Simulated Work-Based Experiences

Using VR to allow Employees to Make Mistakes I highly recommend "Permission to Screw Up", by Kristen Hadeed. It is a refreshingly honest look at leadership that reminds us real growth happens when people are given the space to fail, reflect, and try again. In "Permission to Screw Up", Kristen Hadeed shares how building her student-run cleaning company taught her that real leadership is about embracing failure, not avoiding it. One of her first major lessons came when 45 employees quit on the same day, forcing her to confront her blind spots and take responsibility. Through honest stories of mistakes and recoveries, she shows how creating a culture where people feel safe to be vulnerable leads to stronger, more resilient teams. When employees feel confident in themselves and their decisions, they are more likely to stay, contribute, and grow with the organization. The goal is to cultivate people who can face challenges head-on and solve problems independently. But that kind of mindset does not happen by accident. It requires good training. We cannot just drop people into roles and expect success. Instead, we need to clearly communicate expectations, outline the responsibilities tied to those expectations, and then provide structured opportunities to practice. This practice should be scaffolded and realistic, mirroring the kinds of complex, real-life situations they will actually face without a manager hovering nearby. Hadeed’s story underscores the value of learning through trial and error, something virtual reality can enable at scale. VR gives employees a safe space to practice, make mistakes, and build confidence without real-world consequences. Just like Hadeed’s leadership evolved by allowing room for failure, immersive learning environments offer the same opportunity for everyone. In VR training, we should be putting employees into rich, challenging scenarios that mirror the complexity of real life. These should include not just technical tasks, but emotional and situational decision-making as well. What-if scenarios help test judgment, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. Employees should practice managing an upset client, responding to a mistake, addressing a team conflict, or navigating a high-pressure decision without a clear right answer. Throughout these experiences, we should ask reflective, open-ended questions like: What do you see? What else do you see? What might be missing from this space or interaction? These prompts help deepen observation, perspective-taking, and critical thinking. VR offers a safe but powerful environment to explore nuance, emotion, and accountability, preparing employees not just to perform, but to grow.

Can virtual job simulations change how students prepare for their careers? Traditional internships have been the go-to for gaining job experience, but virtual job simulations are changing that. Here’s why: 1. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: Pearson's partnership with Forage lets students do virtual job simulations that match their coursework. This connects classroom learning with real job tasks.     2. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸: Students can try different roles in a low-risk setting, learning from mistakes without the pressure of a real job.     3. 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: Unlike traditional internships with limited spots, virtual job simulations offer endless opportunities. This allows students from all backgrounds and locations to gain valuable experience.     4. 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀: Completing these simulations can significantly boost students' confidence and attractiveness to employers. Students who complete these simulations are more than twice as likely to get hired by those companies.     5. 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀: As the job market changes rapidly, using virtual simulations in education ensures students have the skills and experience needed for their careers. The future of work needs flexibility, continuous learning, and new ways to prepare for careers. Virtual job simulations are a great way to complement traditional methods and give students more opportunities. — Insights in this post are based on my interview with Andrew Gilfillan, General Manager at Pearson. — Every month, I interview business leaders to learn about the changing career landscape. If you’re a business leader with a unique perspective on careers and the future of work and would like to be interviewed, please DM me.

Competency-based education for the budding professional doesn’t stop at memorizing checklists or theory. It begins in the complex, real-life moments that require both precision and emotional intelligence. Getting the chance to practice being a professional, on-on-one with the task at hand, is where true learning takes shape, especially in healthcare. For example, VRpatients is not just designing simulations. We’re developing immersive opportunities for learners to engage in realistic, daily patient encounters based on real life. Whether it’s calming a distressed individual, obtaining informed consent, or responding to a deteriorating condition, these interactions demand critical thinking and human connection that go beyond memorization. Virtual reality allows students to make mistakes in a safe space, reflect on their decisions, and build confidence through repetition. This isn’t about simply completing a task. It’s about preparing for the unpredictable situations where judgment, timing, and empathy all matter. You could say the same thing for an airline pilot or an electrician. Being placed in professional circumstances frequently is the key to mastering competency. If the goal is to prepare healthcare professionals to be confident, competent, and patient-ready, then training must reflect the reality of care. That begins with creating learning experiences rooted in real conversation, real tension, and real healing. Let’s give our workforce learners a real shot at getting the job, by making them the best they can be on day one. VRpatients #PhysioLogicAI #nursing #nurse #simulation #VR #MR #XR #AI #professional #workforce

𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 When I first considered moving into project management, I quickly realized how challenging it can be to gain genuine hands-on experience. It’s a bit of a paradox— PM roles require experience, yet finding opportunities to build that experience can feel like a locked door. This isn’t just my journey; it’s something many friends and colleagues have expressed too. Whether they're trying to transition from different roles or step into their first PM position, the struggle to access real projects and learn by doing is all too common. So, what options are available? Many traditional roles don’t expose individuals to the full scope of managing projects. Pivoting into project management from a non-PM role can feel like a leap across a canyon. Volunteer organizations can provide some opportunities, but these are often limited in scale and may not reflect the complexity of managing multiple stakeholders, scope changes, or risk. 𝐆𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰-𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬 How can we create meaningful pathways for newcomers? Here are a few ideas that have resonated with me: 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠: Experienced PMs can offer mentorship, allowing aspiring professionals to shadow them on real projects. This “watch, learn, and practice” model offers hands-on exposure to the intricacies of project workflows. 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬: Companies can provide simulated project environments or immersive workshops to train and assess aspiring PMs. This kind of training allows for safe failure and deep learning without high stakes. 𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Encouraging nonprofits and volunteer organizations to adopt structured PM roles can offer a bridge for those entering the field. These experiences may lack corporate scale, but they often present complex scenarios involving resource management and rapid adaptation. 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 During interviews, newcomers often face tough questions: “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵?” The challenge is not just about giving a textbook answer; it’s about relating real experiences. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 PM 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘱? 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥.

How can we manage conflict at the workplace? When expectations or opinions clash, conflicts can often occur, resulting in tense and uncomfortable situations for the involved parties and even onlookers. As a leader, effectively managing conflict is crucial to build and maintain strong client relationships, ensure smooth internal operations, and develop a positive work environment. Recently, I had the opportunity to facilitate Recur Consult's "Be Our Guest" simulation for a group of young leaders from Accenture as part of their "Accelerating Conversations" program. During the program, the learners explored various techniques on how to manage conflict at the workplace as leaders, from small disagreements to large blowout disputes. While easy to understand in principle, applying these conflict management techniques in real world situations may not go as smoothly as they imagined. Through the simulation, these learners had the opportunity to apply these techniques in a safe learning environment where they directly experienced conflict with internal and external stakeholders. Even when the learners proposed the right solution, they still had to employ active listening techniques, show empathy, and ask clarifying questions. The ones who failed to do so ended up escalating the conflict further, and left underlying concerns undiscovered, which negatively impacted their team's credibility and scores. The learners quickly learned these lessons in the simulation, which gradually ramped up in difficulty with each passing round of gamified roleplay. Hopefully these young leaders can master these conflict management skills through this simulation and turn issues into opportunities for growth, improve relationships, and enhance client satisfaction at the workplace. #gamification #gamesbasedlearning #simulation #conflictmanagement #learning #training #engagement #games #gamedesign #experiential #play #roleplay