Why Critical Thinking Matters More Than Technical Skills in the GenAI Era with Shana Storey of Progyny

Shana Storey, VP of Talent Development and Organizational Effectiveness of Progyny, joins us to talk about what learning and development teams need to focus on as GenAI reshapes the work. Shana shares how an early internship building CD-ROM training led her into L&D and why L&D has the most impact when it partners on large change management projects instead of taking orders for training.

Shana also explains how GenAI makes personalization at the moment of need achievable, why L&D teams are moving toward performance consulting and why agility and critical thinking matter more than any technical skill. Shana closes with advice for aspiring L&D leaders: learn how the business operates and focus on what you do with what you read.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Critical thinking in the age of GenAI.

02:55 Partnering on change instead of taking orders.

03:48 From graphic design to L&D.

06:08 Personalization at the moment of need.

08:14 L&D as performance consulting.

10:09 The return of mentorship and apprenticeship.

12:26 Why mindset beats technical skills.

13:26 Finding insight beyond HR and L&D.

14:27 Leader as coach and mentor.

18:59 Understanding how the business operates.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED

Progyny, the fertility, family building and women’s health benefits company where Shana leads talent development:

https://www.progyny.com/

5 Moments of Need, Bob Mosher’s framework that Shana connects to GenAI-powered personalization:

https://www.5momentsofneed.com/

ChatGPT, the GenAI tool Shana uses to build GPTs, coaching skills and a weekly industry news digest:

https://chatgpt.com/

One Useful Thing, the newsletter from Ethan Mollick, one of the technology thought leaders Shana follows:

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/

Donald H Taylor, one of the long-time industry voices Shana follows:

https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/

The Josh Bersin Company, the research and advisory firm led by Josh Bersin, another industry voice Shana follows:

https://joshbersin.com/

Gallup, one of the consulting firms Shana follows for its research on employee engagement:

https://www.gallup.com/services/176708/employee-engagement.aspx

The New York Times article on bringing iced coffee to a job interview, the story behind the interview etiquette question:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/style/iced-coffee-job-interview-unprofessional.html

“DAMA-DMBOK: Data Management Body of Knowledge,” the book Shana is reading to understand what her business partners are thinking about:

https://www.amazon.com/DAMA-DMBOK-Data-Management-Body-Knowledge/dp/1634622340

“Be Yourself at Work” by Claude Silver, Shana’s next read on bringing your full self to work:

https://www.claudesilver.com/book

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