An organization is only as good as its people, and its people are only as good as its learning function. On the other side of the coin, if your employees feel like they have no opportunity to grow, they’ll look for it somewhere else. This phenomenon becomes especially apparent among the younger working generations, who show a strong preference for exploring growth opportunities. By implication, when companies fail to respond appropriately to this preference, they’re inadvertently contributing to an ever-increasing retention problem.

That’s why it’s critical, especially in a downward turning economy, to continually invest in the learning function. Doing so creates the much needed environment for growth and paves the way for career advancement, skill development, greater employee satisfaction and a more stable turnover rate. Unfortunately, the learning function is the first thing that gets gutted whenever a company’s purse strings need to tighten. This misstep handicaps many businesses by drying up opportunity and sending the glaring message that the bottom line is what matters most, and employee growth doesn’t figure into that bottom line.

It’s between this proverbial rock and hard place that the learning function uncomfortably sits. And when it’s working properly, it creates an ecosystem conducive to growth and reaches a broad spectrum of learner preferences and needs. But this begs the question, what considerations should learning leaders account for to support a thriving training function?

Key Considerations To Consider

1. Begin with understanding. The old one-size-fits-all mentality permeates many organizations. We’re virtually inundated with so-called turnkey solutions on a daily basis. And it’s no wonder; they’re built into the framework of our modern society, from the grade school classroom to the assembly line floor. While structure is often critically important to progress, too much of it can stifle agility and inhibit growth. In short, structure matters, but it must remain adaptable and applicable in order to adequately support the diverse learning needs and preferences of each individual.

When leading the learning function, begin with the discovery process. What do your company and your people need? How do your people prefer to learn (i.e., self-paced, conversational, reading, application, etc.)? What structure will support them best, that they will opt in to?

2. Know the jobs that the learning function is trying to address. This understanding enables leaders to craft the right sets of opportunities and learning objectives based on departmental and employee needs. These opportunities and objectives should also align with the content and systems you currently have in place as well as organizational, team and individual foci.

Ultimately, there needs to be a concrete picture outlining what growth needs to happen and why. Duration, frequency, variation and application to daily work are all vital parts of this plan. And for these objectives to be effective, document them and evangelize them when ready. Get feedback from multiple levels, and make it safe for others to tell you if something is off. Mistakes with redirection in the planning phase is true wisdom.

3. Identify the correct indicators of success. This task not only offers a clear picture of the effectiveness of your organization’s learning processes, but it also enables leaders to connect the dots between skill development and overarching benefit to the company. In other words, it’s like drawing a line between the abstract blueprints and the concrete payoff. And that can help improve the sustainability of the learning ecosystem.

Most learning and development (L&D) leaders use key performance indicators (KPIs) to justify their value to the business. The best way to decide these is to determine which KPIs are most important to the organization and create a narrative that connects your work to them. In other words, you’re threading together organizational learning projects with practical results. As such, it’s vital to measure what you want people to do, know and feel as a result of the learning.

Then, narrate how those improvements and changes will impact important company measures. Have people self-assess their skills and understanding, and have managers assess them the same way to create deltas. Doing so allows you to use these deltas for coaching opportunities and foci for growth. Bottom line: Showing a before and after picture is worth a thousand words here.

4. Match learning models with employees’ primary motivators. From the time people begin learning to walk and talk, it’s evident that we each have unique learning preferences and needs. And it’s something we never grow out of. That’s why it’s imperative to toss out old, static learning models and opt for something that appeals to each individual’s unique needs. One simple approach is to align the learners’ key motivators with their work.

There are various types of motivators, including: theoretical (i.e., gathering and sharing knowledge), utilitarian (i.e., money/accomplishments), aesthetic (i.e., desire to create and have beauty/balance), social (i.e., driven to help the world/people), individualistic (i.e., values and freedom), and traditional (i.e., likes structure, rules and systems). Salespeople, for example, frequently find themselves in the utilitarian camp. They’re often excited by the prospect of getting accolades or winning bonuses for meeting KPIs. But this reward system, which has been historically effective for utility-minded people, won’t fill the bucket of socially motivated employees. It’s a simple case of knowing your audience and speaking their language.

5. Mobilize your advocates. Since the learning function is very often what gets pinched during budget cuts, getting the right people in your corner is a must. That’s because you can’t be a lone advocate and succeed. Begin by understanding what your leadership team values and then demonstrate how investing in the learning function gives them more of what they want. This will enable them to see its importance, which they must do before they’ll support it. In short, understanding precedes advocacy. And a team of high-level advocates translates to a more sustainable and expandable learning ecosystem.

The learning function is a major player in the ongoing success of any organization. That’s why diminishing its value clearly signals a wrongheaded disconnection between the learning ecosystem and its practical day-to-day impact. However, with the right processes leaders can reinvigorate a tired and broken learning environment. Sometimes that means getting your hands dirty, and sometimes that means getting outside support to clean up your toolbox. But no matter what, doing nothing simply isn’t an option in a world battling for talent.