Mindset Before Tool Set: A CLO's Framework for Real Learning Impact with Phil Rhodes of Phillips 66
Phil Rhodes, Chief Learning Officer of Phillips 66, joins us to discuss what it means to shift L&D from a deliverable function to an enablement function — covering leadership capability, business acumen, data-driven credibility and the test-and-learn mindset he has applied across his 30-year career.
From his early days in the Peace Corps to leading enterprise L&D at an operating company, Phil brings a perspective rooted in behavioral science, experiential learning and the practical reality of driving change at scale.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
00:00 Introduction.
02:30 How Phil's experience in the Peace Corps introduced him to experiential learning and shaped his entire L&D philosophy.
05:30 Why every tool rollout requires mindset, skill set and tool set — in that order.
06:45 Why leaders, not L&D, drive behavioral shift — and what that means for how we design enablement.
09:30 Why Phil believes L&D is at a pivotal moment and the three areas he sees as most critical for the future.
18:45 The four skills Phil says every L&D professional needs to build credibility with the business.
20:45 How a single ATD exercise on influence led Phil to rethink influence as a team discipline rather than an individual one.
23:20 Why starting with technology almost always sets an implementation up for failure.
25:30 How Phil applied agile scrum principles to L&D while holding to core ADDIE methodology.
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RESOURCES MENTIONED
“The Insight-Driven Leader” by Jenny Dearborn and Kelly Rider
"FYI For Your Improvement” by Korn Ferry
National Training Laboratories
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