February 19, 2016: Friday news roundup

Let’s put this week to bed and dive straight into the weekend! Well, we do still have Friday to get through first… On to the news, including some words of wisdom from Udemy’s own.

The case for content curation
First up, Darren Shimkus, VP and General Manager of Udemy for Business, talked to Chief Learning Officer magazine about how “learning leaders” can prepare for the training needs they don’t even know about yet. “The notion that organizations can predict the skills people will need one, two or three years out seems futile in the face of constant and rapid market change,” but Darren explains how they can still be proactive.

Teachers have a lesson for business about how to improve their worst performers
Here’s another interesting idea for companies — pair your superstars with those who are underperforming to bring the laggards up to speed. It’s an example of peer-to-peer learning, a concept that’s gaining ground inside organizations these days as they look to maximize their existing workforce rather than go out and hire.

Here’s a key reason millennials are leaving their companies in droves
Deloitte’s annual survey of millennials is always a good read. This year’s headline is about how young workers are moving on when they don’t feel they have opportunities for leadership development. This article also introduces the idea of “the purpose gap,” the difference between what millennials want out of business and what business offers them.

Going against the flow
CEO Dennis Yang talks about entrepreneurship and looks back at his past career. Read on to find out what advice he’d offer his 22-year-old self and what drives him to succeed.

The best part of entrepreneurship? Giving up and getting a job
This is pretty interesting. While heading out on your own to start a business comes with plenty of risk, a recent study found “self-employment does pay off financially, but not in the way entrepreneurs might expect.” When entrepreneurs abandon their ventures and return to the workforce, they typically get higher salaries. Another notable tidbit in this article: Just over half of self-employment stints last for two years or less.