How to leverage digital learning in 2024, with Sheree Comninellis, CEO of Brain eBox

11/16/23 • 7 min

Show Notes

In this episode of HR on the Brain, Sheree Comninellis, CEO of Brain eBox, shares her guidance on how you can leverage digital learning in 2024.

Sheree is a proven specialist in the Education, Training and Development (ETD) space, with a 17+ year track record in Learning and Development. She has worked across industries with businesses both big and small, to help them build competent and engaged teams through the power of skills development.

Sheree founded Brain eBox in 2015 and works as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), leading the Brain eBox team and focusing on business development. She is passionate about working with companies to create and deliver powerful workplace learning solutions that unlock performance and help their teams thrive.

In this episode, Sheree shares her insights on how your company can leverage digital learning in 2024. She shares the concept of a ‘digital-first’ mindset, as well as three key strategies you can implement in the year ahead. For each, she provides you with an overview and gives you tips on how to think ‘digital-first’ for your 2024 planning.

This is an informative episode for HR and Learning and Development Leaders who are currently strategizing for 2024.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

1:35 What it means to think ‘digital-first’ about your training interventions.

2:06 How to investigate what training you do on repeat, and how digital learning can support this.

3:16 How to manage the pace of learning needs coming in from your business.

5:18 Consider future fit virtual learning spaces.

06:51 The key question to ask yourself whilst planning for 2024.

Featured in the Show:

To get in touch with Sheree Comninellis, visit LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheree-comninellis/

Show Notes

In this episode of HR on the Brain, Sheree Comninellis, CEO of Brain eBox, shares her guidance on how you can leverage digital learning in 2024.

This is an informative episode for HR and Learning and Development Leaders who are currently strategizing for 2024.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

1:35 What it means to think ‘digital-first’ about your training interventions.

2:06 How to investigate what training you do on repeat, and how digital learning can support this.

3:16 How to manage the pace of learning needs coming in from your business.

5:18 Consider future fit virtual learning spaces.

06:51 The key question to ask yourself whilst planning for 2024.

Featured in the Show:

To get in touch with Sheree Comninellis, visit LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheree-comninellis/

Previous Episode

Ubuntu in the Workplace, with guest Janet Jobson, CEO of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation

Show Notes

In this episode of HR on the Brain, Sheree Comninellis, CEO of Brain eBox, interviews guest Janet Jobson who is the CEO of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation on the topic of Ubuntu in the Workplace.

Janet comes from a career in activism and in the development sector, both locally and globally. Most recently, Janet was the Deputy CEO (and Acting CEO for the period Feb 2021 to Feb 2022) at the DG Murray Trust (DGMT) – South Africa’s largest private foundation. At DGMT Janet worked to grow the organization as a public innovator aiming to build a South Africa where all people can fulfil their potential.

In addition, Janet has held governance roles and worked in various capacities with a range of organizations such as Activate! Leadership, Amandla.mobi, Life Choices, Amnesty International South Africa, CIVICUS, and the South African Girl Child Alliance. Janet’s brings to her work a drive to build a more compassionate, connected, and just world, with the technical skills to build strategies to fulfil this vision.

In the first section of this interview, we discuss Janet’s career journey. She shares about her first professional role after completing her Masters, as well as her journey growing into managerial roles, and ultimately the C-suite. Janet shares openly about her career highlights, challenges and learnings which provide insight into what we need to consider as professionals when developing within our careers. We also have an interesting discussion on Janet’s view of HR’s role in an organisation, from her perspective as a CEO.

From there we moved on to the second section of the interview where we discuss the concept of ‘Ubuntu’ and its relevance in the workplace. She shares a profound concept that the workplace is the place where most people come into contact with a breadth of diversity, they may not come into contact with in their personal lives. With this in mind, the concept of ‘Ubuntu’ becomes even more relevant. We talk about the representation of queer women in the workplace, as well as how others from marginalised communities can feel that they belong if the spirit of Ubuntu is present in the organisation, even if they do not see the representation that they hope to have seen. Janet shares her tips on how HR and Business Leaders can build a culture of Ubuntu in their organisations.

We end the interview with Janet sharing the exciting upcoming events for the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation as well as how she draws inspiration from the life and example of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

This episode pulls back the curtain on how to develop your career, from Janet’s experience of building her career from an intern right through to the CEO of an organisation. These tips will help you as an HR professional set yourself apart and add value to your organisation which will only benefit your career.

