Enhancing Learning and Development Programs

Spider's silk is 5x stronger than steel. Students just built a Camping House with it. Traditional programs graduate 89% of engineers who've never touched real materials. These students built 10 structures in 6 months using nature's blueprints. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: ↳ Theoretical calculations on whiteboards ↳ Computer simulations without context   ↳ Zero hands-on building experience ↳ Graduates who design what can't be built 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 Students design, budget, and physically construct functional camping structures. Every beam they place teaches load distribution. Every joint they weld reveals material behavior. Every budget overrun teaches project economics. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗣𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: ↳ Structural analysis through physical feedback ↳ Project management with real deadlines ↳ Cross-functional team collaboration ↳ Resource optimization under constraints ↳ Rapid prototyping and iteration cycles The wisdom flows both ways. When students build in harmony with the landscape, they absorb lessons no simulation can teach. Companies report these graduates solve problems 60% faster - they've learned to think like nature's master builders. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵: Each camping house becomes a living laboratory. Students learn to read the land's story - how wind shapes design, how water flows direct foundation work, how sunlight transforms spaces. They're not just building structures - they're crafting relationships between humans and habitat. 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: 1 hands-on project = 3 semesters of theory come alive 10 structures built = a new generation of earth-conscious innovators 100 programs blooming = an engineering revolution rooted in nature's wisdom The result? Graduates who don't just design buildings - they craft spaces that honor both human needs and natural systems. Follow me for stories where innovation grows from the ground up, not just from theory. Share if you believe the best engineering solutions are written in the language of nature.

I've just started mapping two leadership development programmes from scratch. And before I've written a single learning objective or booked a single facilitator, here's what I've done: 1) I've sat with the exec team and actually listened. Not to validate what I already thought, but to understand what's keeping them up at night. What they're seeing at the top that isn't landing at the bottom. Where the gaps are between strategy and reality. 2) I've poured over employee survey data until patterns started emerging. Qualitative + quantitative. 3) I've also reviewed every piece of training that's already happened. What landed. What didn't. What got forgotten by Monday morning. Spoken with our existing trainers about what they see and hear in the room. You see, you can have the most beautifully designed programme in the world and it will still miss if it wasn't built on the right foundations. You can go and buy something that promises all the bells and whistles, but if it's not addressing what's actually getting in the way of people doing their jobs, showing up intentionally, or helping us make money.. then it's pouring precious budget down the drain. Most programmes start with content. I start with questions. What does good leadership actually look like here, at this specific moment in time? What behaviours are we trying to shift? What does the data tell us that people aren't saying out loud? Only when I can answer those questions do I start building. And I'm nearly there. The easiest thing to do is contact a big provider or great facilitator and buy something off the shelf. You can say you ticked a box. Great. But a leadership programme that isn't rooted in real context, real data, and real human insight isn't a programme. It's a catalogue. And we've all sat through enough of those. Did I miss anything? Keen to hear other L&Ders approaches to this, especially when you've got the luxury of a blank slate.

The ultimate guide to creating transformational workshop experiences (Even if you're not a natural facilitator) Ever had that gut-punch moment after a workshop where you just know it didn’t land? I’ve been there. Back then, I thought great workshops were all about cramming in as much content as possible. You know what I mean: - Slides with inspirational quotes. - The theory behind the frameworks. - More activities than a summer camp schedule… Subconsciously I believed that: The more I shared, the more people would see me as an expert. The more I shared, the more valuable the workshop. And participants would surely walk away transformed. Spoiler: they didn’t. They were hit-and-miss. But then on a leadership retreat in 2016, I stumbled onto something that changed everything. Something so obvious it's almost easy to miss. But when you intentionally use them, it took my workshops from "meh" to "mind-blowing": Three simple principles: 1️⃣ Context-based Learning People don't show up as blank slates. They bring their own experiences, challenges, and goals. When I started anchoring my content in their reality, things clicked. Suddenly, what I was sharing felt relevant and useful — like I was talking with them instead of at them. 2️⃣ Experiential Learning Turns out, people don’t learn by being told. They learn by doing (duh). When I shifted to creating experiences, the room came alive. And participants actually remembered what they’d learned. Experiences like roleplays, discussions, real-world scenarios, the odd game... 3️⃣ Evocative Facilitation This one was a game-changer. The best workshops aren’t just informative — they’re emotional. The experiences we run spark thoughts and reactions. And it's our job to ask powerful questions to invite reflection. Guiding participants to their own "aha!" moments to use in the real world. (yup, workshops aren't the real world) ... When I started being intentional with these three principles, something clicked. Participants started coming up to me after sessions, saying things like: "That’s exactly what I needed." "I feel like you were speaking directly to me." "I’ve never felt so seen in a workshop before." And best of all? Those workshops led to repeat bookings, referrals, and clients who couldn’t wait to work with me again. Is this the missing piece to your expertise? - If so, design experiences around context. •Facilitate experiences that evoke reactions •Unpack reactions to land the learning ♻️ Share if you found this useful ✍️ Do you use any principles to design your workshops?

