Beyond the “Shiny Penny”: Bob Mosher on Building a Performance-First L&D Function

Learning and Development has always been drawn toward new technologies that promise to transform the profession. We’ve seen e-learning, video, VR, and even CD-ROMs dominate our attention. And now it’s AI’s turn. 

But for performance strategist Bob Mosher, this pursuit of the “next big thing” has distracted from our real mandate: improving performance at the moment of need.

In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, Bob joins me to explore why L&D keeps chasing “shiny pennies,” how we’ve confused tooling with purpose, and what the profession must do now to stay relevant in an AI-enabled world. 

Bob has spent decades helping organizations shift from training-first thinking to performance-first design, and he believes this moment represents both the biggest risk and the biggest opportunity L&D has ever faced.

Here are the five most important takeaways from our conversation.

1. The “shiny pennies” that distract from more meaningful work

My conversation with Bob opens with one of the most honest assessments of the L&D field you’ll hear: We have a long history of being captivated by new technologies without a clear vision for how they support performance.

“Shiny pennies are distracting when you don’t have a focus or vision. It distracts us because we’re not focused on the bigger picture.’”

Whether it was CD-ROMs, LMS platforms, video content, or AI, L&D has repeatedly positioned each new innovation as the one true answer. But “they’re the tool. They’re hammers to carpentry, but not carpentry.”

The danger isn’t in adopting new technology, but in assuming it will solve larger performance or alignment problems on its own. Without understanding the work, the environment, or the tasks people actually struggle with, new tools simply accelerate the wrong thing.

2. If L&D is simply “delivering training,” AI will replace us

Many L&D professionals are understandably anxious about what artificial intelligence could mean for the profession. And If L&D continues to measure its worth by training volume—hours delivered, courses built, completions tracked—AI will outperform us. 

“The danger is perceiving our value by the asks, or by how many people are at the door for training. We jump at that carrot because it’s just what we’re comfortable with.”

Stakeholders will keep asking for training because that’s what we’ve taught them to expect. But the business will increasingly look elsewhere for solutions that are faster and more directly tied to performance.

“Don’t confuse busy with relevance. If we can’t be seen as the person hosting the conversation, we’ll be minimized by things that do it faster, quicker, and better.” AI offers an opportunity to get away from merely delivering training content, with more time and focus on higher-order performance.

3. How to shift conversations towards performance

Bob believes L&D must change its reflexive response to training requests. When someone says we need five days of training, most teams jump straight to solutions. 

But the better alternative is a performance-first mindset. Ask questions that reveal what people need to do, not what they need to learn.

“You're here because, in the end, you want people to do something differently, right? To do that best, I need to see the work that you and your SMEs know so intimately, so that I can then build those five days of training to meet that workflow. So first, give me two days to do rapid workflow analysis.”

Bob recommends two rapid analysis techniques as a starting point:

• Workflow analysis to understand what tasks matter most
• Critical skills analysis to identify where people struggle in the flow of work

These conversations reposition L&D as consultants rather than order takers. You shift expectations and ultimately reduce the amount of unnecessary training across the business.

4. AI’s value is in performance, not just content creation

We mostly think of AI as a tool to do more busywork, faster. But Bob says that using AI merely to produce videos or courses faster misses the point entirely.

“I'm all for making things faster and more efficient. But the reality is that if the outcome is still training or training deliverable, we've not moved into performance.”

Instead, AI lets us provide real-time support and embed learning where work happens. For Bob, the most exciting possibilities are in using AI as digital learning assistants and coaches.

“That’s where the sky’s the limit: our ability to be seen more, and to be more relevant. I've never seen it before in my life. This is the most exciting time for our industry, in my opinion.”

Digital coaches powered by AI can sit inside workflows, guiding employees through tasks, answering questions, and predicting errors or delays. This elevates AI from content-production tool to performance-enablement partner.

And that shift aligns perfectly with what Bob has been advocating for 30+ years: embed learning at the moments of greatest need.

5. L&D must let go of labels and embrace performance architecture

One of Bob’s strongest messages is that the profession’s self-identity is holding it back. Titles like “trainer” or “instructional designer” focus on deliverables over outcomes.

“I'm a strong believer in brand. And we’ve positioned ourselves as instructional designers. I don’t want to be an ID; I want to be a performance architect.”

Being a performance architect means understanding tasks, diagnosing barriers, shaping workflows, and embedding support into systems. And certainly not merely designing courses.

Whether driven by AI advances or tighter budgets, organizations won’t be coming to us for cookie-cutter training for long. “Those that thrive will be known for helping navigate job changes, understanding task impacts, and hosting the performance conversation.

“Act, or be acted upon.”

L&D stands at an inflection point. AI doesn’t promise some automatic transformation or upgrade. If anything, it exposes the limitations of a training-first identity. 

But for teams willing to embrace performance, analyze real work, challenge assumptions, and use AI as a workflow enabler, the opportunity has never been greater.

This is the moment for L&D to reclaim relevance. Not by producing more content, but by becoming architects of performance. 

As Bob puts it, the question is not whether change is coming, but whether we will lead it. “My father’s favorite expression: act, or be acted upon.”

About Bob Mosher

Bob Mosher is Chief Learning Evangelist at APPLY Synergies and a pioneering voice in workplace learning, with over 30 years of experience helping organisations drive measurable performance. A co-creator of the Five Moments of Need® framework, Bob has spent decades challenging traditional training models and championing workflow learning - an approach that supports employees at the point of need, not just in the classroom.

Before founding APPLY Synergies, Bob served as Global Chief Learning Strategist for Microsoft, where he helped redefine how the company enabled performance at scale. Today, he works with global organisations to implement learning strategies that close the gap between learning and doing.