#122 - The IC Development Playbook: Insights from Faire, Lucid, and LinkedIn

The Learning Culture Podcast

The Learning Culture Podcast
#122 - The IC Development Playbook: Insights from Faire, Lucid, and LinkedIn
Mar 23, 2026 Season 4 Episode 21
Andrew Barry

When employees equate growth with promotion, but promotion opportunities are limited, how do you develop your best individual contributors? 

In this panel discussion, Katie Hart from Faire, Sarah Jester from Lucid Software, and Krysta Kasinski from LinkedIn share their battle-tested approaches to developing ICs beyond the traditional promotion path. These three L&D leaders reveal why they've moved beyond the "growth equals promotion" myth to build leadership programs specifically for individual contributors. 

You'll discover the five core capabilities that accelerate IC growth, why cohort-based learning beats one-off training, and how to measure impact without killing engagement. Katie, Sarah, and Krysta share what's actually working in their programs, including the mistakes they've made and learned from. 

Whether you're at a 1,000-person company like Faire and Lucid or a LinkedIn-scale organization, this conversation provides practical frameworks for developing your IC population when traditional career ladders aren't enough. 

If retaining top talent and building leadership at every level matters to your organization, this playbook shows you exactly where to start.

Episode Artwork #122 - The IC Development Playbook: Insights from Faire, Lucid, and LinkedIn 57:43 Episode Artwork #121 - From Seller to Coach: Gail Behun’s Playbook for Building Better Managers 38:30 Episode Artwork #120 - Ian Stevens on Building an AI-Ready Culture 37:38 Episode Artwork #119 - Cameron Hedrick on How AI Unlocks What Makes Us Human 52:11 Episode Artwork #118 - Why ICs Needs to Think Like Managers in the AI Era 38:02 Episode Artwork #117 - From Resistance to 6,000 Training Sessions: Rebecca Scales' Blueprint for AI Adoption 40:07 Episode Artwork #116 - Emotional Intelligence Is Your Antidote to Workplace Burnout 48:09 Episode Artwork #115 - Leading Through Hyper-Change: Lessons from Global HR Leader Allyson Carr 38:46 Episode Artwork #114 - Consistency Over Perfection: Building Your Brand on LinkedIn with Rachel Bolton 41:44 Episode Artwork #113 - Inside Duolingo: How Sticky Learning Fuels a Global Habit 55:50 Episode Artwork #112 - How to Fix Your Broken Training with Motivation, Structure, and Story 30:20 Episode Artwork #111 - The Human Skills Renaissance: Why AI Makes Emotional Intelligence More Valuable 20:23 Episode Artwork #110 - One-Size-Fits-All Development Is Killing Motivation: Elena Agaragimova on Why Generic Training Fails (and What to Do Instead) 35:22 Episode Artwork #109 - AI and Influence: From Idea to Impact 16:36 Episode Artwork #108 - From Silos to Synergy: How Two Teams at LinkedIn Reinvented Collaboration 1:00:25 Episode Artwork #107 - AI & Human Potential: Navigating the Future of Work 19:48 Episode Artwork #106 - No More Armor: Matt Conrad on Vulnerability, Trust, and Leading with Heart 56:59 Episode Artwork #105 - The Human Edge: Tami Rosen on AI, Culture, and the Power of Adaptability 45:20 Episode Artwork #104 - Redefining Ready: Liz Moran on Talent, Risk, and the Future of Leadership 53:10 Episode Artwork #103 - Metaphorical Learning: Robyn Ginese on Feedback, Belonging, & Growing through Experiences 50:54 Episode Artwork #102 - From Trombone to Team Building: Stephen Ivany’s Journey from Stage to Strategy 50:59 Episode Artwork #101 - Managerial Excellence: From Self-Growth to Team Impact with Stefani Okamoto 50:00 Episode Artwork #100 - Building Creative and Inclusive Cultures: Insights from Ingrid Hu Dahl 42:56 Episode Artwork #99 - Stepping Out of Comfort Zones and Bridging Gaps in Leadership with Jennifer Butler 48:52 Episode Artwork #98 - Human First, Leader Second: Self-Compassion as a Leadership Tool with Massimo Backus 51:19