Saturday is a good day for reflection. Here's something to think about: Do you know the real return on investment of your leadership development initiatives? Measurement is not optional 🤷♀️ . If you want leadership development to be real, durable and connected to the business, you need a structured approach that helps you see the return. ⚠️ A word of caution- the return may not be evident immediately, which is why we need a longitudinal approach to measurement. 👩🎓 I am a fan of The Learning Transfer Evaluation Model (LTEM) ( by Will Thalheimer). Instead of just asking if people liked the training or learned something new, LTEM asks whether they actually apply what they’ve learned- and whether it leads to real performance improvement. The key idea is simple: It’s not enough for people to attend or 'learn'- we need to know if they’re doing things differently and getting better outcomes. .... 📹 I have uploaded of short video, with an explanation of how I measure my own coaching programmes at individual level. You will hear me talk about psychometric assessment and facilitated self-assessment. You will hear me say why the latter is far more powerful... 📏 If we want to help people to feel more confident and competent in their role, we need a benchmark of where they are now....and their progress over months and even years. 💡 Self-assessment can be repeated at intervals so we can see the person’s own view of their growth - not just what they did, but how they feel they’ve changed. ..... While I don't mention it in this video, there is more to measurement than self-assessment over time. It's important to capture changes in performance, behaviour, and impact beyond the individual. Ultimately, effective leadership shows up in business outcomes. Depending on the organisation, this might include improvements in employee engagement, team productivity, quality, retention, customer satisfaction, safety, or profitability. By linking behavioural change to these kinds of metrics, we can demonstrate that the coaching programme isn’t just creating better leaders- it’s creating better business performance. Have you any tips on measuring leadership development initiatives? Leave your comments below 🙏 PS. Subscribe here to my Youtube channel if you want to be notified of every video I post: https://lnkd.in/eC7a5uzA

The Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) is an established method of determining and prioritising what people need to learn, which informs the programmes, content and platforms L&D invests in. But here's the problem: We’re not in the business of collecting learning wishlists. We’re here to move the needle on performance. The traditional LNA often leads to vague inputs (“we need help with communication”) that get turned into standardised training or content. Context gets stripped away, relevance disappears, and impact becomes immeasurable. L&D’s role is not to make learning available - it’s to help people do their jobs better, adapt faster, and grow in ways that support the business. I’m afraid AI has the ‘make learning available’ role now. So what should we do instead? 3 things: 1) Start with business goals, not learning goals. - What is the organisation trying to achieve?  - What’s getting in the way?  - Where are the skills gaps or performance bottlenecks? 2) Build a prioritised pipeline Borrowing from Agile, create a dynamic backlog of real business problems - ranked by urgency, risk, and potential upside. This gives you a clear, evolving view of where L&D can make the biggest difference. 3) Introduce an open, structured intake Let stakeholders flag their challenges - but ask the right questions. What’s the performance challenge? What’s the cost of inaction? What outcome are they aiming for? This brings clarity and keeps everyone focused on impact, not activity. This approach does more than improve outcomes. It reshapes how L&D is seen - from content provider to performance partner. If we focus on solving real problems, we’ll have evidence of our impact. If we have evidence of our impact, we’ll stop being the department of training requests - and start being the team that’s relied upon to drive change. By doing what we’ve always done we’ll continue to prove only limited impact. But by being aligned, planning for impact and prioritising based on measurable value, we can do the work that truly matters - and prove that it’s worked. If you want to plan for impact rather than just learning, then my next L&D Office Hours is for you… Sign up for this month's session: https://lnkd.in/e6mdNQeg

