

Not even AI can read your mind.

Let’s be real, the world is stuffed with content.

The education and workplace learning space is built on the foundations of content libraries. It’s been this way for decades.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “Content is king” muttered by some LinkedIn guru or marketer somewhere. While that might have been true at one point in time, the times have changed.

Anyone can create content, and as such, everyone can be a creator.

Whether they’re good or not is up for debate.

So that leaves content in a weird place. Is it really king anymore?

Perhaps, yet I believe it has little relevance in today’s AI-overwhelmed world, where more of the internet is becoming AI-generated content summarised by AI for you, without a key component.

That, my friend, is context.

Context (even better when paired with experience) gives content purpose, direction and a meaningful impact.

So, in tmrw's Steal These Thoughts! newsletter we’re exploring How Context Could Save Us From The Avalanche of AI-Slop.

Like the sound of that?

→ Join us by clicking 'subscribe to my newsletter' on this post and my profile.

#education #learninganddevelopment #artificialintelligence

I think AI is killing the internet as we know it.

Yes, sooo controversial.

Yet, when I see so much AI-generated content, shared by accounts and websites run by AI agents receiving comments on those posts from other AI run tools, it gets me thinking.

→ Are digital spaces losing the human touch?

Altho I post on here often, I spend more time with my newsletter community, and in private group chats and slack channels because little feels real on social media anymore.

I've wanted to cover this for sometime but wasn't sure how.

Right now, a little video documentary feels like the best way.

In this one, I explore the impact of AI generated content everywhere, the “dead internet theory,” the future of authenticity online, and what this shift means for the next generation of social media.

Enjoy 😊

P.S. let me know what you think?

#education #technology #artificialintelligence

A year ago I wrote an analysis covering "The Hidden Impact of AI on Your Skills (So far)".

One of the impacts doesn't feel so hidden now...

And that's skill erosion.

The message of that piece was to think deeply about the over-reliance we will easily slip into with AI, and how easy it will be to convince ourselves we’re learning how to do something, when in reality, AI is doing it for us.

A year later, I only see more activity, which has amplified that.

That’s not to say there are not those who are rejecting total delegation to AI and those finding the balance between artificial and human intelligence. 

Yet, we're seeing the erosion of essential skills, connections and much we have taken for granted in the learning experience of life.

It doesn't have to be this way, though.

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So, in today's Steal These Thoughts! newsletter, 5,000 + L&D pros explored Why Skill Erosion is a Real Problem That None of Us Can Ignore.

Get your tea or beverage of choice ready 🍵. 

We've got lots to discuss!

--

↳ We get into the detail with:

1/ The great erosion of skills has arrived

2/ Designing human solutions for human problems

3/ This tiny NotebookLM feature was better than I thought

---

Wanna learn about this too?

Join us ↓ 

🔗: https://lnkd.in/eubpRpbv?

Drop your thoughts in the comments.

❤️ Much love to today's sponsor - Sana

#education #artificialintelligence #learninganddevelopment

The news, my social feeds and every industry conference is full of so much talk about AI it makes me wonder if we’ve forgotten anything else of interest.

Nearly all the conversations are focused on making $$$’s with AI or some weird form of automating your life.

What I hardly see, and of course what I find far more interesting, is the impact of AI on work and life. A particular point of interest is how AI continues to challenge, threaten and reshape skill building.

While many clickbait headlines obsess over brain rot, I see something different happening in the workplace.

→ The erosion of essential skills

So, in tmrw's Steal These Thoughts! newsletter we’re exploring Why Skill Erosion is a Real Problem That None of Us Can Ignore.

Like the sound of that?

→ Join us by clicking 'subscribe to my newsletter' on this post and my profile.

#education #learninganddevelopment #artificialintelligence

I never get tired of seeing these drop into my inbox.

People getting value from and recommending my work is the best compliment.

I'm also a believer of being your own biggest cheerleader, so if you want to explore meaningful ways AI can support your L&D work, join us ↓

🔗 https://lnkd.in/eGJHx4D6

Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas film?

.....

Now I have your attention.

Despite all the horror and scares that Halloween is known for, only one thing terrifies me this spooky season.

That’s watching smart, capable L&D professionals spend a few minutes with the latest AI tools, try a few prompts, then quietly back away because they’re not getting the results they hoped for.

That’s a dangerous game to play.

You can have access to the fanciest AI tools on the planet, but if you don't understand:

1/ The systems you work within

2/ How to think critically about when (and when NOT) to use AI

3/ The human skills that make AI actually useful

...then you're not going to get far.

That's why I built the AI for Learning and Development Crash Course.

It's focused on making you THINK differently about your work, not just how to use another tool.

And bcoz I loooooove Halloween so much... you can get lifetime access to it for $249 before I hike the price up next week.

So if you wanna learn how to make yourself exponentially more valuable by combining your expertise with AI's capabilities...

Get access → https://lnkd.in/eGJHx4D6

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