How to Support Learning and Development Professionals

One thing I hear a lot - and it shows up in every engagement survey: "My organisation doesn’t provide enough learning and development opportunities." Oooof. 😑 If you’re a People & Culture leader, you’re probably thinking one of three things: "WTAF - we just ran a heap of training this year." 😵 "But you had learning budgets and no one used them." 🫠 "We’ve got this thing and no one’s even logged in." 🙃 Having been there…I feel that pain. 💡 So why does this happen? I think "not enough L&D" is rarely about the volume of opportunities. It’s about the perception of value. When learning feels disconnected from real work, people won’t prioritise it. "I don’t have time" is often code for "I don’t think this will help me right now." Here's what I've seen work: 1️⃣ Make it visible: If your leaders aren’t into learning and talking about it, why would their team be? Get managers to lead by example, talk about what they’re learning and show that continuous development is valued and recognised. If you only did one thing - it would be this. 2️⃣ Ask and listen: Don’t assume. Ask people what skills they actually want to build (or what problems/gaps they want to solve) and connect those to the goals of your organisation. 3️⃣ Make it the norm: Build it into regular team habits and workflows, so it becomes part of work not "ergh another thing to do". Regular nudges and reminders keep it top of mind and expected. I’ve seen full teams commit to small L&D actions that have literally changed their language and how they talk to each other about work. The learning compounds when everyone’s in it together. 4️⃣ Keep it practical: If someone can’t use it today, they probably won’t use it at all. Give the people some instant gratification. This was my big focus area when creating Learna. 5️⃣ Close the loop: After any training get feedback on what worked and what didn’t. Use this info to continuously iterate and improve what’s on offer. If learning feels valuable in the moment, people make time. Have you come up against this before? What have you seen work well? #learninganddevelopment #peopleandculture #engagementsurvey #learnforwork #worklife

Training and coaching programmes in many workplaces are often seen as one-size-fits-all solutions. Its time for that to change, especially when it comes to leadership development. Too often, learning and development initiatives are decided without involving the people who are not actually taking part in them. Organizations make huge investment into programmes, without effective research into people's needs. They don't ask people what they want or need. They presume everyone's needs are the same. There are times where this might be ok....specific technical skills for example or simple standard work practices. But leadership development requires a different approach. To be honest, I used to deliver one-day trainings on leadership skills here and there. But I never felt good about it. I felt like I wasn't adding real value to anyone. I knew most people were likely to forget everything they learned. It seems like such a waste of time and money. Now, I largely provide a blend of training and coaching programmes. They include an assessment of participant needs. They have a measure of individual development over time. Each person's coaching programme is tailored to what they need. I communicate with my programme participant's managers, to support the continuation of coaching long after their initial coaching programme ends. I always think I can do better so I gather feedback from every participant and improve my programmes all the time. These are the best practices guidelines I follow and teach: 1️⃣ Assess participant needs and customize programmes 2️⃣ Clarify the measures of effectiveness that will be used. 3️⃣ Personalize learning paths- this is possible through blending training with 1:1 coaching programmes 4️⃣ Foster a culture of continuous learning where coaching and training is part of what people regularly give and receive. Ensure all managers have effective coaching skills 5️⃣ Evaluate and adjust all training and coaching programmes. Make improvements based on feedback and measures. ❓What else would you add to ensure training and coaching programmes are highly effective? #learninganddevelopment #employeedevelopment #leadershipdevelopment #traininganddevelopment #training #learning #coaching

If you’re in Learning and Development… And you’re optimising for "checking the boxes" on training programs… IMO, we’re missing a trick. The likelihood of driving real behaviour change through surface-level programs is low. But when we focus on how people actually learn and grow? Game-changer. So, what should we be optimising for? ✅ Optimise for brain-friendly learning. Understand how the brain processes and retains information. Use spaced repetition, storytelling, and active engagement to make learning stick. ✅ Optimise for emotional engagement. People don’t learn well when they’re stressed or disengaged. Create safe, inspiring environments that spark curiosity and connection. ✅ Optimise for growth, not perfection. Shift the focus from “getting it right” to embracing mistakes as opportunities. Build a culture where learning is continuous, not a one-and-done event. ✅ Optimise for relevance. Every brain asks the same question: “Why does this matter to me?” Design programs that are actionable, personalised, and tied to real-world challenges. ✅ Optimise for habits, not just skills. Skills fade if they aren’t reinforced. Help people build habits that embed what they’ve learned into their daily work. AND DON’T FORGET… 🎉 Optimise for your own development. L&D professionals often pour into others but forget themselves. Stay curious. Seek out trends. Connect with peers who challenge and inspire you. CLO100 If you treat your role as a learning journey—for both yourself and your organisation—then the impact you create will be exponential.