Are your “leaders” truly performance multipliers? (Edition 3: February 2026 Founders Feature Series) Most leadership programs decorate the org chart.   Mireille Bergraaf (Leadership Coach) and Dutch Leadership Development (DLD) quietly rewire the system underneath it. Their impact starts with a hard question:   Where is the real performance gap between your current leadership behavior and your strategy? Not in theory. In the day to day. Here are three main ways in which DLD impacts your business: 1) From vague “talent initiatives” to a closed loop   --> They begin with a structured performance gap analysis tied to your strategy and culture.   --> Then they lock it into a Company Commitment Statement, so the business owns the change, not HR alone.   --> Progress reviews and targeted interventions after each cycle prevent the classic “great training, no behavior change” problem. 2) Inner work that shows up on the P&L   --> Coaching is built on introspection: why people think, feel and act as they do under pressure.   --> Those shifts translate into sharper focus, better prioritization and healthier customer decisions.   --> It is a long game, often a year or more, so only truly motivated leaders stay in. That is a feature, not a bug. 3) Skills built in context, not in isolation   --> Intensive 10-week trainings are paired with personal coaching, so new skills get tested in real business situations.   --> Modular workshops let you design a “cocktail” that fits your reality: from emotional intelligence to decision making and project management.   --> The result: leadership capacity at every level, not a single “hero” at the top. If I were recommending Mireille to a fellow executive, I would say this:   She will not sell you inspiration. She will demand commitment, align with your strategy, and stay in the loop until new behavior sticks in the system. TLDR: DLD helps answer the question, "Are you developing leaders for titles, or for the decisions that actually move your business?" -Dr. Kruti Lehenbauer #LeadershipDevelopment, #PostitStatistics #DataScience #FounderFebruary Content obtained from Dutch Leadership Development website: https://lnkd.in/gVzyDaWh Carousel and video created in Ryza Content Creator

A few weeks ago, I got a message from a frustrated CEO. His company was growing, but his leadership team? Struggling. 👉 Decisions were delayed. 👉 Employees were disengaged. 👉 Morale was sinking fast. He had built his business from the ground up, yet leadership wasn’t something he had actively developed. His words stuck with me: "I know how to scale a company, but I don’t know how to scale leadership." That’s when he brought me in. Step 1: Diagnosing the Leadership Gaps I conducted a leadership audit—one-on-one interviews, team observations, and anonymous feedback surveys. The issues were clear: ❌ Team members lacked confidence in decision-making. ❌ Communication was top-down, with little collaboration. ❌ Managers were overloaded because they didn’t trust their teams to execute. Step 2: Leadership Development Plan Once we identified the pain points, we designed a leadership development strategy focused on three pillars: ✅ Decision-Making Frameworks – We introduced structured problem-solving models to build confidence and autonomy. ✅ Empowered Delegation – Instead of micromanaging, we implemented a system of accountability. I trained them on how to delegate effectively while still maintaining control over key outcomes. ✅ Communication & Culture Shift – We moved from a rigid hierarchy to a culture of open dialogue. I held workshops on active listening, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence. Step 3: Implementing & Scaling Leadership We didn’t stop at programs —we made leadership a daily habit. 🔹 Weekly check-ins turned into strategy discussions, not just status updates. 🔹 Leaders started coaching their teams rather than just managing them. 🔹 Performance evaluations now included leadership metrics. Within three months, the transformation was clear: -Employee engagement and initiative skyrocketed. -The CEO spent less time firefighting and more time on strategy. -Team leaders felt empowered rather than overwhelmed. Leadership isn’t a title; it’s a mindset and skill. And like any skill, it can be learned, honed, and mastered. Who’s leading your organization—managers or true leaders? #LeadershipDevelopment #EmpoweredLeadership #LeadershipMindset #ScaleYourBusiness #LeadershipTransformation #TeamEmpowerment #DecisionMaking #CultureShift

