In Conversation: five questions with Joseph Charm

Oct 17, 2022 by Erin Becker

Joseph Charm leverages his past experience in sales, consulting, and banking in his current role as partnerships manager at Makers. Throughout his career, he has designed and delivered digital transformation solutions for some of the world's leading brands, including HSBC, Barclays, and Facebook.

Thank you to Joseph for providing some insight into his career and his perspective on digital transformation. I especially liked his observation that transformation is something we all experience, and rethinking how we talk about it can take some of the fear of change out of the equation. Read on for more!

This interview is part of a new Nomadic blog series featuring different perspectives on L&D, leadership, and how companies are transforming the way they do business, learn, and grow. If you're interested in these topics, you might also enjoy my earlier interview with our CEO and co-founder Matt Burr, where we talk about how learning can support business transformation.

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In Conversation: Five Questions with Joseph Charm

1. What brought you to the L&D field?

It was a bit of a strange journey for me, actually, given I absolutely hated learning. At least, I thought I hated learning. Turns out I hated the education system, but that's another topic for another day. I'm just really passionate about growth and helping people grow, so what felt like a risk for me when leaving the bank to join a start-up to scratch this itch turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.

2. What's a trend emerging in L&D that you find interesting now?

A trend I've noticed is this attempt to digitize everything, even social interaction. Social learning environments are powerful tools, and whilst digital can complement the overall learning journey one goes through, it can't replace what's real: human connection.

3. What do you wish more people understood about digital transformation?

I wish people realized that it's just transformation. Putting digital in front of it separates it from many who already struggle to connect with the concept of "digital." The sooner everyone realizes transformation is something everyone experiences, then it won't feel as scary as it currently does.

4. Any book, music, or movie recommendations you've been loving lately?

I've got 2 books on the go at the moment:

• Opening Doors by Reggie Nelson
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

I've been watching my favourite-ever film, Lion King from 1994, on repeat with my toddler. It's outstanding.

5. What advice would you give to someone just starting their career in this space?

Don't put too much pressure on yourself, don't take yourself too seriously, and make learning FUN!

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Thanks again to Joseph for chatting with us! I'm ready to go re-watch Lion King now.

If you enjoyed this post, you might like:

• Our inaugural In Conversation post, an interview with Christopher Lind, VP and chief learning officer at ChenMed. Check out his thoughts on emerging trends in L&D, what he wishes more people understood about learning, and advice for people just starting their careers in L&D.
• My interview with Natalia Gonzalez Chavez about consultative L&D and how learning can better support the capabilities and skills most impactful to key business outcomes.
• Adam Bai's exploration of what learner engagement is and how we might redefine it for learning today, keeping in mind the organizational outcomes we're looking to achieve.
• Our post on how learning can spur mindset shift and behavioral change to support key transformations.

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