Editor’s Note: This article is part of our “L&D Reflections” series, where learning leaders share what they’ve learned over the past year and how those insights are shaping their work.
Reflecting on 2025 led me to consider the overall scope of being a learning and development (L&D) professional. Every year, we learn something new, whether it’s a skill or new knowledge or insights. Although developing proficiency in a new software platform is valuable, it wasn’t the aspect of learning I felt compelled to explore.
Defining Your Professional Brand
A thought-provoking question directed my focus on professional sagacity: What do I represent? The one key element that dominated my thoughts was professional branding. Everyone has a brand, whether they are aware of it or not. For instance, we faithfully patronize businesses because we value what they offer. The company’s brand represents something that is relatable. When we follow a business or a celebrity, we often do so for one or two reasons: There is something you like about their brand and their values.
Then, I asked myself, what does my brand say to others? The answer may vary among a group of professionals. Not everyone will perceive the same thing, and that’s OK. Perception is based on emotional connections and personal experiences. Those experiences may allow others to identify the brand differently. But with consistency, creativity, clarity and commitment, a brand can be transformed into a powerful tool and change others’ perception.
Identifying Skills to Shape Your Professional Brand
Technology is also a key aspect of an L&D professional’s personal brand. We can’t escape the newest technological advances, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), which appears here to stay. However, the type of AI tools being used will not remain static. There will be bigger and better AI-driven tools available as the technology evolves.
Keeping up with the latest technological skills is part of building a personal brand, but it alone doesn’t define a strong one. AI won’t be able to replace all jobs, and going forward, human interaction will remain in high demand. Consider the example of company phone trees: Customers press zero to reach a live person, bypassing the automated system.
As L&D professionals, we possess several key skills that comprise our professional brand, in addition to technological skills. These skills include: adaptability, change management, communication, conflict resolution, critical thinking, data analysis, emotional intelligence (EQ), leadership and more.
As I reviewed attributes of professional brands, I discovered an underlying, innate process that helped me determine what’s truly important. It didn’t occur to me until after I attended the 2025 Training Industry Conference & Expo (TICE) that the thing we all do every day, possibly even automatically, is a word that keynote speaker, Dr. Michelle Rozen, stated. Dr. Rozen discussed setting and achieving goals, and shared that her research found 94% of us failed to achieve a goal. Then she said a magical word: prioritize. That word replayed in my head several times. Her process of prioritizing goals is an effective way to achieve a desired outcome.
Of course, we all prioritize something throughout our day. Dr. Rozen emphasized prioritization in a way that differed from how I’ve approached it. However, her process made complete sense. In Dr. Rozen’s book, “The 6% Club,” she encourages the reader to follow the “0-10 Rule”: When someone assigns a prioritization number to each goal and follows it, they will be more likely to reach their goal.
When you review your professional goals, you will notice that those goals represent what you value, which is the heart of your brand. As Dr. Rozen shared, the higher the assigned priority number, the more important the goal. As L&D professionals, we prioritize various tasks, including facilitating training sessions, evaluating training outcomes and meetings with stakeholders, among other responsibilities. This is not new to us. However, the way we prioritize might be something to review.
Final Thoughts
After reflecting on the question, “What do I represent?” and reviewing my goals, the answer became clear: I represent professionalism. It’s timeless, and it always resonates with others.
As the year comes to a close, some individuals may reflect on their accomplishments. Being in the L&D environment, professionalism is critical.
Clear, consistent communication, high EQ, and strong relationships with stakeholders, vendors and coworkers never go out of style. It’s a brand that speaks for itself.
As you reflect on your own learning journey, explore how the Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM) program can help you grow the skills you need to lead training with confidence.
