Faster, smarter pathways — now more connected than ever

At our recent YakTrak + GRIST conference in Sydney, one question shaped every conversation:

How do we deliver faster and smarter pathways that help people excel at work?

Across consulting, coaching, product, design and marketing, our teams came together to challenge, clarify and sharpen how we support clients. We aligned around a single direction: outcomes, not just content. From how we design programs to how we build technology, we’re working as one team - committed to helping our clients build capability that sticks.

But it wasn’t just about refining what we do - it was about reconnecting with who we are, and why this work matters. Teams are being asked to do more with less. Roles are shifting. Expectations keep rising. In that kind of environment, building capability that sticks is essential. Our drive is a desire to help organisations build learning and leadership solutions that embed into real work, move at the pace of change, and deliver measurable impact.

Bringing the brand to life

Managing Director, Peter Grist opened the conference by anchoring ourselves in the new YakTrak + GRIST brand strategy-not just the language, but the intent behind it. Together, we explored how “faster, smarter pathways” connects to our purpose: helping people excel at work (and in life). It’s not just a tagline-it’s the foundation for how we align, show up, and deliver across every role in the business.

A brand is, at its core, a promise kept. And in this next chapter, we all play a role in keeping that promise - through our actions, our design, our coaching, and the experiences we create.

This shared commitment shows up in the way we think about learning design, product development, and team engagement.

Design that drives better behaviour, not just participation

We’ve strengthened our shared design methodology to ensure every program and platform feature does more than inform - it creates conditions for real change. Whether it’s a new leadership program or a new YakTrak feature rollout, everything starts with behavioural insight and ends with practical application.

What this means for clients:

• Programs with clear, measurable learning objectives linked directly to business priorities

• Learning journeys that are sequenced, role-specific and highly coachable

• Tools and content designed for real-world use - not just engagement

We’ve also introduced a shared design language across GRIST and YakTrak, grounded in the principles that matter most to us: accountability, acknowledgement, alignment, application, assessment, autonomy, experience, experimentation, and purpose.

And because real change only happens when everyone can participate meaningfully, we’re continuing to build our capability in accessible design. That means not just designing content that’s inclusive and user-friendly, but also improving how we facilitate - so every team member, in every format, can fully engage and contribute.

As Caitlin Ziegler put it:

“This isn’t just about good learning design - it’s about creating conditions for real change to happen.”

After hours, real connection

After a full day of working through big ideas and bold ambitions, we swapped post-its for puffer jackets and stepped onto a harbour cruise to take in Sydney’s Vivid light festival.

As the skyline lit up, so did the conversations - not about frameworks or features, but about what drives us, what connects us, and where we’re heading together. Some of the same old stories from past conferences were revisited (as they always are), and it was a reminder that strong teams aren’t just built in meeting rooms and Microsoft Teams - they’re shaped through shared experiences, connection and perspective.

Smarter feature development, built around your priorities

On Day 2, we worked through a sharper, more intentional approach to YakTrak’s product development - one that’s collaborative, transparent, and deeply connected to frontline needs. Together, we mapped how to build features that reduce friction, enable better coaching, and reflect the way your teams actually work - not just how software could work.

With AI now supporting how we prioritise, design and deliver YakTrak features, we’re making it easier to focus on what matters - and to build with greater speed and precision.

What this means for clients:

• Features built from real frontline feedback - not assumptions

• Smarter alignment with coaching rhythms, program goals and learning journeys

• Faster updates, supported by AI-enhanced insights and clearer communication

• Tools that strengthen coaching quality, goal-setting and behavioural tracking - with AI surfacing the most relevant insights for leaders and learners

As Brad Thomas said during the conference:

“If it doesn’t make the work easier or better for leaders and learners, it’s not going into YakTrak.”

Delivering on the promise - a connected ecosystem for real change

One of the more reflective sessions during the conference gave us a chance to step back and explore what our brand really stands for - not just the language, but the commitment behind it.

And our promise is this: to deliver an ecosystem of learning and development pathways that build engaged teams, align leaders, and drive real business results.

We took time to unpack what that means in practice. It’s about creating a connected system that aligns leaders around a shared direction, builds their capability to lead change more effectively, and gives frontline teams the clearest, simplest ways to improve their behaviour and feel the satisfaction of performance. That’s what YakTrak + GRIST now delivers better than ever. We’re like the GPS for performance - guiding people and organisations to better results by developing the capabilities that matter, exactly when they matter.

And the impact is already clear. In a recent leadership program with a Tier 1 business bank, this approach received a 100% NPS - a first for the organisation.

One leader noted, “This learning has felt connected - to my team, to my goals, and to the way we actually work.”

As Mike Dunn shared:

“What stood out to me is how easy it is to use straight away - it’s not something I have to make time for, it’s something I just do differently now.”

One team, one direction

The biggest shift from this year’s conference? Clarity - not just in process, but in purpose. We left Sydney more aligned than ever, with a shared belief that we’re not just building solutions - we’re shaping the way learning and leadership happen at scale.

As Peter Grist said in the final session:

“You can feel the clarity in what we’re building - and the energy behind it. It’s not just talk, it’s movement.”

We’ll keep evolving, because adaptability is part of how we work. But this direction is set. Purposeful, behavioural, and always built for impact - this is what faster, smarter pathways look like.

And we’re excited to keep building them with you.

If you're exploring how to embed capability at scale or want to see what “faster, smarter pathways” could look like in your organisation, we’d love to connect.