This episode also helps us, as HR professionals, to consider how we empower our leaders and teams to create positive workplace culture. Janet provides us with the concept of Ubuntu to help us frame our thinking around diversity, inclusion and belonging through this lens. And, she gives us tips on how to bring this culture to life within our organisations.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

4:32 Janet’s early career journey, and her tips for developing a successful career

19:32 Janet’s key learnings from transitioning into a managerial roles and then her shift into the C-suite

28:34 The role of HR and Janet’s expectations of HR as a CEO

34:01 The definition of ‘Ubuntu’ and how it could add value to how teams interact at work

38:52 Queer women representation in the workplace

41:50 Tips on how to build a culture of Ubuntu in your organisation

47:49 The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation’s upcoming events

49:14 What has inspired Janet about Archbishop Desmond Tutu and what we can learn from him

Featured in the Show:

To get in touch with Janet Jobson, connect with her on LinkedIn.
To get in touch with Sheree Comninellis, visit LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheree-comninellis/

Next Episode

Navigate and Develop your HR Career with guest, Dr. Shirley Zinn, an Independent Non-Executive Director

Show Notes

In this episode of HR on the Brain, Sheree Comninellis, CEO of Brain eBox, interviews guest Dr. Shirley Zinn about how she has navigated her incredible career, and the tips she would give to HR professionals to develop their careers.

Dr. Shirley Zinn hails from the Cape Flats in Cape Town, and started her career as a secondary school teacher of English, then moved to the University of the Western Cape where she lectured in Teacher Education. During the course of her career, she has held the roles of the Group Head of Human Resources at Woolworths Holdings Limited, the Head of Human Resources of Standard Bank, Head of HR at Nedbank, SARS, and Reckitt Benckiser (Africa & Middle East). She was also an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria’s Department of Human Resource Management, and former Adjunct Professor at the University of Cape Town. She also served on the University of Cape Town Council and is the Past President for the Harvard Alumni Association, South Africa.

She currently serves as an independent non-executive director on several JSE listed Boards (Sanlam, MTN-SA, SpurCorp, Spar Group) and she is also the Chairperson of the V&A Waterfront. In 2015, she wrote her autobiography, a best seller, entitled “Swimming Upstream” which focuses on her personal and professional journey.

The episode begins with us learning more about Dr. Shirley Zinn’s motivation to finish matric, which was not something many young women in her area achieved, as well as the support she received from her family and teachers to pursue tertiary education. She shares her lessons she learnt from her family that she still carries with her today, and she speaks about the commitment she needed to have to complete her first degree.

We learn more about her decision to study at Harvard University, and to stay on to pursue a Doctorate. This incredible achievement was also filled with life lessons, which she shares with us on the show. In particular, she speaks about what is possible if we apply our minds.

Dr. Shirley Zinn then takes us on a journey through her employment search, and how she analysed a Training Manager opportunity – noticing that it required all of her skills set; just in the corporate space as opposed to an academic one. She then shares with us how her career progressed and how her learning and expertise developed with each new role that she took on. It was this process that led to her being perfectly positioned for her first Head of HR role.

She also shares with us the loss of her son, Jamie, at seven years old and the impact this had on her personally, her family and her career. Though she may have been in the best of times in her career, it was also the worst of times. She provides inspirational advice and guidance for any listeners who may be going through a difficult time, and how you can support yourself to get through these dark times.

She also speaks to us about her tips for HR professionals who want to progress their career into the Senior Management and Executive levels, what’s on her mind in the HR space and how she achieves work-life integration.

This episode is deeply inspirational. By listening you will gain insight into how you have the power to take control of your career and life, and how you can access the courage you need grow your career whilst continuously learning on the job. It will also open your mind to what is possible for your career and you’ll gain some tips on how to make this happen.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

3:54 Dr. Shirley Zinn’s family roots and the importance of education for her and her family

8:19 The motivation Dr. Shirley Zinn received from her teachers during her matric year

10:40 Dr. Shirley Zinn’s experience at UWC in the 1980s

12:07 Shirley’s first teaching roles and her experience

14:43 Shirley’s further studies, her later decision to apply at Harvard University and her time at Harvard University

22:34 Shirley’s first year at Harvard University, working three jobs while studying, and how she had to recognise that she needed to ask for help

26:37 Dr Shirley’s Zinn employment search once she returned to South Africa, and the disappointment she experienced along the way and how she handled it

29:24 The leap Dr. Shirley Zinn took to apply for a Training Manager job, and how she analysed the opportunity before applying

31:09 Dr. Shirley Zinn’s first corporate training role and her experience in this role. Her exposure to a merger and retrenchment process, and the broader field of HR

35:09 The power of a learning organisation

35:57 Dr. Shirley Zinn’s transition into her first Head of HR role

40:11 Dr. Shirley Zinn’s tips for career development, and her own growth curve being exposed to the transformation and change management space

42:29 Dr. Shirley Zinn’s role a...