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Rapidly evolving technology has split organizations into two camps: leaders and laggards. The pace of technology change—specifically new software languages, frameworks tools and processes—has made it all too easy to lose ground, and fast. New leaders emerge and disrupt entire industries seemingly overnight. In fact, those we consider laggards were once leaders themselves.

Although both camps face the same pressures, leaders must have something different—something that enables them to write the code that writes our future.

In talking with companies about their tech strategy, I’ve identified four major differences that separate the leaders from the laggards. Tech giants never stop innovating; they’re the largest open-source contributors to software development languages in the world. Think about Facebook’s GraphQL or Google’s Angular. Those at the head of the pack actually invent the languages, frameworks, tools and processes of tomorrow. Leaders embrace cultures of learning. Within leading companies, learning is happening with people—not to them. Under an umbrella of psychological safety, people are encouraged to take risks, think creatively, even fail! Companies that embrace a learner mindset have figured out that even failures lead to big innovation.

Lastly, in organizations that get ahead and stay ahead, Pluralsight is the accelerant that allows for building skills at scale. 

Pluralsight’s technology learning platform works no matter where your company finds itself on the spectrum of leaders and laggards. And we keep improving upon it as part of our commitment to drive skill outcomes across your organization.

Deeper personalized learning drives business outcomes

Last year, we rolled out Skill IQ—skill assessments that reveal strengths and skill gaps so Iris, our machine learning algorithm, can personalize paths that propel learners forward.

This year we’re taking Skill IQ a leap forward with Role IQ.

We’ve identified the skills needed to excel at the roles most critical to your organization’s success. With Role IQ, learners and leaders can quantify proficiency in a specific role (let’s say, security analyst) based on skill strengths and gaps (in, say, networking fundamentals or security event triage).

Once you have your Role IQ, you’ll know which skills could use your attention, and we’ll recommend content to help you level up. 

If your business goals require roles that are out of the norm, Role IQ will also enable leaders to customize them and, at the end of the day, make informed decisions about the teams or individuals they call upon to carry out important objectives.

A no-fear culture accelerates innovation

This year, we’re doubling down on our commitment to meet your teams where they are—and get your company across the finish line ahead of the competition—by offering even more ways to build skills. 

We recognize that everyone learns differently, which is why our platform offers several different avenues for skill building. We also recognize the need for a paradigm shift from usage (how much content someone views) to outcomes (how learning skills results in achieving your business objectives). With this in mind, we developed two new experiences that allow learners to get hands-on as they build skills. With interactive courses and projects, your teams can can get real-world practice in low-risk environments and show how their knowledge applies to building real, winning products. 

Interactive courses simulate a full development environment in the browser, pairing course content with coding challenges and coaching while you learn, so you can apply new skills. Interactive courses allow you to truly engage with a new technology: learn, practice and get feedback in real time. 

We developed projects as the easiest way for developers to put their knowledge to work. They’re a safe way to experiment and test out skills without having to worry about costly mistakes. Learners download projects to their own developer workspace and receive step-by-step guidance and validation of their work. Within just an hour or two, a developer can complete a real-world project, like building an Android app with integrated maps.

Interactive courses and projects are both available in our new personal Premium plan that also includes certification practice exams. It’s all to give technologists new ways to apply their skills and drive learning outcomes that move the needle.

If we’ve learned anything from analyzing leaders and laggards it’s that leaders live in reality. They foster an environment focused on learning—one that takes the fear out of failing for continued innovation. And they do it better with Pluralsight. Closing skill gaps at scale inside your organization through a well-executed learning strategy is key. And we’re making it even easier with Role IQ, interactive courses and projects. These tools were designed to slingshot your organization to the head of the pack, and stay there through any disruption.