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Andrew Barry

Founder & CEO, Curious Lion

AI is reshaping the role of individual contributors. ICs can now do more on their own than ever before, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity for L&D. This newsletter explores how to shift your focus from only developing managers to equipping ICs with the influence skills that drive retention, accelerate OKRs, and position L&D as a strategic partner to the business.

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Featured Post

[3-2-1] AI can't think for you

Hi Reader, Welcome to the 5th edition of the 3-2-1 (check out previous issues here). You're getting this because you care about developing people. I write about transforming ICs -> Impact Contributors. And today, we're talking about working with AI. Let's get into it. 3 Things for Work (in L&D) How to Be an Effective Early-Stage Employee The most helpful framework I've seen for developing your career as an individual contributor. Even more relevant now when AI accelerates your ability to do...

7 days ago • 2 min read
Two grayscale lions sit together; one rests a hand on the other’s shoulder in comfort, with a teal circle, red heart, and yellow upward line behind.

Hi Reader, Welcome to the 4th edition of the 3-2-1 (check out previous issues here). You're getting this because you care about developing people. I write about transforming ICs -> Impact Contributors. And today, we're talking about human skills for the future of work. Let's get into it. 3 Things for Work (in L&D) The Era of Continuous Reskilling A pragmatic roadmap to close the AI skills gap: model executive AI use, bridge the agent awareness divide, and pivot to skills-based growth with...

21 days ago • 3 min read
Four grayscale lions collaborate at a table as a yellow growth arrow and magenta bars signal outsized, scalable team impact

Hi Reader, Welcome to the 3rd edition of the 3-2-1 (check out previous issues here). You're getting this because you care about developing people. I write about the Irreplaceable IC. And today, we examine this pivotal role in the future of work. Let's get into it. 3 Things for Work (in L&D) NotebookLLM on Tiny Teams A treasure trove of insights from AI-first companies operating with crazy scale (think 20-person teams of ICs doing $50M ARR). You can ask questions like, “how are these teams...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Grayscale lion in a blazer presents a rising bar chart to boardroom executives; teal circle backdrop and yellow arrow.

Hi Reader, Welcome to the second edition of the 3-2-1 (check out previous issues here). You're getting this because you care about developing people. I'm sharing what I'm learning about the IC development opportunity. And today, we focus on communication. Let's get into it. 3 Things for L&D Middle managers fade as AI rises Evidence of “Great Flattening” accelerated by AI in Gusto data (8,500 SMBs): ~6 ICs per manager in 2025 vs ~3 in 2019. Fewer manager layers → more end-to-end responsibility...

about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Grayscale lion with glasses works on a laptop; teal circle backdrop, yellow arrow points to an ‘AI’ chip, chatbot, and checklist icons

Hi Reader, Welcome to the first edition of the 3-2-1. You're getting this because you care about developing people. I'm sharing what I'm learning as we solve the IC development crisis. 3 things you can use for work, 2 things for fun, and 1 idea from me. Let's get into it. 3 Things for L&D L&D at the Crossroads—Why HR Leaders Must Embrace a New Era of Learning RedThread’s Dani Johnson explains how L&D must evolve from “course provider” to strategic capacity-builder. 🏋️♀️ Effort ≈ 6 min read...

2 months ago • 2 min read
Grayscale lion in glasses reads a ‘Vol. 1’ newspaper, framed by a teal circle, yellow upward arrow, and red exclamation burst.

Hello Reader, Today I'm launching a newsletter to tackle the fastest-growing problem I see in talent development. 👉 The Rise of the Individual Contributor (IC) and the Lack of Growth and Development You're getting this because we worked together, we chatted, or you subscribe to my newsletter. (Which tells me you care about developing people.) Structural shifts in how we work (flattening hierarchies, siloed growth, and the AI info explosion among them) are making the IC role more critical than...

2 months ago • 1 min read