He’s so unusual

“It is only afterward that a new idea seems reasonable.
To begin with, it usually seems unreasonable.”
– Isaac Asimov

At Advantage, we’re always on the lookout for innovative people making waves and getting results in talent development whose work aligns with our stream of experiential learning offerings.

One of those standouts is Rob Cordova. With a nod to our favorite Cyndi Lauper album, he’s so unusual in the corporate learning space that some organizations who bring him in can’t seem to get enough. A rising star in L&D, Rob earned Fordham University’s coveted Dean’s Award for Excellence voted on by the students. He describes his mission as transforming corporate learning into dynamic, engaging experiences. His mantra? “Make learning unboring.”

We introduced you to Rob’s unique learning manifesto and his innovation workshop in June. Now, we’re thrilled to offer a sneak peek of his 2025 virtual training festival Nov. 7 or 8 as part of our fall showcase. (RSVP here to get it on your calendar now!)

Rob’s workshops on innovation and other leadership development topics, whether virtual or in person, are unlike any other—no slides, quirky props, hand-drawn graphics, and a focus on the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that helps organizations solve big problems.

As Advantage partners Peg Ruppert and Amy Kahn noted in a recent call, Rob’s sessions this year have been a hit with 5 of their global clients. One leader, recovering from a failed training project cut short for being boring and overly theoretical said after just 10 minutes of observing Rob, “We’re going to try this!” Another CEO, after participating in 6 sessions, stated, “This is the best thinking I have seen from my team in years.”

“These were really great executive-level sessions,” Peg said, dealing with big issues around technology, digital transformation, how they use their real estate, how they use AI, how they’re structured as an organization. One session cascaded to more as enthusiasm for Rob’s sessions spread among other leaders and their teams.

How did we find him? Rob had been a colleague of Advantage partners Francine Smilen and Kristina DiStasio years ago as a training consultant at American Express. Francine reconnected Rob with Kristina and they hit it off, collaborating more recently on some highly successful client projects and capturing the attention of our CEO Jonathan Hodge and other Advantage partners.

“Once clients have the opportunity to work with Rob, they become captivated and eager for more,” Kristina said.

Contact us or talk to your Advantage partner about bringing Rob to your organization, or be sure check out our Rob Cordova sneak peek and our other events coming soon!

One great thing for 09.24.24 – 3 steps for more inclusive virtual learning by Rob Cordova for Training Industry