When I joined the Training Industry Senior Leaders Program pilot, I wasn’t looking for another program to “round out my toolkit” because I have enough certifications to wallpaper a room… or two. I’ve been in learning and development (L&D) long enough to know most leadership programs recycle the same frameworks with a new coat of paint. I wanted something that reflected the actual work senior learning leaders do — the messy, political, high stakes, cross-functional reality of leading a training function at scale.
What surprised me wasn’t the content, as the course builds on the Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM™) framework. It was the pacing, the way the program slowly shifted the scope of the conversation until you realized you were thinking like an executive, not a functional expert.
Here’s what the lived experience looked like, week by week:
Starting With People, Not PowerPoints
The program opened with introductions. Not the “name, title, fun fact” kind, but the real kind where we shared what we hoped to get out of the next five months and why we joined this pilot.
In other executive-level programs, this part is usually rushed. Here, it wasn’t. Our facilitator, Ann Stott treated the cohort as the asset. We were driving the course and were the focus. This helped set the tone that this wasn’t going to be a passive learning experience. We were expected to show up as peers, not simply participants.
Strategy: The First Real Test
The first content module dove straight into strategy. We talked about aligning L&D to unclear business goals, using Ann’s lived experiences as a chief learning officer (CLO) as a backdrop. We talked about educating executives who don’t always understand the function and prioritizing when everything feels urgent, breaking away from being an order-taker, and crafting a vision that’s clear enough to guide decisions but flexible enough to survive reality.
At one point, someone asked, “Our business goals change every quarter. How do you align to a moving target?” We all laughed because it was a shared pain point.
Executive Presence: Less About Posturing, More About Credibility
The next module on presence and influence surprised me. I expected the usual “speak with confidence” tropes. Instead, we talked about credibility: How you show up in rooms where everyone has competing priorities; how you tailor your message without diluting it, and how you make the work of L&D visible without sounding defensive.
One conversation that stuck with me was about timing — knowing when to speak, when to hold back and when to reframe the conversation entirely when you’re not able to overcome the opposition in that moment.
Leading the Training Function: The Shift From Doing to Designing
The program had shifted from “leading yourself” to “leading the function.” We dug into team structures, supplier management, delegation and the eight capabilities of great training organizations, not as checkboxes but as levers you can pull depending on the maturity and structure of your organization.
This module felt the closest to my day-to-day reality. It acknowledged something most programs gloss over, that senior leaders don’t just manage work. They architect the conditions in which work happens.
Data: Asking Better Questions, Not Building Bigger Dashboards
The data module was refreshingly grounded. Instead of drowning us in metrics, it focused on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) framework, building a data ecosystem and evaluating tools with a critical eye. We talked about what data actually matters, how to avoid vanity metrics and how to interpret outcome reports without getting lost in noise.
It reinforced something every senior leader eventually learns: Data doesn’t make decisions for you. Understanding data gives you the confidence to make decisions.
Finance: The Module Most L&D Leaders (Secretly) Need
The finance module helps fill a gap many of us without formal business education won’t admit out loud. Learning leaders need to have a foundational understanding of budgeting, forecasting, funding models and financial statements. This module didn’t pretend we were becoming chief financial officers. It focused on what we need as L&D leaders — the ability to justify headcount, evaluate investments, understand the financial implications of our decisions and read those pesky budget reports like a pro.
Change Leadership — The Human Side of Transformation
The module about navigating change wasn’t about templates. It was about the tension between long-term capability building and short-term productivity. We discussed learning culture not as an aspiration, but as a strategic choice that requires trade-offs to be successful.
This module acknowledged that L&D is often at the center of change, whether we ask for that role or not.
Learning Technology: Cutting Through the Noise
The technology module focused on being a savvy consumer in a crowded market. Our guest speaker, JD Dillon, spoke about integration, tech stack strategy and the pace of change in learning tech. What I appreciated most was the emphasis on alignment, choosing tools that support your strategy, not tools that create a new one. It was pragmatic and grounded.
The Capstone: Where Things Get Real
The Advantexe simulation was the moment where the program stopped being theoretical and gave us a chance to practice what we learned in the role of a new C-suite officer. Over three sessions, we worked through scenarios like implementing a new human resources (HR) system, launching a high-potential program and managing an artificial intelligence (AI) rollout. Each round required strategic, financial and operational decisions, and we had a board of directors presentation that forced us to articulate our thinking under pressure. (It’s worth noting that my team, “the Strategic RAMblers,” came out ahead and won the day!)
The Final Module: Looking Ahead
Instead of being given content in the final module, we were asked to curate it; to identify and share the trends we believed would shape the future of L&D and articulate why they mattered. Senior leaders don’t wait for the future to arrive. They make it happen.
Closing Reflection
What made the Training Industry Senior Leaders Program pilot meaningful wasn’t simply the content. It was the way the program mirrored the actual work of senior L&D leadership and the expectation that we would bring our own experience into the room. It didn’t try to turn us into something we weren’t. It gave us the space, structure and challenge to operate at the level we’re already reaching for. It felt like a five-month rehearsal for the roles we’re growing into.
