A Bright 2022 for L&D

As we close out 2021, and prepare to welcome a 2022 full of challenge, stretch and anticipation, it was good to gather with other Learning & Development leaders on Wednesday in the shadow of the majestic Marble Arch, London, for my final?Learning & Performance Institute ?Learning Live session of the year. An intimate setting with some familiar faces and voices, it was really lovely to see and listen to some of the brightest minds in L&D.

I just re-read that last phrase: "it was really lovely to see".

Doesn't that just sum up the problem with people’s – including my own – responses to training sessions? Yesterday reminded me that, as a Head of L&D, I need to constantly seek clarity on my own objectives and evaluate the actual business impact or the target behavioural change. NOT whether a session was "lovely” or not.

This underlines for me the reason why only?16.7%* of C-Suite leaders?rate L&D as extremely important to the organisation’s success. We (and I include myself here) don't do a good enough job at aligning our learning strategy with the organisation's strategy. Maybe that’s why?35.7%* of employees?don't understand what we do!

The?inspiring?Donald H Taylor ?said during the session that the debate around the ROI of L&D has been an issue since 2006. So why are we still talking about it? This question made me reflect deeply, especially going into a 2022 that professionally looks to be exciting, challenging and the best year yet. I must change and it starts with me, so I’m writing this to keep myself accountable for the new year.

So how will L&D at?Rocko ?be different in the new year?

• We'll be curious in our quest for clarity – clarifying the change that a client wants to make in their business. This is often a grey area for clients, so we’ll work with existing and new clients to help define the goals of any blended learning solution, for the varying stakeholders – including the learners themselves!
• We'll communicate more efficiently and more succinctly, to drive engagement and change with our programmes.
• We'll continue to talk all things performance with our clients. We know the key to a successful start-up/scale-up is not only getting the right people, but helping them be exceptional.

Another stat shared by the LPI's CLO Cathy Hoy ?yesterday: 81%* of people don't have time for L&D! As Rocko's Chief Strategy Officer?Martin Shelford would say, 5% of your week should be on learning and 5% of your week should be on innovation. Driving the bar, setting the standard and role-modelling learning behaviour is incredibly important when building a culture of learning in any organisation. And that’s especially true in tech – a rapidly growing sector with huge potential for positive societal change.

Making the link between performance and learning is the key value driver for business. As L&D professionals, we must get better at evaluating our work, championing learning and driving workplace improvements for the better.

2022 provides us all with the opportunity to be more strategic, to be more focused aligning to our business needs, and to be the change that our organisation and teams want to see.

Let me end by wishing all my L&D colleagues a very Happy Holidays and here's to a bright 2022.

*figures from The LPI Accelerator