Are you able to inform us a bit about your self and what you do?
I’m Nick Holmes, VP of Studying and Tradition at Avalere Well being. I lead our international studying technique and drive initiatives that make work extra human, extra curious, related, and significant. Day after day, I’m fortunate to spend time with unbelievable folks throughout the enterprise, designing studying experiences, crafting culture-building programmes, and serving to leaders develop their impression. I’m pushed by the assumption that the world of labor doesn’t have to be gray and transactional, it may be daring, energising, and filled with objective.
What first bought you interested by worker engagement?
Actually? Frustration. I’ve labored in locations the place engagement was seen as a survey outcome fairly than a residing, respiration expertise. That disconnect sparked a private mission to assist organisations assume otherwise, to deal with engagement not as a metric, however because the emotional heartbeat of how work feels. I’m fascinated by the psychology of motivation and what actually lights folks up, particularly once they really feel seen, protected, and stretched. I additionally was once an actor – and liked enjoying the function and absorbing feelings, I really like seeing others change (in a great way) via my very own beliefs and actions.
Your session on the summit centered on how your mission makes your tradition. Why was that subject necessary so that you can discover this yr?
As a result of objective has turn into the brand new productiveness. My session explored how your mission isn’t only a line in a deck, it’s the uncooked materials of your tradition. At Avalere Well being, our mission Each Affected person Attainable isn’t wallpaper, it’s the lens we use to design studying, form management, and reward efficiency. I needed to indicate that when your mission is alive in your rituals, language, and studying, that’s when tradition turns into a aggressive benefit.
What’s one key takeaway you hope attendees walked away with?
That tradition is neuroplastic, similar to the mind. What you repeat, you reinforce. The small moments, the tales you inform, the language you utilize, all of it provides up. If you wish to shift your tradition, begin by altering what you do on a Tuesday morning, not simply what you say in an all-hands.
Are you able to share an instance of one thing that’s labored effectively in your expertise to spice up engagement?
One of the crucial impactful issues we’ve performed is reimagine our studying provide round folks’s actual ambitions, not simply enterprise wants. Our Supervisor Impression Programme and Go for Progress technique don’t simply train abilities; they create identification and belonging. When folks see a transparent hyperlink between their progress and the corporate’s progress, one thing shifts. Engagement stops being one thing we measure and turns into one thing we really feel.
What’s a standard mistake you see organisations make in terms of engagement?
Treating it like a marketing campaign, not a system. Engagement isn’t one thing you launch and stroll away from — it’s a every day design problem. I additionally see numerous give attention to surface-level perks with out addressing the core drivers of engagement: readability, autonomy, recognition, and significant work. Get these proper, and the remainder follows.
What developments are you watching in terms of the way forward for worker engagement?
I’m watching three large ones:
- AI-powered personalisation — how tech can tailor studying, recognition, and suggestions in actual time.
- Narrative-led management — leaders who join folks to the larger image via tales, not simply technique.
- Studying as culture-shaping — not simply skill-building, however identity-defining. Studying is turning into the best way we construct perception and belonging.
Lastly, what’s one e book, podcast, or useful resource you at all times suggest to others in tHIS SPACE?
I at all times come again to The Tradition Code by Daniel Coyle. It’s filled with real-world tales and sharp insights about how high-performing cultures really work — not simply what they declare to be. It’s a reminder that belonging, security, and shared objective are the true levers for efficiency.