The latest CIPD Learning at Work 2023 Report has some eye-opening insights 👀 There is a growing misalignment of L&D strategies with organisational and people priorities. The most surprising part? Leaders are less likely to recognise the impact L&D can have, with only 67% agreeing. And yet despite this, the budget and funding for employees' L&D continue to increase. What a paradox! The evidence is clear that when L&D strategies are aligned with specific business objectives and tailored to the unique needs of the audience, the outcomes are transformative. But here's the kicker 🤯 Less than a quarter of L&D teams feel skilled at designing and delivering such learning interventions. Only 55% have a process for using feedback to improve continually, and a mere 7% strongly agree they have a process for supporting learning transfer. It's troubling, isn't it? These statistics are not just numbers; they're a call to action. From my experience, this misalignment stems from several factors: ➡️ Understanding Business Priorities: A lack of a deep understanding of the organisation's real priorities and how they translate to development needs  ➡️ Skills Gap: Inadequate skills within L&D teams to design and deliver effective learning experiences. ➡️ Demonstrating ROI: The struggle to showcase the clear financial return on L&D investments. ➡️ Clarity with Business Leaders: A lack of clarity among business leaders about how L&D can effectively help achieve strategic objectives. How can we bridge this gap and make L&D truly impactful? ➡️ Strategic Alignment: Align your L&D strategy with the company's core objectives. Ensure every learning initiative contributes directly to business outcomes. ➡️ Skill Development: Invest in upskilling your L&D team in instructional design, delivery, and feedback analysis. ➡️ Data-Driven Improvement: Implement a robust feedback loop to improve your learning interventions continually. ➡️ Transfer Support: Develop processes to facilitate applying learned skills in the workplace. 💡 It's also time to rethink the role L&D plays in your organisation - they are your strategic partners! There must be active collaboration between L&D and business leaders to effectively surface people's development priorities, decide on the development strategy, measure real business outcomes, and create a conducive learning environment. This cannot be done in silo! Now is the time to be ruthlessly focused on organisational outcomes and to prioritise only the activities that contribute to those outcomes. Every dollar and minute spent on L&D must translate into measurable value. Interested in exploring how I can help reshape your Learning and Development strategy and align it more with your organisation's objectives? Let's connect and chat! 🌟 Together, we can find a path towards enhancing the impact of L&D within your organisation. #learning #leadership #change #transformation #performance Lily Woi Coaching Limited T/A Lily Woi

L&D as Kingmakers! In this insightful episode of The L&D Podcast, host Zubin Rashid sits down with Chintan Shukla, an experienced Training Leader and L&D professional with over 9 years in learning & development within the BPO/customer service industry. Chintan shares practical wisdom on transforming L&D from "check-the-box" compliance training to meaningful, applied learning that drives real behavioural change and business results. Key highlights include: -The 2–3 most common mistakes organisations make in designing training programs (and how to avoid them) -Deciding between training, coaching, and mentoring — especially with tight budgets and timelines -Shifting from one-way training to two-way facilitation to boost engagement and ownership -Connecting learning to WIIFM (What's In It For Me) and KPIs for genuine motivation -Practical ways to move beyond mandatory sessions to learning employees actually value and apply on the job -Measuring the impact of soft skills training (e.g., communication, empathy) in customer service — linking behaviour to CSAT and indirect ROI -Building and sustaining a genuine culture of continuous learning in hybrid/AI-influenced work environments -Empowering teams with Gen AI basics (70%+ adoption in his centre!) A powerful metaphor: L&D professionals as "kingmakers" and potters shaping talent for everyday performance or greatness Whether you are an L&D leader, trainer, HR professional, or aspiring to create high-impact learning experiences, this candid conversation is packed with actionable insights. Listen/Watch on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dXDRm9C3 Follow Zubin Rashid for more leadership conversations in Learning & Development! 🎙️ #LearningAndDevelopment #LAndD #TrainingAndDevelopment #InstructionalDesign #Coaching #Mentoring #ContinuousLearning #SoftSkills #BehavioralChange #EmployeeDevelopment #AIinL&D #Leadership #HR #TalentDevelopment #WIIFM #Facilitation #Podcast #TheLAndDPodcast

