Studies consistently show that learning and development (L&D) efforts are most effective when training programs focus on performance (i.e., employee behaviors) that support business priorities. Many of these corporate indicators include customer service, sales, revenue, return on investment (ROI), cash flow, inventory turnover, profits, market share and more. Corporate leaders require employee and organizational transformation efforts to keep pace with the ever-changing world. This makes dynamic and versatile L&D leaders a necessity and invaluable commodity. To meet these “transformation efforts” across the organization, L&D leaders must embrace several key pieces to success: continuous learning, collaboration, networking, identifying organizational goals, strategic alignment and evaluation.
As you begin this critical role, take five minutes to reflect: You were chosen out of a sea of applicants to lead this organizationally critical team. Let that marinate. What do you do when this is new to you?
Leveraging Transferable Skills and Developing an L&D Mindset
Transitioning into an L&D leadership role from another industry is an experience, filled with both formative challenges and rewarding opportunities. Realize that you may come with years of experience. Your greatest advantage is likely the unique wealth of transferable skills you bring with you. You are a subject matter expert (SME) in any number of areas including: customer service, human resources (HR), education, engineering, sales, marketing, program or project management and others. These areas provide you with important skills such as communication, stakeholder engagement, project planning, negotiations, designing, planning, building teams and no doubt others. These skills are crucial in designing and implementing successful learning initiatives.
Your self-awareness will serve you well as you determine how to apply these skills in your new L&D role. It will also enhance your confidence and inspire others to follow your vision. So, take the time to truly reflect and identify these assets. Use your strengths to improve the personal areas you need to improve to excel in this new L&D position. For example, use your customer service skills to develop your collaboration skills. Or use your strength in marketing to design training that is engaging. Analyze yourself through a logical outside lens, like a scientist, and you will likely increase your ability to evaluate the organization around you.
A strong L&D leader starts much like a scientist in making a hypothesis. Start with a clear question that can be assessed, conduct your background research, identify appropriate variables and formulate a statement that predicts the relationship between those variables. Then, make certain your hypothesis can be proven in a true or false answer.
In L&D, you use data, SMEs, articles and workshops to assist in your process. L&D is not for the faint of heart, so your courage and tenacity is clearly visible to others, whether you see it or not. Much like a scientist, you must be open-minded, unafraid of failure, willing to take risks, flexible, and curious about outside information. You should seek out articles, workshops, seminars, certifications and online courses.
As an L&D leader, you must be well versed in topic areas such as instructional design, adult learning principles (andragogy), the ADDIE model, the Successive Approximation Model (SAM), Agile, Kirkpatrick’s New World Model for Training Evaluation, learning management systems (LMSs) and emerging learning technologies. You must make time in your day to stay ‘in the know’ about developing trends and new technologies. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one particular example. You will leverage AI-powered tools to create more engaging learning experiences aligned with organizational goals while promoting a desire, in your participants, to learn more. These tools are what I call the difference between an ice cream and an ice cream sundae: The little variables make a huge difference. Today, shifting teams, employee changes and locations, are additional variables you must consider when designing and delivering impactful training. You will likely identify many variables immediately, but you certainly will not know what you don’t know.
Building an L&D Network
It’s also vital to cultivate strong collaborative relationships within your organization. Learn all of your stakeholders immediately. It’s critical to establish a network of strong relationships across other teams and seek feedback through creative questioning techniques. Look for quality mentors who are well versed in various subject areas and tap into their valuable experience.
Additionally, joining professional associations and attending industry conferences can be beneficial in acquiring new information and cultivating in-person connections. Utilize networking activities, such as making a habit of not eating lunch alone. These tools are helpful to you as an individual — but you also need to prioritize business needs simultaneously.
Aligning Training With Business Goals
Learn your organization’s high-priority needs and align training initiatives with strategic goals. Like an engineer, you must be the one to reach out to build these necessary bridges with your newly developed connections. Address the projects with a cross-functional approach. Before developing training, use your established relationships and initiatives to create a data-driven plan for evaluating effectiveness. This is essential for culture changes and continuous improvement. This may seem like a complex and overwhelming task with many moving parts. However, tackling it step by step will make it more manageable. Focus on one step at a time, and remember, you’re not doing this alone.
Parting Thoughts
As a new learning leader, you play a crucial role in your organization and have a clear understanding of your strengths and areas for growth. Focus on continuous learning, fostering a collaborative environment, networking early and often, seeking mentorship, understanding organizational goals, aligning new initiatives with those goals and developing an evaluation plan before designing your training programs. By understanding the fundamentals of L&D, leveraging your transferable skills, fostering collaboration and embracing continuous improvement, you can navigate this transition successfully.
