About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of skills development for small and medium-sized businesses, featuring insights from Laura McDonough on future skills and leadership.

In this episode of The Finance Cafe Podcast , host Shannon Pestun welcomes Laura McDonough , Associate Director of Insights & Knowledge Mobilization at the Future Skills Centre. Laura leads national research and knowledge-sharing efforts that help shape evidence-informed policy and practice across Canada’s skills ecosystem. With a background in research and evaluation at United Way Greater Toronto and a deep commitment to making data accessible and actionable, Laura brings a unique lens that bridges research, lived experience, and real-world workforce development. The conversation focuses on why skills development has become a critical growth lever for small and medium-sized businesses. Laura unpacks what it means to be future-skills ready, emphasizing both in-demand technical skills and the often-overlooked soft skills that are essential for effective leadership, strong management, and high-performing teams. She challenges traditional SME mindsets around productivity, encouraging business owners to invest in their people, develop managers’ capabilities, and move away from burnout-driven approaches or over reliance on technology alone. Shannon and Laura also explore how…

People in this episode

Host: Shannon Pestun

Guest: Laura McDonough

Topics covered

• skills development
• small and medium-sized businesses
• future skills
• leadership
• equity
• AI in business

Keywords

• profitability
• sustainability
• technical skills
• soft skills
• workforce development
• equity
• AI

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Future Skills Centre, United Way Greater Toronto

Places: Canada

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