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 🌐 Struggling with disconnected learning platforms and resources? I get it—fragmented learning experiences can derail your L&D programs, making them less efficient and effective. When your team has to juggle multiple systems, it hampers their ability to learn and grow seamlessly. Here’s how you can build an integrated learning ecosystem to connect all your platforms, resources, and tools for a smooth, unified learning experience: 📌 Centralize Your Resources: Start by consolidating all learning materials into a single, accessible repository. This can be a Learning Management System (LMS) or a centralized digital library where employees can easily find what they need. 📌 Integrate Platforms: Use APIs and integration tools to link your LMS with other systems like HR software, productivity tools, and communication platforms. This ensures a cohesive experience where data flows seamlessly between platforms. 📌 Standardize Processes: Develop standardized protocols for content creation, curation, and deployment. This includes using consistent formats and templates, which help maintain quality and uniformity across all learning materials. 📌 Personalize Learning Paths: Leverage data analytics to create personalized learning paths for employees. Tailored content keeps learners engaged and ensures they acquire the skills most relevant to their roles. 📌 Foster Collaboration: Encourage peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing through forums, social learning platforms, and collaborative projects. This builds a community of continuous learning and support. 📌 Track Progress and Feedback: Implement tools to monitor learning progress and gather feedback. Use this data to continuously improve your L&D programs, ensuring they remain relevant and effective. By developing an integrated learning ecosystem, you’ll transform fragmented experiences into a cohesive journey that enhances learning efficiency and effectiveness. Your team will thank you for making their learning process smoother and more intuitive. What strategies have you used to create a seamless learning ecosystem? Share your insights below! ⬇️ #LearningAndDevelopment #TrainingInnovation #OnlineLearning #EdTech #LMS #EmployeeEngagement

🧠 When was the last time your L&D function had a real audit? Not a survey. Not an LMS usage report. A real audit. One that asks: Is learning aligned to business strategy? Are we applying actual learning science? Does our tech stack enable or obstruct growth? Can we prove impact beyond completion rates? Most companies say they support employee development. Fewer invest in making it work at scale. 📉 According to LinkedIn Learning’s 2024 Workplace Report, only 15% of L&D pros say their programs are fully aligned with business goals. 📉 And even fewer — just 8% — say they consistently measure learning impact beyond participation. So what are we really doing? If learning is meant to drive performance, engagement, and retention, it deserves the same rigor we apply to marketing funnels or product roadmaps. That’s why I created a simple L&D Maturity Audit Checklist for HR and learning leaders to rate their operations and find opportunities to level up. It covers four domains: ✔️ Strategic Alignment ✔️ Program Design (yes, based on actual learning theory) ✔️ Tech Stack & Integration ✔️ Measurement & ROI 💡 Use it with your team, your leadership, or quietly in a corner with a cup of coffee and a look of concern. Either way, it will give you clarity and maybe even a few next steps. 📩 Want the PDF? Drop "audit" in the comments or DM me. It’s time to treat learning like the strategic engine it was always meant to be. #LearningAndDevelopment #WorkplaceLearning #LDCulture #PeopleDevelopment #TalentStrategy #HRLeadership #OrganizationalDevelopment #FutureOfWork

I hear this so often from learning leaders in 2025: “Getting employees to own their learning is hard.” And a Gartner Study showed that 79% of Learning and Development (L&D) Leaders agree here. The question is why? Well, it looks like we're stuck in an expectations gap. Employees believe it's the company's responsibility to help them learn, while leaders expect more agency from employees. Employees are lacking clarity on how learning will tie to their career advancement, while leaders want to see learning advance employee careers. Employees say: "Tell me how this helps my career, then I'll engage." Leaders say: "If you learn, it will lead to career growth." It's almost like a chicken-and-egg scenario. No-one wins. And if we're honest, debating where this should start doesn't matter. All that matters is creating a learning culture that supports your organization's growth. That's an organization-wide responsibility, not just L&D. So what do we do here? Well, for one, give employees a reason to care. Show them how learning ties into career outcomes. Equip leaders with the tools and resources to lead real growth conversations with their teams. Take our AI Leaders Training for example.   We gave leaders a conversation guide to: • Share what they’ve tried • Invite team examples • Highlight what’s working • Align on responsible AI use Employees share real use cases, get recognized, and see their ideas impact AI implementation across Colibri. It’s not just to raise awareness, but to activate learning with a purpose. We realized that if you encourage and reward learning, it creates real opportunity and progress in the organization.    Because you can give your teams all the learning in the world, but it won't mean much if the culture doesn't support and recognize them for learning in the first place.   When your teams grow, so does your organization.