Ever wondered how you can transform seasoned mid-level leaders into visionary senior leaders right within your organization? Here’s a compelling case study that might inspire you to rethink your approach. Imagine leading an executive presence intervention for a top-tier manufacturing unit within a global engineering giant. With 12 leaders, each boasting over 20 years of stellar performance, the challenge was clear: ignite their passion for growth and elevate their executive presence for high-stakes meetings and CXO conversations. The goal? Beyond refining their skills, we aimed to instill the gravitas needed to drive the organization’s vision and foster authentic leadership from the inside out. Here’s what we did: 1. Crafted a Six-Month Leadership Odyssey: Dynamic group coaching sessions fostered stronger bonds and deep trusting conversations. Leaders felt safe to open up and share their vulnerabilities, creating a powerful foundation for growth. A 100-day support process bridged virtual gaps. 2. Customized Coaching: Each leader received personalized coaching, enriched by insights about Fortune 100 CXOs. We focused on Executive Presence and applied innovative communication techniques to enhance their gravitas and presence in critical meetings. The Result? These leaders didn’t just evolve—they underwent a profound transformation into change agents who propelled the organization towards sustainable change and new heights of employee and customer-centric excellence. They embraced authentic leadership, leading with confidence and authority in every high-stakes meeting. What Can You Take Away? 1. Foster Deep Trust: Create an environment where leaders can open up and share their vulnerabilities. Deep trusting conversations are essential for authentic leadership and sustainable change. 2. Enhance Executive Presence: Equip your leaders with the skills and confidence needed to handle CXO conversations and high-stakes meetings with gravitas. Tailor interventions to build their presence from the inside out. 3. Embrace Inside Out Leadership: Focus on nurturing leadership qualities from within. Authentic leadership starts with understanding oneself and extends to how leaders engage and inspire others. 4. Drive Sustainable Change: Ensure your leadership programs are designed to create lasting impact. Invest in ongoing support and personalized coaching to facilitate long-term growth and transformation. Here’s to unleashing the incredible potential within your organization! #LeadershipDevelopment #SuccessionPlanning #ExecutivePresence #AuthenticLeadership #InsideOutLeadership #CXOConversations #HighStakesMeetings #TransformationalLeadership #SustainableChange #Impact #Gravitas

We don't need more managers. We need leaders who remember they're human. Most companies make the same critical mistake. They take their star performers – the ones who crush targets, solve complex problems, deliver consistently – and promote them to leadership positions. Then they abandon them there. No guidance. No tools. No transformation. It's like handing someone car keys without teaching them to drive. Then acting surprised when they crash. The result? A slow-motion organizational tragedy. Top talent leaves because their managers can't lead effectively. Leaders burn out fighting daily fires instead of building for tomorrow. And companies wonder why their culture surveys keep getting worse. Leadership isn't an automatic upgrade that comes with a title. It's a completely different operating system. The individual contributor mindset that got you promoted will be the exact thing that makes you fail as a leader. Your technical brilliance won't save you when you're facing a team in conflict. Your problem-solving speed won't help when you need to coach someone through their own growth journey. This is the gap Change+ addresses. Not with inspirational speeches or theoretical frameworks that collect dust. But with leadership development journeys that transform high performers into people-first leaders who can actually deliver results while inspiring their teams. Because leadership isn't built in a day. It's built through experience, feedback, reflection, and support. It's built by expanding strategic thinking beyond your silo. By amplifying presence and influence. By learning to coach rather than direct. Most leadership training fails because it treats leadership like information to be absorbed rather than behaviors to be practiced. A workshop doesn't make a leader any more than reading about swimming makes you a swimmer. Real leadership development isn't an event. It's a system. It combines short, high-impact learning with ongoing application. It creates space for practice, failure, and growth. It measures not just what leaders know, but how they show up. The truth is, we don't need more managers who can hit targets while burning out their teams. We need leaders who understand that results and relationships aren't competing priorities – they're complementary powers. Leaders who know that influence without authority is the most powerful skill in today's complex organizations. Leaders who can make decisions amid uncertainty. Leaders who build cultures of accountability without resorting to fear. This is what Change+ builds. Not just concepts. Not just skills. But the full human capacity to lead with both head and heart. Because when leadership fails, it's rarely about capability. It's about humanity.

Training isn’t the answer. It’s often the problem. Yet L&D often stops at delivering content. The results → People 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 better but don't 𝘥𝘰 better. → Frustrated learners. → Disappointed stakeholders. → No meaningful shift in behaviour. For real change: 1️⃣ Challenge the capability myth When someone isn't coaching their team or avoids difficult conversations, it's rarely just a skill gap. Look deeper for clarity, confidence or capacity issues. Ask first: "What's actually blocking this behaviour?" It's often motivation, misalignment or mental fatigue—not knowledge. 2️⃣ Context over content Most leadership programs drown in models while starving for application. Replace frameworks with: → Real-world moments that matter → Practical solutions to common blockers → Reflection + coaching that shifts mindset, not just skillset Knowledge fades. Experience sticks. 3️⃣ Design systems, not sessions People change when: → The right action is easy to recall → There's space to practice → Continued effort feels meaningful L&D's true role isn't delivering more—it's embedding what matters so behaviour change outlasts the workshop. This requires thoughtful design, consistent follow-through and real-world reinforcement. L&Ds, how are you moving from knowledge delivery to behavioural design? __________________   I'm Lucy, an ICF-certified coach and award-winning facilitator. I help leaders and L&D teams embed leadership that sticks—through a Leadership Operating System grounded in emotional intelligence, intrinsic motivation and mental fitness.