Organizations pay for learning twice: once to build it, then again for the productivity lost to misalignment. Learning impact starts in the business strategy. Learning & Development gets expensive when it becomes a library of content instead of a disciplined capability tied to how work needs to change and to the problems the business is solving. Effective L&D translates business strategy into capability needs, identifies the highest-value gaps, and designs programs that accelerate both talent and performance. The right resources bring structure and consistency, helping teams define, align, and deliver learning priorities that move the business forward. Consider this set of tools to help you do that. 1. Focus Group Summary Capture consistent signals across stakeholder groups, so needs are tied to impact. https://lnkd.in/gHgGUjqs 2. Business Needs to Learning Requirements Conversation Translate business priorities into clear learning requirements for leaders to validate. https://lnkd.in/gdp4qJZ2 3. Learning Plan Turn requirements into a practical plan with outcomes, delivery approach, and evaluation criteria. https://lnkd.in/gpvtuUex 4. Learning Council Chapter Template Create an effective governance for consistent prioritization, resourcing, and decisions. https://lnkd.in/guQsJmQa 5. Performance Consulting Assessment Uncover workforce challenges and supporting data for relevant solutions. https://lnkd.in/gvNw9DRE 6. Strategic Objective to Critical Role Development Flow-down Diagram Connect strategic objectives to the roles that must build capability first. https://lnkd.in/gXRV-htJ 7. Persona Template Design learning around the realities of target roles, their preferences, and requirements. https://lnkd.in/gfUmggXX P.S. These tools are part of the Learning & Development Program on Wowledge. ~ Click Carlos Larracilla and follow me [+🔔] for daily resources from Wowledge.

“Let me get this straight—you WANT to pay for them to get smarter… so they can LEAVE you??” I was sitting with a client the other day, and we were talking about sending one of their employees out for training. Naturally, I asked, “So what’s the criteria you look for before giving the green light?” They looked at me and said: “We don’t have a strict one. If someone’s hungry to grow, we feed them.” I’ll be honest—that answer floored me in the best way. But then it got me thinking... Later that week, I brought the topic up with a few other clients and contacts. Let me tell you: I was NOT prepared for how many wildly different approaches there are to continuing education. Everything from: 🔹 “We budget per employee per year and tie it to performance goals.” 🔹 “We wait until they ask… and only if it’s really urgent.” 🔹 “We sponsor courses, but they must present what they learned to the team.” 🔹 “We don’t do it. What if they leave?” 🔹 “We do do it. What if they stay?” That last one got me. Here’s the teachable moment: If you’re afraid they’ll leave after you invest in them… you should be more afraid of what happens if they stay and you don’t. Professional development doesn’t just benefit the employee—it strengthens the whole team. But you do need a strategy. Here are a few things to consider: ✅ Create a training criteria: Tie it to growth paths, performance reviews, or emerging business needs. ✅ Budget wisely: Set a per-head annual budget OR have a pool based on company goals. ✅ Ask for ROI: Maybe they teach back to the team, lead a project, or document what they learned. ✅ Invest equitably, not equally: Not everyone needs the same training. Customize where possible. ✅ Start a culture of learning: When people see others growing, they want in. That’s how you build momentum. So now I’m curious: What’s YOUR company’s approach to continuing education? Are you the “invest generously” type, or the “show me the ROI” type? Or maybe… somewhere in between? Let’s compare notes. I’d love to hear your thoughts—and your funniest training request story too. (I once saw a request for “Intro to Goat Yoga for Team Synergy.” Still not sure if they were kidding...) #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #BusinessGrowth #Training #LearningCulture #TeamDevelopment #BudgetSmart #EmployeeEngagement